BAILEY UPDATE UPDATE

OK, so the swelling and scabbing was just too much. I decided to get Bailey in to the vet first thing this morning and I'm really glad I did. The wounds were abscessing and infected. Dr. D. shaved his little noggin and drained the wounds. Now you can clearly see two teeth punctures from the sabre-toothed ferret that got hold of him. Not pretty, but it looks better than the mess he had before the vet cleaned him up.

He got a shot of penicillin and some oral antibiotic (Clavamox). And she told me to put Preparation H on his wounds. Apparently, it's not just for hemorrhoids anymore...

We got home from the vet and Bailey was war dancing and dooking and crunching his kibble. Now he is blissfully asleep, dreaming, I'm sure, of the day he can kick Milo's ass.

Milo, interestingly enough, has been searching all over for Bailey (I have Bailey separated from the others - in the back part of the house). He's seemed a bit anxious. This morning he came and laid at my feet and then rolled over on his back. Awwwwww!!! So I picked him up and gave him lots of lovies and told him that I still love him very much, no one is mad at him and everything is going to be OK. Then, he just bounced off and went to play with the others, all happy again.

Tell me they don't have minds.....

I'm still thinking about the poor little ferret, Buddy, who is stuck at the SPCA. Man, I dunno. I so want to go get him, but, considering all the 'trauma drama' that just went down this week; not to mention the fact that I had to pay the vet with a post-dated check today....I have no business adopting another one. Hubby would really be pissed and I really need to consider the expense of these guys. It's important to me that they are properly cared for. That they get to the vet when they need it, they get their shots, their heartworm preventative...decent food...all that. AND my attention and time.

It breaks my heart, but I can't save them all. I want to. But I can't. I'm not doing myself any favors by looking at sites like the SPCA and Craigslist. It just adds to my heartbreak. Now, I have this little guy that I've never met, pictured in my head, sitting at the SPCA -- waiting for someone to love him.

GAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! I hate it. It's so freaking unfair.

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.

SNOW WONDER

Snow went back to the vet yesterday to be rechecked - he's been on his medicines for about a week now. It was great news! He went down from a Stage 5 (Stage 6 is the worst) heart murmur to a Stage 2-3. So the meds seem to be working and he is being a bit more bouncy these past few days. A huge relief!

I also had Dave E. Bear and Snow's glucoses checked. They both read 71, which is in a gray area. Dr. Dori said we will watch it and to recheck in 6 weeks. Dave shows no symptoms of insulinoma. Snow is teeth grinding and itchy. And his breath is foul ! OMG.

I decided to keep Snow in his own "apartment" and let George share with him. Ziggy is much better around Snow, but every now and then still gets a wild hair and decides to go after him. I don't want Snow to be stressed out and unhappy, so keeping him in his own cage is the best solution. I'm putting George in with Snow because they seem to have bonded and I want Snow to have a BFFF (Best Forever Ferret Friend).

I also made one of our small travel/medical cages into Ziggy Jail. Instead of being put up in his regular cage when he misbehaves, he gets put in this cage for 10 minutes. Hopefully, it will help get the message across that picking on others is not OK!

My little foster girls are doing great and I'm crazy in love with them. I'm way overdue for posting pics. I'll get to it soon. Adoptions are slow, I guess due to the economy being bad. I'm in no hurry, though. They are just adorable!

WISDOM POINT EARNED

LOOK!!! It's Snow and Ziggy, all curled up and cuddly in the Sacred Hidey Hole! Momma is soooo happy!!! Whew!

And the Moral of the Story is: Patience is Key When Dealing With Stubborn Ferret.

I was at the rescue on Sunday, helping with clean day. It's hard work, but I really love it. The people are awesome and the ferrets are a joy. I also brought my three foster girls home! They are adapting well -- of course they are separated from my boys - at least for a couple of weeks. They are just beautiful. I'll post pictures soon!

Last Thursday, little Milo (my baby) decided to come down with stinky diarrhea. He was playing and eating - didn't act sick at all. I waited until Friday morning, and he still had it, so I took him to the vet on Friday afternoon. We went into the exam room and, while we were waiting for the vet, Milo pottied on the floor. And...it was perfectly normal! It was a miracle!! LOL! Dr. Taylor looked him over real good and said he thought Milo had a little angry colon. So we had to withold treats for a couple of days to make sure his potties really were straightened out.

He's fine. I just know to never take a chance with diarrhea in a ferret. They can dehydrate very quickly. I'd rather take them to the vet and be pleasantly suprised (like this visit) rather than take any chances.

Time to go get the girls out! I'll post again soon!

AS THE POO FLIES

Wow, time kind of got away from me and I haven't had a chance to catch up! Not a whole lot new on the Ferret Front. Ziggy and Snow are still unable to make friends. ;( I've been faked out a couple of times, thinking they were past their little squabbles, but, no....they are still at it. Zigs is the main instigator. He owns the house and everything in it, so poor Snow can't go anywhere without Ziggy trying to push him out. Snow has stopped trying to go into the Hidey Hole and often finds refuge in his own cage. But, numerous times I am having to pull Ziggy out of Snow's cage and tell him, "No, sir!"

The squabbles are still far away from any sign of play. Tails puff and sometimes there is a spray of very stinky poo. I tried letting them "fight it out", but it was obvious that isn't going to work. So now I have to step in and scruff Ziggy, tell him "no" and try sending him in another direction. Yesterday evening, we broke up a fight and I held Snow on top of Ziggy while K. held Ziggy. Needless to say, that hurt Zig's feelings. I'm hoping he will get bored soon and decide to at least tolerate Snow. UGH! It's just like having bickering two-year-olds...

And I hate being a bad guy and getting on to little Ziggy, who is really very sweet.

All my other guys are doing great and getting along with Snow fine. He's shy and pretty much still keeps to himself. He likes his cage and chooses to sleep there, even when I let him know it's OK for him to come out. Sometimes he sleeps in the hammock under the bed with George. Snow is also very sweet likes to be held. He's just had a rough time. He came to the rescue last July through another rescue agency that doesn't take ferrets. He was adopted in September and returned to the rescue in March, because the people couldn't afford to keep him. Poor little one. I think he's a bit uncertain and I don't blame him. Now he's with us and has a Wild Ziggy running after him!!

It's gonna be OK. It will just take some time.

In other news: I'm going to be inspected on Sunday to see if I am approved to do fostering for Dana. I have the cages set up, but need to gather a few more things. I'm very excited!!

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.

AIN'T SKEERED

These are photos from yesterday evening. Keith did this thing where we can now block off our side patio/garden area and the ferrets can go out and play. (He's just the best!) It's a long, narrow area and,of course, we are out there with them at all times. They can explore the garden, dig, go in the tunnel under the dog house...it's cool! We just let Ziggy and Rocky out last night to see how they'd like it and, as you can see, they were pretty happy!

I just looked out the window and I can see our gardenia bush has exploded with white flowers. The white oleander is in full bloom, as well. And some white lilies. White daisies, all in bloom. Cupid was white. I take all of the white blooms as a sign he is OK and his little spirit is dancing and dooking!

There is a little guy at the rescue named "Snow" (his picture is in a previous post) and he has been on my mind for the last few days. Apparently he was adopted once, but returned to the rescue when the guy couldn't afford to have him. How sad to be surrendered twice. Snow is a good little guy, very cute and sweet. A perfect match for our group. He just may be coming home with me on the 31 st....

I printed out the government forms for a non-profit status. I really want to establish my self as a very small foster home and adoption for ferrets. Hubby is kind of freaking out, I think. I see him struggle with his own love for ferrets and wanting me to be happy and his resistance to let the IRS in our business....he says he's scared. I ain't skeered. I have to follow my heart on this.

And I know he's prolly afraid I'm gonna end up with 100 ferrets, which isn't what I want. I'm talking small scale, here...like no more than 10, ever. I have a lot of work ahead of me, anyway...I'm going to attempt this without a lawyer -- the filing fees are outrageous enough without having to pay someone to do it for me on top of it. I can do it. I did FAFSA forms for both of my sons for five years. I can take on Form 1023.

And Now......The part of the blog you've been waiting for.........(drum roll, please).......

ZIGGY vs. THE BOWL OF DUCK SOUP

Damn. Again, tonight, he won't eat it out of the bowl. It's off of my finger or out of his little red spoon or nothin'. So that's what we did. Off my finger, out of his little red spoon. My plan to outwit him has failed. He is officially smarter than I am.

So wrong. Soooo wrong......

CAR THIEF THWARTED

OK, so George, Rocky and Dave are begging for treats today. They are given a few, but then the treats are put up.

George wants a treat. "No more, George Porge", I say. A little later I hear a noise from the bedroom. I ignore it. It wasn't a big noise, after all.

A few moments later, I do hear a bigger noise. I get up to investigate.......oh, how I wish my camera were handy. I caught George redhanded -- he's somehow scaled a large chest of drawers, got to the top, reached over for my purse, which hung on a hook near the chest. He dug in my purse (front feet and nose in my purse, back feet balanced on the chest of drawers) and stole my car keys!!

Apparently, he was gonna drive to PetCo......(joke's on him though. He has no money!!!)

That silly George.

OH, MY ZIGGY...

My little Ziggy. He's one of my WildCatz. The last couple of days he had been very quiet and a bit needy. He wants to be cuddled and carried. He's playing, but he hasn't been doing any flying leaps onto my leg.

I get concerned when their personality changes. It's not that he's depressed, really. He's just...quiet. He switched off his Silly Button. I tend to speculate as to why. Perhaps Cupid's absence is starting to sink in? Maybe he's picking up on the fact that things are different? Maybe the "pecking order" is shifting?

He seems to be eating OK. But he has slimmed down. I know that is normal for this time of year and for his age, though. Rocky did the same thing last year at this time and I was so worried he was going to dry up and blow away! ....So I'm starting to understand their cycles....

Re: My Duck Soup made with fresh chicken and TF Complete Care mixed in ~ My blind guy, Dave, knows when I'm making a fresh batch of DS. He hears the blender and smells the smells and comes into the kitchen to check it out. He always gets a taste of the new batch. I was anxious to see how he liked the new recipe. Well....he loved it. His little tongue was on high speed, lapping it up! Too cute! I guess I got his seal of approval in the fom of tongue licks in the DS bowl!!

That's it for todays news...

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!