I believe the fur kids have the right idea since it says it is 12 degrees out but with the wind chill it feels more like –4.
Manny in hooman’s sweatshirt
Marylin was buried deep in the laundry basket I couldn’t get a good picture.
Have a Chittering Good Day,
Jo
What is the Ferret Giving Tree? It is a place where shelters can put up homeless ferrets many of which have medical issues and will more than likely stay with the shelter until they pass over the Rainbow bridge. Some of the stories are heartbreaking and others just make you want to go strangle the person responsible for their pain.
Most shelters run on the kind donations of others and are often in need of items they just can’t afford due to the medical cost of these furry little critters. That is where the Ferret Giving Tree comes in.
Started in 1998 by Kristine in hopes of giving the ferrets special gifts that they might of never seen otherwise. The first year saw over three hundred ferrets listed on the tree and the numbers keep growing each year which is sad as that means more and more ferrets are ending up in shelters for many different reasons but the two main reasons are inexperienced owners and medical/age issues.
The Ferret Giving Tree is opened each October to the shelters to place bios of several ferrets on the tree and each tree holds the names and pictures of fifteen ferrets. The tree(s) are then opened to the public on November 1st so each ferret can get his or her very own Santa. Some stay as secret Santa and others relish in giving something to these little guys.
I have participated in the Ferret Giving Tree the last two years with only being able to be Santa to one ferret this year I will be able to choose several ferrets so now my dilemma is choosing which ferrets and or shelter I wish to donate too.
I picked seven little fuzzies from Richmond Ferret Rescue League this way I only need to ship one box and I can include a nice surprise for the Shelter Mom.
The seven little darlings I have picked are
Bacardi, and
Have a Chittering Good Day,
Jo
In November, I won a medium sized heated dog bed that I was going to give to my roommate for her dog. Only her dog was scared of it so I figured I’d let my ferrets try it.
The first thing I really liked was that there was almost no wasted packaging with this product from KHpet.
The next was the fact that the instructions were to the point and easy to understand.
After following the instructions and allowing the bed to warm up I let my ferrets check out the flat, fleece covered bed.
Marylin wasn’t impressed by it and left to play with some other toys. Marcuz wasn’t too sure of it and kept running across it before flopping for a second to feel the heat before taking off again.
Manny loves the bed and seeks it out when he is ready for a nap. 
Some of the great features of this bed:
· Inflates as it warms up
· Easy release valve
· Turns off automatically
· Warms to the temperature of the pet
· Has removable fleece covering
· Bed can be wiped off
· UL approved
With winter now upon us, it is nice to have a place where the kids can pass out when they are a little chilled and I don’t have to run a heater constantly in their room reducing my electrical bill.
While Marylin and Marcuz were not impressed initially with the bed, they have taken to sleeping on it with Manny. As far as Manny is concerned, I got the bed just for him.
As a side note, the bed has proven to be a great place to get good still pictures of Manny modeling the clothing I’ve been making for other ferret owners. 
Disclaimer: I won this bed and the opinion is completely mine own and I have not received any compensation for this review.
Have a Chittering Good Day,
Jo
Marcuz is back to his old self. Climbing things he shouldn’t and trying to be the dominate male. For now Manny is letting him think that he has won but it will only last until Manny gets tired of Marcuz pushing him around.
For that I am grateful as I am for those that have donated towards the Ferret Chariot. There are so many amazing people out there thank you all.
I am sure that most of you noticed that I’ve been gone for a week both on my blog and twitter. While I could just say I nothing I feel that an explanation is needed.
First you need to know I suffer from Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) it is a type of depression that hits many in the winter months or those that don’t get a lot of sun.
There isn’t really a lot known about it and while mine is mild it can become extreme if I am not careful. Which is what happened.
Marcuz getting hurt was just the start. The stress from not being able to get him help and the weird weather threw off my sleeping and eating habits.
Then finding out about a friend losing someone to suicide brought up some unresolved issues of losing someone extremely close to me on the 15th sent me deeper down that dark road.
The final nail that made me withdraw was the fire that cost two people I’ve never met everything and I felt helpless that all I could offer them was a few handmade toys.
I needed to get myself collected and back into the habits that help me deal with my own depression that could have affected how well Marcuz recovered. I know our pets can feel our moods and will try to make us happy.
I didn’t want Marcuz trying to do his funny jig so I would laugh it would have been and is still too soon for him to do that type of wiggling.
So I am back into the habits that keep my SADs in check and the fact that the sun has been out more helps but I am still not 100% but then I don’t think any of us hoomans are ever 100% but I am a lot closer than I was.
Have a Chittering Good Day,
Jo
I am a transplant from Northern California to Western Pennsylvania. I was born and raised there and I have no relatives here. Many ask me why I moved here. The reasons are many but the main ones are I hated California and I got a divorce and wanted to be as far from the ex as possible. I think 3000 plus miles did that.
What I didn’t expect was the amount of snow this state can get at any given time. The first year I was here, I gave myself a spot of frostbite without knowing it. My friend Judy made me come inside from shoveling snow and told me that I was crazy. It was only after my face started thawing out did I even know it had frozen.
I still love the snow as long as I don’t have to go anywhere in it. I am like a small kid when I can just go out and play in it. For many that is just strange for a 43 year old to behave as if a child, but then not many women tell their age either.
Starting late December 18 the snow began to fall and I don’t know what time it stopped but today, December 20, I can see from my window that there is almost two feet of snow. I’ll have to go out to the local spring to get water as the pipes here are frozen.
Living in a rural area my road may or may not be plowed depending on how the local township personal feel. I don’t own a snow blower so snow removal from the driveway will be manual and while I am doing that the bloodhound, Trixie will be out on her lead making snow doggy angels. If she doesn’t know I have the camera I might actually get a photo of her doing so.
Well I need to go suit up for the cold, powdery stuff.
Jo
Living in Western Pennsylvania is very different from living in California. I don’t miss the threat of wildfires, earthquakes, or the hundred plus heat. What I do miss is the fairly mild winters. Don’t get me wrong I still love the snow as long as I don’t have to go any where in it. The sub zero temperatures have a tendency to make the power go out.
During the spring and summer the power going out isn’t really an issue for my fur kids as it can be in the winter. A ferret’s normal body temperature runs between 101 and 103. In the winter, they shed their summer coat and put on a heavier one and some ferret’s put on a few extra pounds of fat. This is great insulation against the cold that might seep into their cages when we turn down the thermostat.
I start to worry when the temperature is reading a brisk 30 or further down the thermometer and the lights start flickering. All the heat in the house is electrical. Once the power goes out it is a matter of hours before things start to freeze inside the house. I have to think about what to do before winter ever hits.
I’ve tried to find things online to help my ferrets survive the invertible power outage but all the information is for evacuation. Because of that, I have come up with my own plans. This came in handy in 2008 when a particularly nasty windstorm tore through Western Pennsylvania knocking power out for days in many places.
I keep a supply of wood next to the bbq to be able to heat water and cook if the need arises. Living on eighteen acres allows me easy access to kindling. I call the local power company and let them know the power is out and that I have a sick animal. Gweny is in the middle stages of Adrenal.
In my fur kid’s cages, I change their normal bedding to something a little more heavy and warmer if they need it. In winter, Lance is the one that likes to put on a few pounds and I think because of that he stays almost too warm as he sleeps mostly on the bottom of his cage. James when he isn’t sleeping in the food bowl is sleeping on top of their enclosed hammock. When the temperature drops or the power goes out both boys climb inside the fleece lined hammock and curl around each other. You cannot tell where one starts and one ends.
Gweny sleeps in her own cage and is very particular about where and how she sleeps. She has a hanging hammock that she sleeps in during the spring and summer. In the fall, she divides her sleep between the hanging hammock and the Santa hat that lies on the floor of her cage. Inside the hat she has taken different pieces of scrap fabric that she likes and stuffed the hat with them. She curls into a ball and somehow pulls the brim of the hat so that she is tucked inside.
If the power is out and the temperatures are below 28 during the day, I boil enough water to fill three water bottles. Each are then covered with two heavy socks before being placed inside the cages. Doing this allows them to decide if they are cold and want some warmth. If the power is still out in the evening I put several used baby blankets in their cages to give them some extra warmth if they need it.
These steps have lessened my worry about my ferrets in the event of a long power outage during a snowstorm. I hope to own a kerosene heater soon, which would allow me to keep the room they reside in warm.
Jo
