Depression and Ferrets

     Sorry for being MIA for a bit. I needed to process losing Lance and the fact that James is ten years old this month. The television ads say depression hurts but those same ads don’t tell you what causes the depression. They just want to sell you on the newest get happy pill.

     Yes depression hurts  for me it is caused by the grief of loosing my fur babies. First Gweny in February and then Lance in April. The emotional roller coaster of grief isn’t limited to just humans.

 

     About two years ago I lost Blizzard , an albino ferret, to an infection and his buddy Mouse mourned his death hard. What I didn’t realize what that he had stopped eating and drinking. He would mimic that he was all right by putting his nose in his food bowl and made chewing noises.

     Ferrets are quick to loose weight if they don’t eat and Mouse went from being a 4 lb boy to being a pound within a week. It wasn’t obvious because of his heavy coat. When I noticed I put him in with Gweny who wouldn’t let him leave the food bowl until he really ate.

     Gweny played the role of mother well but it wasn’t enough for Mouse. He had an underlying problem that I didn’t know about until he did stop eating and that was insulinoma. These two things combined ended Mouse’s life three weeks to the day after his bud Blizzy death.

     Because of Mouse’s downward spiral I was aware that James could have a similar reaction to Lance’s death. I was hyper vigilant to how he was acting and I made sure I spent a lot of time with him and Manny.

     James had a couple of down days where he didn’t want to eat but would nibble at a treat or two. He allowed me to give him some duck soup when he didn’t want the treats.

     They say a change in environment is helpful for some people with depression so I figured I do the same for James now that the weather was getting nicer.

     So I put James’ harness on him and we went outside. At first all he would do was lay down and look like he was crying. The third day of this found James walking a few feet and sniffing the grass. Now we go to the end of the driveway and walk back up with James pulling me to where he wants to go.

     He is back to eating and drinking. He does sleep more than he used to but then he is ten and an old man. But the moment he hears me getting out his and Manny’s harnesses he is at the cage door waiting for me to put it on him for his walk outside.

     This got me to thinking, sometimes a bad thing, about how I could combine their walk with helping the ferret rescue I am sponsoring on my blog and came up with the idea of walking a part of the Allegany Trail here in PA with James and Manny in June.

     The part of the trail we are going to walk is 21 miles long. Well I’ll be walking the whole 21 miles the boys will walking until they are tired and then riding until they are ready to get out and play some more. More to come about this project later.

     This blog will be a year old in June and to celebrate we are going to have a twitter pawty. The theme will be outlaws and gangsters.

     The date hasn’t been set yet but it will be soon. Anyone willing to donate a prize please email me at enlightenedferret@hotmail.com

Jo

Adrenal Claims Another Soul

     For those that have been following this blog for a while now knew that my little girl Gweny had Adrenal disease. I think she may have been the runt of her litter but she had spunk. She ruled the boys with an iron will and when need be teeth. She made up for her tiny size by doing things in a large way.

     But the disease that only took the hair from around her tail and left the rest of her body sparsely covered won at 1 a.m. I checked on her at 12:30 a.m. and at that time she took my finger in her tiny paws and shook it gently her way of giving kisses. I told her it was all right if she went I only hoped that would be painless.

     She stopped eating her duck soup at 10 p.m. and snuggled up to her baby doll while still in her Santa hat. That is how I found her with her head in the lap of the doll and the hat like a sleeping bag.

     I know she was met at the Rainbow Bridge by her brothers; Bandit, Blizzard, Ashes, Mouse, and Galahad along with all the other animal pals waiting for their humans to come for them. I am sure she has all the shoes she can hide and is playing with everyone.

     While my heart feels like it has been ripped out again I know in time that it will heal and that I will never forget my dear little girl Gweny.

Jo

Thoughts

     11:30pm December 31, 2009 I sit here with my glass of champagne waiting for the clock to strike midnight. I think about the year we are leaving and what it meant to me. It was a year of good and bad. I lost my beloved Galahad to Adrenal disease and watched my son graduate from high school. I was unemployed for most of 2009 and was able to work on my writing. I received rejection letters and started this blog.

     Many of us have goals for the coming year. Some we have shared and many we haven’t. I know that one of my main goals is to work on this blog and improve my writing along the way. There are other goals but they are for things only in the beginning stages.

     I awoke to more snow today leaving the world a blank page to create something beautiful. I took some pictures of the bloodhound making dogging angels and Lance and James snorkeling in the snow. Gweny couldn't play in the snow because she doesn't have the fur to keep her from getting frostbite.

     While I am not sure of the direction, I am going to take this blog I do know that I want to keep people informed about my three little fur children and their antics.

     I will be keeping up with the plight of the Black-footed ferret and those that are helping to reintroduce it back into its original habitats. December saw Canada releasing thirty plus Black-footed Ferrets back into the wild.

     I look towards the coming year and all the hidden treasures it holds for those willing to take the chance and plunge into it with a child like gusto. I suppose it’s more like the curiosity of a ferret for me. I need to know the hows and whys of things. This can lead me to finding out so much information that I have to step back from it so what is important floats to the top and the rest is washed away.

Happy New Year

May 2010 be the year for us all.

Jo

One Paw to Rule Them All

     Yes a cheesy title but only if you don’t understand the reference. It has to do with Golem and calling the ring Preeeeciouuuussss.

      Gweny’s nickname has become Precious said the same way when she is being evil. Like when she hunts out Judy just to hear her scream by biting her. Running the boys out of her cage with bared teeth and an occasional hiss. Now don’t tell her that she can be super cute too. I told her that once and was bitten.

     This little one pound hellion hasn’t let her small size slow her down. She knowingly rules this household and flaunts it with everything she does. When it is playtime, she is out first because her cage sits on top of the boys and the door blocks theirs from opening.

     She sits next to the boys cage waiting for them to come out to play she then herds them onto the middle of the floor before running off to cause mischief. The boys usually do what she wants but, as with all siblings, one has to upset the boss.

     Usually it’s Lance, who decides he doesn’t want to wait to get to the toy box holding his favorite socks. Most of the time, James manages to keep Gweny from noticing that Lance isn’t with the group. On the days where James fails she is quick round up the socks putting them back in the toy box. Before finding Lance and stares at him, I swear she is mind talking to him. After a few minutes, Lance lies on the floor flat as he can get while looking like he is pouting for the scolding he just got. This is enough for Gweny, who then comes looking for my shoes.

     She doesn’t care what kind of shoes they are as long as they are mine. She will drag them by the shoelaces or the Velcro strap to her hidey-hole. The problem comes when she tries to take them into the hidey-hole.

     They don’t fit except for my sandals and slippers. This is when you get to hear her chittering and hissing at them until she gets the toe under the desk. I guess she feels they are hidden. One of these days I’ll have a video camera to film her dragging my steel-toed sneakers to the hidey-hole. Not only are these shoes twice her size they weigh about four pounds each.

     I try to be on my best behavior from the first of December to the 24^th. I have done this since I was about six and each year I have gotten a Santa hat to wear as a reminder.

     Last year I had to buy three of them because of Gweny. Granted they were from the dollar store but the fact remains if I am wearing one she has to have it. I haven’t found one yet; it’s probably up in the back of the couch. The other one she dragged into her cage and sleeps in it. It needs to go in the wash but if I even look like I am going to take it out of the cage she is there climbing my pant leg and scolding me.

            

     Just a glimpse into my little diva’s habits. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by her actions. After all she is named for a queen.

Jo

Hide and Seek Ferret Style

     I try to blog about ferrets at least three times a week. Sometimes I make that goal and others I don’t. This last week it looked like I was going to meet that goal until I sat down to write out my notes.

     My notebook is missing. I know where I had put it and now there is no sign of it. Only ones that could have taken it are my fur kids. I’ve looked in all the usual hide-holes but no luck.

     One has to understand a ferret’s mindset when it comes to taking things. Its all just a game and if it smells, tastes, or looks like mom’s they have to have it at all costs. Gweny will take my shoes off my feet if she can and is rather persistent about it. Although she hides each one in a different place you know exactly where to look to retrieve them.

     Lance its socks. He will try to take them off my feet if he can’t find any more of his rolled socks to move. Again he has his hidey-hole although it isn’t really a hole. He always puts them on the other side Judy’s recliner in plain view. Lance has taken a liking to Trixie’s new dog toy but hasn’t decided if it should go with his stash.

     Now James is the true thief. Anything that the other two don’t steal he does and he has a multitude of hidey-holes. His newest obsession is the zebra print hand bag I got at the dollar store. I would place bets that he is the one that took my note book except that it isn’t in any of his hidey-holes either.

     Luckily I don’t just keep a single writing notebook for this very reason but it gets tedious looking some things back up when the link or information was saved some where else. I know it will someday just show up in the middle of the floor like an unexpected present with all three kids dancing for joy around it cause they hid it so well. Got to love those silly bouncing fur kids.

Jo

When Ferrets Attack

     In my house you never know what is going to happen next. This is especially true when it comes to the critters. When it is time for my fur kids to have their time out of their cages I have to herd the two cats (Richard and Majic), and Trixie out of the room closing the door behind them.

     Gweny gets let out first for two reasons. One girls first and second if I let her out last I get reminded that she is the Queen. Needle sharp teeth make an impression and I don’t just mean in the memory.

    While the boys are out of their cage I restore some order to it so that I don’t have a huge clean up at the end of the week. This includes sweeping up the food James has flung out of the feeder while he was getting to that one special piece at the bottom and at least once a week Lance spills the water dish so he can jump in the puddles. If the boys notice I am still at their cage they will take turns nipping at my toes and ankles until I move away from it. After all it is their bacholar pad and it has really cool things.

     Gweny is defiantly the fussbudget when it comes to her place. She knows when one thing is a fraction out of place and will make a racket while fixing it herself.

     Once play time is over and I have put my kids back in their cages the other critters are allowed back in the room. Trixie response is to scent the room finding every where my kids have been. Richard returns to his throne on the back of the recliner.

     Majic makes his way over to the boy’s cage and sits there for a while before sticking his paw in through the bars and scooping up a pawfull of ferret food. Guess it tastes better than his cat food. This has been going on for a while and the boys let him…that is until lastnight.

     Now you have to understand the set up of the boy’s cage. It is a medium size dog crate. On one end is the litter pan with newspaper under it to make cleaning up the sprayed litter, more on that in another post, and on the other end is their hammock, food trough , water dish, and James decided about a week ago that he was going to claim an empty soda box to sleep in.

     Lance has taken to sitting on top of the food trough looking like snoopy™ doing the impression of a vulture. He has just been watching Majic take a pawfull after pawfull of food for about a week.

     James in the last day or so has moved his box from one side of the hammock to the other with the opening near the tray of the food trough. I was working at the computer when I hear the cage rattle. I turned around to see Majic shaking his paw and Lance doing the vulture. Thought for a moment that Lance had bitten him.

     While I was watching Majic sticks his paw back in to get another pawfull of food when out of the box James strikes with the quickness of a snake biting Majic before disappearing back into the box. You would think after two bites he’d get the message. But I guess he thought somehow Lance had done it because he watched Lance and not where his paw was going.   

     James tagged him a third time. Majic must equate the food trough with pain because he hasn’t taken any food since.

     Majic did try a couple of times to take Gweny’s food but her answer was to remove her dish from the side of the cage and put it in the center next to her santa hat sleeping sack.

     Majic isn’t stupid enough to take on Gweny because she would bite and not let go until I rescued him. Richard was the one that found that out the hard way.

  It seems than there is a slight miss understanding about what a super pet sock-r-ball is and who it is for. The Sock-r-ball is for pets. It comes apart to hold either a sock or treats. Lance likes it when I pull parts of the sock out enough for him to carry it around.

     Again the rules are comment on the blog no pick me/I would love to win this type of comments and/or refer someone else to the blog. A winner will be picked on August 8th and posted on the blog.

 

Jo

Wild Wednesday

     I have given glimpses of what my fur kids are like throughout my other posts but I haven’t really talked about them. I think part of that is because I can’t take pictures of their actions right at the moment because the camera blew up while I was trying to take a picture of Gweny carrying my tennis shoe by the shoelace to the hidey-hole.

     Gweny is about a foot long and very petite but it hasn’t stopped her from taking things bigger than her. My shoe is a size 7 and I take them off in the Computer/Family room. This is the designated playroom for my kids. Gweny grabs the shoe by the lace and straddles it so that it is underneath her body and starts running towards the hidey-hole four feet away.

     She knows that I am going to take the shoe away from her if she gets caught but this time I just watched as she lifted her head and pulled her front feet off the ground leaving them pedaling in the air for a few minutes. Gweny lowers her head a little bit and allows her feet back on the ground. Took her about five minutes to get to the hidey-hole with her prize.

     They have two main hidey-holes. One is behind the couch and the other is under Judy’s desk. The desk has three drawers on the left side that the ferrets can climb up into from underneath. This is Gweny’s queendom. Dragging the shoe by the laces she tries to take it under the desk only the shoe is taller than the opening and it only goes under so far. Tired Gweny takes a break in one of the drawers and leaves the shoe half under the desk.

      James comes along and plays ferret in the shoe. Lance and him both think they can fit their big bodies in my little shoe. After a few minutes, he gets tired of his game and decides it needs to go elsewhere so he grabs it by the laces and drags it under my computer desk.

     About this time, Gweny comes out from under the desk and sees that her shoe is now under my desk and comes over to reclaim it again. Now she tries to pull it under the desk by the side of the shoe without any luck. Again, she leaves it to go do something else.

     Now its Lance’s turn to play ferret in the shoe until he gets tired of the game and he takes it over to the couch and leaves it there. Their hour of fun and escapades are over and I have to round them up and put them back in their cages until later.

Jo

Child Proofing Part 1

     Is just the first steps in ferret proofing the home to keep the perpetual 2 year old safe. Many people do not realize just how determined a ferret can be until its too late.

Ferret Fact: If it can get it’s head through a hole its body will follow.

     With that said most ferrets can squeeze through a hole that is an inch wide. Unless of course it’s name is Gweny then any hole is fair game. The boy’s cage wire is approximately ½ inch. The boy’s can’t get more than their noses through. Gweny on the other had has gotten out and meet me on the front porch where I was washing her cage.

     Any hole no matter how small needs to be blocked up. Ferrets are extremely inquisitive and will let their curiosity get the better of them. I have heard from friends of their ferret finding a hole in a wall and climbing into it and eating through the insulation to see what was beyond it. Unfortunately he didn’t live because of eating the insulation.

Fact: Ferrets love to climb.

     Ferrets have very bad depth perception when it comes to judging just how high up they have climbed. Some will try to jump to the ground unaware of the fact they are six feet in the air. Mouse loved to climb the side of the cages and take a nap on the very top. I am lucky in that he never liked jumping and always yelled for me to get him down. I think maybe he was afraid of heights.

     Another issue with climbing is that a ferret will climb over baby/dog gates to get where they want to go. If you have a designated room for your ferrets you need a solid piece of wood or Plexiglas that is as wide as the doorframe and higher than the ferret can reach. I have read that a minimum of 3ft is good but I have found that a determined ferret can get over that. Lance and Gweny are good examples of that.

     In the summer the room I let them out in gets very hot with the door closed so I leave it open and slide in the board that is now 4ft tall.

     Three summers ago I put in a 3ft board and went downstairs to refill their water bottles. I heard the scratching sound and figured it was just one of my ferrets trying to get my attention.

     I came around the corner from the kitchen in time to see Gweny racing down the stairs. Now Gweny is only about 6ins long not counting her tail and very petite. I couldn’t figure out how she had gotten out. I was still hearing the scratching sound as I scooped her up and carried her and the water bottle up the stairs back to the ferret room and was greeted by Lance trying to get over the board.

     I put Gweny back into the room and climbed over the board. Knowing ferrets don’t give up easily I sat down in my computer chair and watched. Within 5 minutes Lance and Gweny were sniffing at the board to see if any holes had developed I guess. Lance laid down like a speed bump across the length of the board and Gweny climbed on top of him. Lance then stood up boosting Gweny high enough to get a hold of the top of the board and used her back feet to propel her over the top. That was the end of the open door until I got a taller board.

Fact: Ferrets love to dig

     Carpets, couches, box springs, houseplants,drapes, cats, and I am sure a host of other items have been introduced to the ferrets claws. Unlike cats ferret claws do not retract and need to be constantly cut back or they turn into very sharp little knives.

     Some ferrets dig at carpet. I am not sure of the reason but no matter how much prevention you take to protect the carpet a determined ferret will dig a big hole in the carpet. Once there is a hole a ferret will climb under the carpet and tunnel around under it. My ferret’s room has tile floors and a few of those door mat type rugs.

     Couches present verity of problems. I know several free roaming ferret owners that own futons to protect their fur kids. Some of the reasons include a ferret getting caught in the mechanisms of sofa bed/ recliner type couches, digging a hole in the underneath of the couch and climbing up under the cushions and taking a nap, and using the couch for a hidey hole.

     The couch in the ferret’s room isn’t used very much and never while the ferrets are out. Except to be bounced on by the ferrets. Once a month it gets tipped forward and the “treasures” removed.

     Not sure where your favorite pen went, that bottle of sexy red nail polish you paid a handsome price for, paint brush, hair brush, the doll you bought for your niece for Christmas, your roommate’s lighter? This is just a sampling of what I have found under the couch. As I have said before James's newest theft item is dog food and at the end of the month I have a dust pan full.

     House plants have soil and ferrets will empty a pot of dirt in a matter of seconds. Some of the commercial soils have pesticides, fertilizer, and other chemicals toxic to a ferret. Also almost all house plants are toxic to ferrets that might like to take a taste.

     Some cats have forged a unique bond with ferrets and use them as an automatic scratching post. I know this for a fact because Majic will rub up against the boy’s cage and wait for James to claw at his back. Both seem to get enjoyment out it.

Jo

Welcome to Enlightened Ferret

     A trio of Mustela purtoius furo better known as the domestic ferret owns me. There is no such thing as mastership with ferrets.
     Ferrets will let you think that you are the master until something attracts their interest then all bets are off. Let me introduce my crew and give a brief mention of the others that are a part of our lives.
Sir Lancelot is a blaze. Lance as he is better known is deaf. He has the classic signs of Waarenburg Syndrome. He has a white streak down the back of his head. Eyes that are more almond shaped than his brother or sister. Lance knows several signs of American Sign Language and does respond to them. Lance got his name because he used to bite hard when he was little drawing blood. Lance a lot became his name by default. Lance’s favorite pastimes are hiding rolled up socks. Bouncing like a spring with a ferrety smile of joy. Sleeping and getting hugs.

Sir James of Jessie is a silver mitt. James is the true thief of the bunch. My roommate Judy wouldn’t let me call him Jessie James because it conflicted with our bunch of Renaissance named ferrets so I twisted it around making it sound more knightly. If James wants something and he knows it isn't his he will go out of his way to distract your attention before taking the item. At this moment, his item of choice is Trixie the bloodhound’s dog food. He takes one piece at a time to hide away in his hidey-hole. James’s favorite pastimes are stealing pens, erasers, dog food, wallets, cat tails (no not the plant kind), playing ride em cowboy with Richard the long haired orange tabby, digging in the cleaned litter box, and flinging food out of his food dish.

Genevieve is a sable. Gweny or Precious (said like golem from the Hobbit when she is being a brat) is defiantly the Matriarch of the bunch. She is also the escape artist. If there is a way out, she will be the one to find it. She also refuses to reside in the same cage as the boys. Not that I can blame her. The boys are a bit messy and she is a little fussbudget when it comes to her space. After I have cleaned her cage and put the things back in she will go through it and move things around until they are where she thinks they should be. Gweny doesn’t care for smokers and is sure to let them know with a good hard chomp to whatever exposed skin there is. Gweny also likes to make Judy scream. Once she has done that she will leave Judy alone until she gets bored. Needless to say, Gweny doesn’t get time out of her cage when Judy is in the room. Gweny’s favorite pastimes are stealing shoes and it doesn’t matter if they are on your feet. Sleeping in desk drawers, finding dolls and hiding them behind the couch. Making Judy scream, and escaping from confinement.
     Those waiting at the Rainbow bridge and probably will get mentioned off and on are:
Bandit bum a sable male who passed away in his sleep  in March of 2008. 

Ashes a silver mitt who passed shortly afterwards in the same manner.

Blizzard an albino who passed in may of 2008 from an infection.

Bubba Mouse a silver mitt with ADHD who passed in June of 2008 of undiagnosed insulinoma and grief over his buddy Blizzard.
Sir Galahad a chocolate who lost his fight with Adrenal Disease in April of 2009.

     Each passing tore a hole in my heart that can never be replaced I still miss them.
     My crew is the best antidepressant I could have. No matter how bad things seem these lively springs covered in fur are able to make me smile and laugh. I am their hooman and that is all that really counts in the ferret world.
     I hope you will continue to read about these wonderful little critters and the different aspects of their lives and mine. I also hope that with each entry you will take a new piece of knowledge with you about ferrets.

Reference:

 Waarenburg Syndrome To understand a little bit more about Lance click on the link.