I wanted to let you all know that Festus is improving, he is back on the duck soup, but if I mix it exactly the way he likes it, he sucks it down like there is no tomorrow (if I don't make it just right or it isn't warm enough, he makes faces and has to chew it, and he grabs the dropper and pushes it away, he is funny) I think he almost has me trained exactly as he wants me now. I sure am a believer in the Deliver 2.0 now, it is not cheap, but it sure has helped him. He is still very skinny, but improving daily. Just wish he would eat dry food. Rikki is doing great, she is on the Lysodren for inoperable adrenal tumor, and to hear her tell it, she isn't sick anymore, though I know that is not the case. She wrote a letter to her wonderful sponsor the other day begging for every treat and toy she could think of, it was embarassing, but her sponsor loved it. Rikki did not ask for one or two things, she asked for truckloads of Pounce, truckloads of pacifiers, etc., and a special pillow for her soft behind only it *had* to be royal blue (or purple, I can't remember now) cuz she is "bery bery special", what a spoiled child huh? Emily is great!! She was even nice to the new kid Sadie yesterday, Emily is very "choosey" about her friends. She is really getting a tummy. They have a new tent provided by a wonderful shelter mom Alicia of Ferretwise who sent us a special surprise gift package. Thanks Alicia, the kids love the stuff. Emily loves the tent. Emily is a "more mature, and serious" type so I love it when she finds something to enjoy, she is far too serious. Toby found a home on Sunday, he will have 2 brothers named Buddy and Scooter. His new mom just has to figure out how to sneak him in without her hubby realizing there is another fert in the house. He is coming around slowly, but not a ferret lover yet. Linda is Toby's new mom. Toby wanted to go to the ferret meeting Sunday and so he and Asher and Munchie went and Linda fell in love with Toby. As soon as he is up on all his shots he can go to his new home. I think Linda is going to tell her hubby that he is a rescue that she needs to pick up and hold for a little while "for the shelter", then put Toby to work to get hubby to fall in love with him, sneaky huh? Went to the San Antonio Pet Expo Saturday and, of course, there was this little girl that was not being properly cared for, in a cage with no litter box, eating "Crave" (YUK), on pine shavings, and she was just thin as a rail, well Crave has something like 8 percent fat and it is mostly plant and vegetable fillers so she was slowly starving on that crap. The lady wanted $150 for her and the cage. The little girl's name is Sadie, she is a light sable. Sadie is about 1 year old (they think), she is a MF and seems otherwise healthy. I walked away when she said $150, but I knew I would come home with her. Michael, a local club member and generous shelter supporter and I rallied and pooled resources and talked the lady down to $100 (for the ferret alone) <gasp> still too high, but I could not leave without her, I would never have been able to sleep again. So we snatched her up grabbed some *decent* food from the San Antonio Ferret Enthusiast's booth for the trip home, threw the box of Crave in the garbage, adapted a styro cup into a bowl for water and came home. (I know how I am, and the 3 others I was with are the same, so I had insisted on taking a small pet taxi just in case, I felt certain we would come back with something, maybe not a ferret, but something.) Sadie is doing great. The lady had said that she would not eat anything but the Crave, but she promptly devoured the *real* food that we borrowed from SAFE. The lady also said that Sadie had "bonded" to her cage and that needed to go with her or she wouldn't potty anywhere else. (Thought you all would enjoy a good laugh.) She promptly used the first litter box she was offered and has ever since. The lady knew nothing about shots she'd had or anything. Supposedly this ferret had been passed around from one owner to another. On the sign it said Sadie had to go to a *good home* but the lady did not ask me a single question, I asked her about 20. Sadie has had a ball here, and she loves playing with other ferrets. We will wait until we are sure she isn't going to come down with the greenies before we start her series of Distemper shots. She is eating like a horse and is very playful and well behaved. She sure is a sweetie. She reminds me alot of Rikki when she first came here, Rikki was extremely thin too. Michael and I will barely get back what we paid for her when she is eventually adopted and I will be out the cost of food, litter, and shots for her, but I don't care, I just could not leave her there. (Sure hope she does not have any major medical expenses.) A funny thing, she is the same color as Festus and she has the same long face that he has and her ears are kind of pointed and stick up like his do too, she looks like a girl-Festus. Cocoa is having not-so-good looking poops, I am going to isolate her today to watch closely how she does. She had a cancerous adrenal tumor removed in December. Duchess is losing or pulling out the hair on her lower back now too, vet still says it is unlikely adrenal cause her little "you-know" isn't swollen at all. Donna caught her playing with her tail and pulling hair out one day, but I am wondering how she is pulling it out on her back, maybe Cocoa is getting revenge? I read about a shampoo on the FML a while back that helped a ferret to grow hair back on their tail, maybe an allergy(?) or something, will pull up the old FML's and look that up and try to get some to try. Have an obnoxious new, one year old, whole male named Bandit here now, in rut, and being a jerk. He is not a bad ferret, just too full of himself and he bites when he gets too wound up somethimes, he got my foot last night before I knew what happened, he will be neutered as soon as I have the money for it. Ally is a 4 year old, dark sable female that arrived with Bandit, though NOT together. She is a sweetie, still a little frightened of being picked up and so is Bandit, but they are getting better. I sure like Ally. They have not come down with the greenies yet, they are eating the shelter mix now, and I will start Distemper shots soon for them. I want to be sure they are eating "enough" before I start shots, etc.. Sammie is eating the shelter mix now, though last night I figured out that her favorite is Totally Ferret of the mix. I think that is wonderful, she has a long way to go nutritionally and I believe this food is the best for her, I just didn't think that she would decide the same thing. We went through alot of battles to get her off the canned catfood and eating dry at all, I was happy with her eating *anything* dry. She is a 3 year old light sable mitt/badger (wierd markings and coloration). I have posted about her before. After 4 weeks on a *decent* diet, she will go in for ultrasound ($$$) and probable adrenalectomy ($$$), we may do blood tests too to be sure she is not diabetic, no symptoms, just a previous diagnosis of that somewhere in her past, though no one could remember the vets name....great<sigh>. Boomer is excellent, he gets Nutrical daily (for hypoglycemia) and is HUGE compared to when he arrived, the change in his overall stamina and strength is phenomenal. He is extremely active and playful and happy all the time. He is a fun kid. Sam's elbow is all healed, it was a form of skin cancer, but all was removed and the vet and the lab both say there is no reason for concern about it. I can't even find the scar and there were 5 stitches! His hair is growing back and he is acting, as always, happy, healthy, and eager to get at those other ferrets (he is NOT a social ferret, he likes to eat the others, and anything else on four legs) though he loves people and is the most docile ferret while with people and not around other ferrets...go figure. Munchie, Asher, and Topanga are available for adoption. Guess that is it for now, gotta run...kisses to all the fuzzies. Trish [Posted in FML issue 1600]