Hi >I just can't resist joining in- I love reading how folks chose their >ferrets' names! My very first, and dearest ferret was named Paleface. He was a marvelous little fellow who came to me with what I then thought was a very unusual light color (now I know he was just a regular old silver mitt) and a great big playful spirit. I wanted his name to reflect his color, and I wanted it to express his "ferocity." My best friend from high school and I were on the phone, and I told her that I needed a name for my new little man. Out of the blue, she came up with Paleface, and I thought that it fit. Of course, over the years, he acquired quite a few nicknames- Pookie, Little Man, Firetruck (for the way his back end seemed to be steered differently than his front end), and my favorite- Bean. I was so very sad when Bean passed on last summer at the ripe old age of (almost) eight years. My next two boys were adopted together- in fact they were littermates. The little sable boy had already acquired a "kit-name" from the breeder (Hi, Meg!). She dubbed him Spikey because the hair on his head stood up in a darling little mohawk. Spikey was already a very special little boy. His mama became very sick with mastitis while nursing him. She had rush surgery to remove the infected nipple, and it happened to be Spikey's nipple. Spikey developed an eye infection on top of it all (not uncommon in conjunction with mastitis). So, poor little Spikey had to be nursed and coddled quite a bit through his early youth. I'm not sure if that's the cause, but Spikey is a bit of a Mama's boy. He is a gentle, somewhat timid soul. I gave him his "proper" name as a reflection of his personality. Y'all remember Daniel Striped Tiger from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood? Well, my boy is Daniel Spikey Tiger. : ) Spikey's brother is a whole different situation. Despite the fact that they were littermates, the two do not share many personality characteristics! From the get-go, Spikey's brother was a little adventurer. Sitting on the living room floor at the breeder's house, I held Spikey as he cuddled up to me. His brother, on the other hand, was tearing about the room, exploring every last nook and cranny. I knew that he would need a name to reflect his fearless spirit. Meg and I joked about how this little guy was going a-viking, so I thought a Scandanavian name would suit him. Gunnar popped into my head, and given his red eyes (he's an albino), Gunnar the Red just fit. Of course, once I got him home, I found out that he HONKED incessantly. Yes, I mean HONKED! As a result, Gunnar acquired the nickname Goose. Beau's story is somewhat shorter, since I didn't name him. When we adopted the boyz, we fell in love with their sire, Beau Geste. Several months later, Meg offered him to me, and I eagerly adopted him. Beau, aka Boseph or Lurky, is a real character. He is one weird ferret, but we love him. :) Last (and least in size if not in spirit) is my new little girl. In January, I fell in love with a beautiful, tiny albino girl at the PFRA Westmoreland County shelter. This little lady was found in someone's back yard. She had taken up residence in a rabbit warren on the property! Chris and Tara, the shelter directors, named her Athena for her beauty and strength. My SO and I had other plans for her. Such a pretty little girl needed more than one name, so we dubbed her Maybelle after Maybelle Carter, one of our favorite old-time musicians. Of course, little Miss May as I call her needed a proper title, so she is officially "Rabbit Hole's Athena Maybelle." If you'd like to see pictures of my little family, stop by http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/1122/meetme.html Happy Ferreting! Gina Hart/Sage Ferrets Visit the Sage Ferrets web site http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/1122 Sometimes I think I would like to be named the 'Prince of Weasels.' As the Prince of Weasels, I would sneak up behind people and bite them. Then they would turn around and say, "What the... Oh, it's just you, the Prince of Weasels." ...Jack Handey [Posted in FML issue 2650]