>From: Roger Mcmillian <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: I've gone to the dogs, sort of. >Anyone else have experiences with ferrets and small dogs (preferably >shelties). Back a few years when I only had one ferret and room-mates one of them had a sheltie. The Sheltie and the ferret were best buddies. At that time I was using a very large handmade cage that was low to the floor. The dog would spend as much time in it as the ferret. Another dog that was probably sheltie mix - similar markings and size but with some terrier was just as good with the ferret(s) - I'd gotten another by that point. Nothing funnier than watching the ferrets climb the dogs with the long hair. Currently we have Pomeranians and German sheperds. Other than a frustrated sheperd trying to HERD the ferrets everything is fine for us. >From: Graham Cooke <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: working and pet ferts in UK <AND> >From: Sheila Crompton <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Pets/Working one and the same? I'm quite fascinated with the stories You Brits are telling. I have some English ferrets that were imported last summer and find them somewhat different. MUCH higher energy levels. Thats right the rest of you Americans - your ferrets are slow and lazy compared to these. All of us who got the English and the kits from them have noticed this. They are a bit smaller - my understanding is that that is associated with being small enough for rabbit holes. We got two poleys and a sandy (two sables and a champagne). Through trades with the other breeders we now have a descendant of the (in)famous Peter Polecat of James McKay as well. I'm not entirely convinced that it is just genetic problems in the US but these and the Swedish (and Russian) ferrets we brought in will let us study them. If they do have the same levels of problems we will have to analyze the environmental factors as well. Please keep telling us about the ferrets over in the UK! >From: Habitat <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: eggs, medieval ferrets, ear-cleaning and bedding >He said that in those times, falcons and falconing was the sport of kings, >but ferrets were the pet of the commoners (he does the renaissance festivals >and uses his ferrets as part of his costume). I'm not quite sure about that. There are more paintings of falcons which supports that but there are enough with ferrets (mislabeled as ermines and such) that I suspect that ferrets were in all homes to catch mice. Cats were associated with witches (not to stir up the silly Wiccan problem, I'm just using a historical perspective) and more feared. >From: "Brown, Peter M." <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Linatone? Linatone is linatone. Ingredients are listed the same. Ferretone is very very close as well. We use them interchangebly. >From: MISS MEGAN J WISDOM <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: sick brits >They explained that there is more inbreeding here in the States which >causes the diseases and early deaths. I doubt this part. I can be convinced of the other. There is a larger population pool in the United states. It is less necessary to in-breed since there are more ferret partners to choose from. The breeders I work with avoid in-breeding many generations back. The English ferrets we imported didn't even have pedigrees so it is impossible to know if there was any in-breeding. This is not a cross ocean slam as there are many Americans who don't keep pedigrees on their ferrets either just as I am sure some English breeders are as careful as the most careful Americans. bill and diane killian zen and the art of ferrets http://www.zenferret.com/ mailto:[log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1641]