Update: The Ferret and the Infant

     Back in January it was reported that a 4-month old infant lost 7 of his fingers to a ferret while his mother supposedly was sleeping nearby. As I stated in my post back in January  there was no way a parent could sleep through a baby screaming his/her head off from being bitten.

     Almost 6 months later the parents are charged with child endangerment after it was found that the parents weren’t even home when the incident occurred. What parent leaves a 4-month home alone and where was the sibling that was also removed from the home?

     While there has never been proven or disproven that the ferret did actually chew off the fingers the fact remains that two small beings lives were changed one night because of human stupidity. The infant has three fingers and the ferret is dead.

     The incident would have never happened if the parents, and I use the term loosely, had just given up the ferret when they had taken it to have its teeth removed, a barbaric measure, because it nipped the baby. I also feel that the vet office failed both of these little guys by not reporting the fact that these people had the audacity to ask for such a horrific procedure to be done to the local ASPCA for a welfare check on the animal. Would it have saved the ferret’s life or the infant’s fingers? We will never know.

     But because of this story ferrets have been given a bad rap that I have worked very hard to undo. I can only hope that this story is only one in a billion. This story also shows just how much the media is out to get ratings and not the whole story. Even in the link provided the article says that they had tried to give up the ferret when in truth they refused to give it up.

     I am sorry but I hope these two unfit parents never get back their children. Will we ever know the truth about this story? I personally believe that this will be the last we here of the Waldo’s until their next big screw up and we will never know the truth about what happened to the infant.

What is your opinion or thoughts? What do you feel is an appropriate punishment for these two?

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

pet blog hop: Therapy Visit for Father’s Day

 

     Friday Manny and I went on a therapy visit to Orchard Manor for Father’s day. Before we went there we went for our walk in the park. We still get surprised looks as people see him walking on his leash. For this visit I had made Manny a shirt to go with his paw print tie.

     To get him used to walking in the shirt I had put it on him at the park. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of that as my camera was MIA thanks to Boyd, the cat, but once Manny got the hang of walking around with it on he was trying to get people to notice him even more than normal.

     It worked a bunch of kids out walking with their “Nina” spotted him and wanted to see him up close. He had his picture taken with one of the little girls.

     Then it was time to go for our visit. This time we were escorted around by Janet who was a bit leery of Manny at first but he put on his charms and she soon was asking a lot of questions about him and ferrets in general.

     He was a big hit with Marie again who loved his little shirt and tie. Manny soaked up the attention and decided that he didn’t want carried around the whole place this time and demanded that he be let down to walk around.

     He loved going to personal care this time as it was before dinner time and he got to visit with the each of the residents he didn’t get to meet last time. He loved walking into the rooms and checking them out.

     Some residents were happy to see him from a far but many wanted to see him up close. One lady tired to give Manny a doggie biscuit but he politely declined by placing it back in the tin it came out of.

     We both are getting more confident with each visit and by creating his shirt I have found a renew interest in sewing and I am learning how to create my own patterns for ferret clothing.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo and Manny

Summer Heat and other dangers

 

     It isn’t officially summer yet but the heat has already arrived. Heat is an animal’s worst nightmare. Unlike us they can’t strip down to bare skin. That fur retains the heat and depending on the color of the fur can intensify the temperature. I still see news reports of people leaving their pets in locked cars when they run into a store for an errand only to come back to an animal that is having heat stroke and most often dies.

     Ferrets don’t tolerate the heat well they like it best when it is about 68 degrees. So when the heat soars into the 80s and 90s they are at risk for heat exhaustion and stroke.

     To help these little guys beat the heat keep their water bottle/bowl filled with water. Even we drink more during liquids during the heat.

     If you have air-conditioning in only one room you can move their cage into that room but not in front of it.

     I don’t have air-conditioning so I take empty bottles and fill them about half full of water and freeze them. I then cover the frozen bottle with a sock or old tee-shirt depending on the size of the bottle and place it in the boy’s cage. This gives them something to lie next to when they feel they are too hot.

Caution: If you use fans make sure your ferret can’t get any part of his body near the rotating blades or best yet don’t use it unless they are in their cage. Ferrets are inquisitive creatures and will try to get anything that moves.

     It is a blast to watch ferrets play with ice cubes but either place them in a tub of water or take them away when they are small enough to swallow whole and cause a choking issue.

Not my boys but other ferrets enjoying ice cubes

      Not all ferrets like to swim but if the temperature has soared into the 90s dipping them in a bowl of luke warm to almost no warmth water will help them cool off.

    Don’t take them in the car if you don’t have to. Many ferrets travel in their carriers and many are made of plastic that doesn’t breathe so the heat of the car is doubled and it only takes a few moments of extreme heat to kill a ferret.

     Other dangers of summer include threat of heart worms  and fleas.

     There is a misconception that ferrets don’t get fleas. They do get fleas and it only takes a few to make a ferret anemic. Fleas can kill a ferret by feasting on them. Fleas can be prevented by using 1 drop of Kitten Advantage® once a month. I only re-drop if I have given my boys baths or they have been swimming a lot.

     Hot pavement or sidewalks can burn a ferret’s feet fast. If you must go outside for walks stick to grassy areas or wait until you can place your hand on the pavement or sidewalk without it heating up your hand.

     By thinking how you respond to the high temperatures and apply to your pet to help keep him/her safe and alive.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Review: Marshall’s Fun Items

A few weeks ago Manny went on his first visit as a therapy ferret on our return home we found a box at the front door from Marshall’s Pet. Inside were two of their newest items. The turtle tunnel and a 2-in 1 ferret bed.

I took the Turtle Tunnel out of its plastic holder so Marcuz could play in it while I put up the ferret bed. Manny just kind of laid on the couch and watched what I was doing. Once the ferret bed was put up I put Manny in it who gave it a couple of sniffs before falling asleep.

I love how it has sides to keep the boys from falling out and it easily accommodates both of them. I also like the fleece bottom that comes out giving them a soft and warm spot but for summer we are taking it out to let the air circulate better.

When I turned back to see how Marcuz liked the turtle I saw the little turtle tail disappearing behind the couch. No small feat as the small path way to the back of the couch is only about 3-4 inches wide and this turtle is about a foot across.

After Marcuz finally wound down enough to try out the new ferret bed I retrieved the turtle from behind the couch and got to really look at it. He is really cute. There are five openings for ferrets to play hide and seek in and the shell is made of a smooth plastic fabric that is easily cleaned and flattens when a ferret jumps on it. The few pictures I got of Marcuz playing in the Turtle are mostly of his rear-end sticking out of one of the legs moments before he would take it to his hidey-hole behind the couch.

Ferret paw rating: 5 paws

Discloser: Marshall’s Pet sent me these two items free for review with no other compensation.


Have a Chittering Good Day

Jo