HAPPY FERRETS

I think little Angel was happy to be back in the cage with her buddies, Smokey and Baby. She was all curled up in a sack with Smokey this morning. She is looking great, too. She's putting some weight back on and is very energetic. I am sooo happy to see it!

Misty has managed to leave her foot alone, so no more bleeding episodes, thank God!! I just found some more bloody ferret footprints in one of the cages, though (from the other night when it happened). I'm thinking she scraped it and didn't actually bite it. Really, she's being very good about letting me put ointment on it and leaving it alone.

I'm sewing a bunch of bedding from remnants of fabric I had (plus some new I just bought, ugh, can't resist cool fabric...) and am sending a box of hammies and sacks to a ferret rescue up in Baltimore that just rescued 40 ferrets. Need to get it done, so I can do something with this house for the holidays. I have crap strewn all over the place!!

There's today's update! All the other Friskies are just doing great, continuing to bring laughter, love and a whole lot of silliness to my life!!

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

Two of my foster fuzzies:

(L) Baby (aka,'Koosh") , (R) Smokey

Last Monday a distemper shot for Rocky (which always makes me sooo nervous, but he did just fine). Yesterday glucose checks on Dave (my blind guy) and Baby (one of my fosters, who I call 'Koosh'). Baby's glucose was fine -- Dave, notsomuch. Dave's glucose level was 53, which points to insulinoma. So we broke out the Prednisone.

I'm glad I had them checked. Dave shows no real symptoms...I just did it as part of a check-up because he turned 5 years a couple of months ago. When it read borderline, we waited and repeated it. Hopefully, we are catching it early.

I had Koosh checked because she seems so non-energetic to me. Is happy just sleeeeeeping away. So I was worried. Now those worries are put to rest! (Better safe than sorry) Baby is just a little mellowed out girl...and I'm not so used to mellow! LOL!

Smokey (another foster, aka, 'Stretch' and 'Tex') has this annoying little mast cell tumor on his head he will not quit scratching. So I had Dr. Dori look at it. She said to just keep putting Benadryl cream on it. Dana said I can give him Children's Liquid Benadryl, too, which I need to do, I guess. Poor little guy...

BOYS vs. GIRLS

Sunny asked me if I notice a difference between the personalities of my boy ferrets and girls ferrets. Definitely! The boys are either "down to business" or just plain silly. They tend to prank one another by stealing and hiding each other's toys or pouncing a sleeping victim, waking him up and then running away. They like to romp and rough-house...their play is all boy.

The girls (for the most part) are more mellow and chill. They are quite assertive and tend to get their way. They play more gently and their games are not the rough and tumble fare that the boys like.

Of course, the similarities tend to outweigh the differences. Some love to be held and doted over. Others are always squirming the get down and look for an adventure. Some enjoy sleeping the day away in a favorite snuggle spot. Others take short naps and come out to investigate regularly. I have a girl who digs her food something awful and a boy who (loves it) digs his water. A couple of my boys are organized and neat-niks (a place for every toy and every toy in it's place, thankyouverymuch) and I have some really messy girls.

So, now that I think about it, perhaps it really isn't a difference in gender, but just a personality thing. I love that everyone of my fuzzkids is different.

In health news:

Snow is doing so well -- the medicine for his heart seems to be working great. He bounces and weasle dances all over the place and has a good appetite. This makes me so happy. He and Ziggy are learning to tolerate one another...the squirmishes between them occur less frequently, thank goodness.

I took Baby (foster girl) in to see Dr. Dori last week because she seemed a bit depressed, had some diarrhea and wasn't eating good. She was given Tylan for a GI infection and it was also discovered that she had an abcess around one of her grooming teeth. She ended up having two teeth and the abcess removed and she is doing much better. Poor Baby Girl.

Smokey is struggling with a mast cell tumor on his head. I get it almost cleared up and he goes and scratches it and makes it bleed. Ugh. He has also been threatened with a vet visit if he doesn't leave it alone! Either that, or an Elizabethian collar! (I may have to make one out of a plastic cup! LOL!) He's also shedding something terrific. Not sure what that is about, unless his little body rhythm is off. Hmm. Note to self: A check up may be in order for Smokey Bear....

My little adrenal foster, Angel (I call her Thumballenia), is just doing great. She is so mellow and gets along with everyone. Besides her fish (that is her fish, now. If she is ever adopted, the fish has to go with her), she will dig down into the shredded paper box and nap. One almost can't find her in there!

Everyone else is doing great. No more slick escapes or major dramas (this is a good thing). Now mommy jsut needs to get some sleep...but that's a whole different blog.

PLAY MISTY FOR ME

I've been letting my foster,Misty, play with my boys the past couple of days and she seems to be getting along really well. She likes to rough-house (guess she's a tom-ferret) which Milo loves! We've really taken to her -- despite her biting thing -- she is so charming and funny. She also shows a sweetness that is so endearing. Not being a ferret psychologist, I can't say why she nips. Sometimes I really think she is just trying to play. I dunno.

I agreed to not ask to adopt any of my fosters and I want to honor that. Misty is a special case though. Would Dana consider letting us give Misty her Forever Home? I'm not sure.

THE THREE

Angel
Smokey

Baby

These are my newest foster fuzzies! They are a bonded triplet and so sweet. Angel is a teeny tiny little girl with adrenal and we are waiting for surgery. Smokey is a beautiful and unusual looking male who love to give kisses in your ear. And he steals the cardboard paper towel tubes! Baby is a big, beautiful girl who is so loving and mellow.

They are all still a bit shy right now, but are starting to get used to their new home. Misty is a bit confused about what happened to Oreo and Vestia, but she's getting extra lovies and she is going to do fine with her new friends.

I want to try to save some money to help get Angel her surgery. Money is a bit tight right now, but I'd like to do what I can. She's the tiniest ferret I've ever handled. And she has a very large personality! She has no idea how little she is! It's interesting that she has a different smell than the other ferrets. I guess it's the adrenal? (Oh, yeah, this is my first adrenal ferret, too.)

As for my guys, everyone is great. Milo has learned to dook, which is so adorable. He has a cute little voice. Snow is doing well on his heart meds and you would never know he was even sick. Rocky is staying in the house, LOL! Ziggy and Snow are getting along, which is making me very happy.

Yes, life is good here at the Frisky Fun House!

WORLD WAR FERRET

NEWS REGARDING THE RESCUE EFFORT:

Arrrggghh! OK. This is what's going on today. I am not going to do my own rescue. Instead, I'm going to be a foster home/satellite rescue for my friend Dana (Forever Homes Wanted Ferret Rescue). This is much better for everyone: me, hubby, HAFA and the ferret-loving community. We only need to concentrate on fund-raising and other support for one rescue, instead of two. Help and funds are scant enough without the added stress. It actually makes me feel good that they were going to support me somehow, anyway, and that Dana is willing to let me be a serious foster home for her. I guess they like me, despite the fact that I am kind of loopy!

So, anyway, I bought home cages that I need to clean and set up. At first it didn't even look like this was going to happen. K. and I had a difficult discussion around the whole rescue issue. He has his thoughts and ideas -- I have mine. The sticking point was the problem of having enough space for the little guys (cages and free-roam space). Lack of communication, me getting upset and throwing my hands up in the air, saying, "Just forget it!" put a strain on the subject, to say the least. So I declared myself as being done.

Then hubby decided it's OK to sell the treadmill and rearrange some stuff in our workout room so I can have half of it for my cages and play space. So we are back on. There's lots to do and I think it's OK to be excited again....!

IN THE FERRET NEWS:

Well. It's been interesting. We've had Snow now for about 5 days now. He is getting along pretty well with everyone except Ziggy and Milo. Milo is my baby, only about 6 months old. He is Ziggy's ferret. Right now I think it's a pecking order issue between the baby and the new guy.

Ziggy is my one-year-old. He has made it his job to defend the Hidey Hole and his pet ferret, Milo. Not to mention his panda bear, his bubble wrap, his balls, his fish...etc. So he and Snow are not liking each other so much. They are fighting, with blood once (I believe it was an accident - Ziggy's foot got nicked) and poo more than once.

The poo is Snow's. At first, I though Ziggy was scaring the s**t out of Snow. But, I've figured out, that Snow is using it as a weapon!! I guess, since he can't spray, he poos! Here's hoping he gets past that little behavior....

Anyway, these two were at it again this morning. I decided I'm doing no one any favors by jumping in every time, so I stood close by and watched (just in case I saw an ear fly across the room or something). It was puff tail and scramble and rolling. Ziggy was dookdookdook-ing and Snow was screaming like a girl. They barely touched each other, really, just the neck holding that's normal. A little while later, I find Ziggy in Snow's cage, laying next to Snow and being nice (but dooking under his breath).

So there you go. Ferret behaviour 101. Fighting is normal. Perhaps even a bit of blood is normal. And poo. Our job is to make sure no body parts fall off and give lots of love, reassurance and Ferratone.

IT'S A MOM THING....

I went to the County Clerk's office and got my DBA , so now I am "officially" Friskybiznus Ferret Foster Home and Adoption ! Next step is to write out my mission statement and a business plan of some sort (including a budget, LOL!). Luckily, Keith made me write out a ferret budget a couple of months ago. Boy, it that an eye-opener. I spend a lot of money on paper towels!!!

A note of thanks to all of my friends who are rooting for me and being so supportive!!! You rock!

In other news --- everyone is doing just fine. The Duck Soup dilemma seems to have passed and we are all eating it with enthusiasm, except poor Ziggy, who just can't quite eat his DS without my intervention. Usually, one he gets going, he eats it up...but it takes some real encouragement. He's no longer a baby anymore, our Ziggy, having lost the last of any "baby fat and fluff". Now he is as sleek and graceful as Rocky. It's weird.

Milo, the baby, is now the goofy, clumsy one and bigger than any of the others. His personality is so much like Ziggy's, it's uncanny. And we are always calling each of then by the other's name!

We all still miss Cupid so very much. It is a bittersweet feeling to see Dave sleeping in the sock nest alone...oh, writing this will make me cry.

That's it. Mother's Day was lovely and I am blessed to be called "Mom" by two amazing sons and five little fuzzbutts!

THREE DOOKS AND A....

Happy Dance!!!!! I just got the sweetest email from my friend at HAFA offering support and congratulations. This means the world to me.

So it looks like I'm on my way to starting Friskybiznus Ferret Foster Home and Adoption!!

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER

Rocky was in charge today. He made his rounds and stayed awake when I got home from work. Then he climbed his cage and ended up in a picture with his stuffed animals!!

He climbed up there to get his toy remote control mouse.

Duck Soup was better tonight. Everyone (except Ziggy) ate with much more enthusiasm than the past couple of nights. Ziggy is just rotten. He was having to lick the soup off of my finger for a while before he'd start eating from the bowl. OK. Tonight? He would only eat the soup from a spoon. This isn't good. He's teaching me how to feed him!!

Sleeeeepyy.

ZIGGY THIEVES THE NAPKINS and other random babblings

Today I am recovering from a bad case of bronchitis and a cold. Felt a bit better, so I made the babees new bedding and cleaned cages. It's cute cotton material: Winnie the Pooh and blue gingham!
I even made a couple of fleece blankies.

Then Keith went to the store for fajita stuff. George and Ziggy decided to help unpack...

....and Ziggy stole the bag of napkins......(can you see his little face? He's trying to take the napkins into he tubes....)

I wore a mask with the fuzzies yesterday. It was miserable, but I am concerned about them getting my cold. I just hope I haven't infected them. That will so suck.

Keith planted white daisies and herbs next to Cupid today. So pretty. Two of my friends from HAFA lost their ferrets recently. It's been a sad week.

GEORGE'S BIRTHDAY

Today is George's third birthday! Happy Birthday, little fuzzy man. I'm so glad we have George. He came to live with us last November. He came from a home with nice people, but he belonged to their teenage boy who'd lost interest in him. I can't imagine...

Anyway, they posted a notice on the Ferret Association meetup board looking for a good home. They lived very close to me, so I contacted them and, pretty soon, George was ours!

He is a delight. He is very laid back and very smart. He can leap tall buildings in a single bound. He could eat a whole pack of N-bones in one sitting if I let him. When he wants a treat, he sits down at our feet in the kitchen and looks up at us and moves his mouth, like he's trying to talk. We call it "meow-meow"-ing (after the cat food commercial where the cat would sing, "Meow, meow, meow, meow...") I need to get a video of him doing that...

George loves Duck Soup and Ferratone and shivers when he knows he is gonna get some. He is a bit of a wiggle worm when held and will make his front legs like an airplane.

He gives the best kisses ever. He is a good friend to the other ferrets and to us, too. George is my sweet boy!

EAT MORE CHIKIN

The Duck Soup recipe I use calls for chicken or turkey baby food. Tonight I decided to try boiling some chicken thighs, instead, and make it with that. Hopefully, my guys will like it as much as the Gerbers!

I'm also going to add some Complete Care (Totally Ferret makes it) to the batch to increase the nutritional value even more.

I feed my guys Duck Soup every day. In their eyes, it's like a treat and they can't wait to get it. But it's so good for them, there's no worries around giving it to them (sometimes Dave or George will get seconds -- because they're good boys). When Cupid got sick, he stuck to eating the Duck Soup even when he quit his solid food. So, we reaped the benefits of Cupid being familiar with the soup.

Everyone seems to be adjusting to Cupid's death. Every now and then, I see one of them looking for him. But it's getting better and better each day. Dave has played and romped so much more than he used to --and that just blows my mind. All five get along famously and stick together.

Rocky does a good job as Alpha and I think he has been great with the other four fuzzies as they adjust to the loss of their friend. In fact, I think it's Rocky that brought little Dave out of his shell and helped him gain some confidence, despite his blindness.

I think the psychology of the ferret is fascinating. They definitely think, they have feelings. Watching them with Cupid when he was so ill was very interesting. They would check on him and groom him. And it cracks me up to watch how they move their toys around and "arrange" the Hidey Hole. They have an empty Coke can in there. They set it up so that it falls and makes noise when the closet door is opened. They are so funny!