Blog Paws is Coming

Marylin: This will bez my third Blog Paws and Marcuz’s fourth but it will be the first one without Manny. Hooman really thought about not going this year but wez talked her into still going.

We also talked her into making 30 of these adorable stuffed ferrets to sell to make the trip easier on all of us. Each ferret is numbered on it’s rear paw and has a 2015 charm collar and the word Nashville and paw prints ironed on their bums.

Each one is $20 and if you have hooman hand deliver your ferret there will be no shipping charge but those that do get one shipped (US$6 International $25 shipping charge) to them they are eligible to participate in two contests.

The first one will be a scavenger hunt. You will have to get into the mind set of being a ferret but wez think it could be fun.

The rules for the scavenger hunt are

1. You have to have a mobile hidey hole. Be creative as each ferret has his or her own space to hide stuff in.

2. Do take pictures of the found items but only post a portion of the found item to make others wonder what the item could be. NO DISCRIPTIONS! just the photo *chitters*

3.Your ferret MUST travel with you and may be in the photos

4. Have fun if it isn’t fun then why doz it?

The hooman who has collected all or most of the items will be eligible for the prize.

Each hidey hole will be inspected by Hooman and ourselves to determine the winner at Blog Paws.

Once wez have sold three shipped ferrets wez will post the scavenger list.

The second contest is still in the works but it will deal with photos with your ferret.

To get your ferret just drop Hooman an email with Nashville Ferret in the subject line toz enlightenedferret@hotmail.com and she willz get back to youz on howz toz order one.

Orders will be taken until May 15 to make sure your ferret arrives in time for the fun.

Haz a Chittering Good Dayz,

Marylin.

Blog Paws Here We Come and So Can You

What a month this has been so far.

First we found the perfect vehicle to be the Ferret Chariot and have made a down payment on it we will be paying off the last little bit owed on Thursday and driving it home. More on the Ferret Chariot when we have the keys in hand.

We were notified that we were a finalist in the Nose to Nose blogger contest through Blog Paws. Our category is Best Wiggle Blog. We are in the running with three other blogs.

Ducks and Clucks

 Living with Anteaters

And we are running against another ferret blog

Mustelamaina

Good luck to all.

We get this nifty badge

 

 

Now as a finalist we have a pass to Blog Paws but since we have already had ours we are giving away our second one to one lucky commenter. This will run until May 28^th then I’ll choice the winner by using random.org

I like to make my contests easy with no hoop jumping as that just annoys me when I have to do it.

But there are a few rules

1. No I want to win entries I will delete those

2. Tell me what you’ve been told about ferret.

3. Tell me what you have learned about ferrets through this blog and conversations with me on twitter

4. Tell me what you would like to learn about at Blog Paws

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Ferrets and Biting

 

Like most animals ferrets have teeth. They are similar to that of a cat and can do a lot of damage if the ferret isn’t trained correctly to prevent bites.

Owning a ferret means you are the one responsible for how a ferret will react in certain situations.

Most sites tell you different ways of dealing with a bitey ferret. The one thing that I agree with is Never flick the end of a ferret’s nose to get them to stop biting. They will only see this as playing and will continue to bite.

Rules to prevent bites:

1. Never rough house with your ferret. I am guilty of this but my boys know that it is okay to gently nibble on my fingers only. But I also know how each boy will react. When I had Lance I never rough housed with him because he couldn’t hear me tell him no and when he bit it was hard.

2. Wash your hands after eating. This is common sense for a number of reasons. It keeps nasty germs from the ferret and it washes away the scent of food. Remember ferrets are curious creatures and want to know what everything is. Ferrets also have a great sense of smell and if it smells like food they want a taste.

3. Never startle or scare your ferret. This isn’t always possible. I try hard to make sure Marcuz feels me coming by stomping on the floor but sometimes he is just to intent on what he is doing and I surprise him.

4. Use a bitter tasting agent if your ferret is prone to biting for whatever reason. I had to make a red pepper spray for James as he loved the taste of bitter apple. I also keep hand sanitizer for those that want to pet the boys while we are out in public.

To get a ferret to release its hold you can scruff the ferret and wait for the yawn to happen. This works with most ferrets. Lance never let go when he got a hold of something he wanted. It would always take two people. Me scruffing since I was usually the one with his teeth sunk in and one to gently pry his jaws apart.

Yes I have scars from Lance’s bites but I learned a lot from each episode and the causes. Him being deaf had a great impact on how hard he bit. If you get a young ferret you can train them not to bite by doing like their momma would have done.

You scruff them by the back of the neck and drag them across the floor a short distance while saying NO in a loud firm voice. If I did it you would hear me hissing like a ferret. I’ve been around them to long to change that habit…not that I would want to.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Rules

 

     There are rules to follow when having ferrets in your home. Most are simple and easy to understand but there are two sets of rules those of human beings and those of ferrets. These are some of the rules at our house.

Human rules:

1. Feeding time is at set times and only specific foods  will be given.

2. Water dishes are full at all times.

3. Because of other pets, playtime will be restricted to one room for the duration of 2 –3 hours.

4. All playtime will have supervision.

5. Ferret proofing is rechecked weekly and all new ways of getting into small spaces fixed.

6. Litter boxes are in the corner of the cage and cleaned regularly.

7. Each ferret gets equal amounts of one on one attention.

8. Expensive toys are purchased for fuzzy butts to play with.

9. Feratone is up high where fur kids cannot get it.

10. Will not freak out with the Dead Ferret Sleep.

Ferret rules:

  Feeding time is whenever I want it, I will eat what I want, and I want what you’re eating. Yes, I want to have your sandwich and a drink of your coffee. I don’t care that it isn’t good for me. Your eating it so it has to be good. What missing candy?

Water dishes are to be over turned and rolled from place to place. Therefore, I can demand more water to play in.

Any other pet in the room during playtime is considered a plaything. I will play ride em cowboy with unsuspecting cats. I will make the big brown thing jump and run away.

You cannot supervise us all at the same time because we will go in several directions. Splitting your attention means, we can have contact with FLO.

Ferret proofing is a myth. FLO (Ferret Liberation Operators) are always finding new and innovating ways for us to get out of designated rooms, cages, and carriers. FLO meets with us daily.

Clean litter boxes are for snorkeling, digging in, sleeping in. If we don’t like where you put them. We will move them. We might use them 80% of the time if you reward us with our favorite treats. Feratone is a great motivator.

There is no such thing as equal amounts of attention. We will demand more and more until we have gotten enough from you until we see some one else in your lap then we will nip you to get more attention.

Expensive toys are okay. Give us a bag, and empty box, your desktop. These are the best toys. Your desk being the best because of all the things you keep saying, “No you can’t have that.”

  There is no place you can hide the Feratone. We will find it and take it to our hidey-hole to enjoy at our leisure. Locking it up won’t work either, as FLO will help us.

Our favorite game is to see how long it will take you to freak out over us sleeping so soundly that we seem dead.