Woozel Wednesday

Woozel is another term many ferret owners use to describe their beloved little fur ball. Which makes sense as they are related to the weasel.

We are on our count down to Blog Paws and on the list of things to do was getting the 3 M's their vaccinations and health certificates.

Many people don't realize that ferrets can be exposed to many cat or dog viruses and occasionally get them. The only thing is that many of them are 100% fatal to ferrets no matter how fast it is discovered.
The two main diseases ferrets should be vaccinated against are rabies and distemper. There didn't use to be a vaccine that was made just for ferrets for either of these diseases and while the canine (puppy) vaccines have been used the effectiveness is relatively unknown.

Many ferret breeders/owners were glad to see the release of vaccines make especially for ferrets. Unfortunately the company that makes the distemper vaccine for ferrets has deemed the manufacturing of the vaccine to expensive and has stopped production. Leaving major shortages across the United States.  (Are you listening Merial?)

The reason I bring this up is because we are back to using puppy distemper vaccine for the 3 M's and only certain brands are recommended for ferrets none of which our vet uses.  But thankfully our favorite vet Dr. Sam Doverspike knows that we travel and has given the boys the vaccine he knew that while there are risks I would be ready for them.

Marcuz loves the taste of his vet and always gets in a few licks before trying to take a taste. Marcuz will be turning three this year and that means he is moving out of teenage years and into senior it also means he is a candidate for certain diseases that are very common in ferrets.  One of which is adrenal disease.

One of the signs is called Rat Tail and as you can see Marcuz has one but that is the only sign he is showing and we'll be monitoring him to make a decision about how to proceed. The two major options are an implant and/or surgery both of which can wait a little bit.

Manny has a slightly enlarged spleen also a known issue with ferrets and will be monitored closely. Manny turned 4 in January and really is considered on his way into seniorhood. But you would never tell from the way he was exploring the vet's office.
 

Marylin was the healthiest of them all but then she is only celebrating her 2nd birthday on July 1 at that time she will be a teenager.


While I know my boys are headed into a realm I don't want them to go I've been there done that with adrenal and know what to expect and how to deal with each coming event. The enlarged spleen is new and I will be compiling mounds of research just to keep informed and stay educated about it.

With a total of six shots my fur babies are ready for travel and have their health certificates to prove they've been seen and are allowed to travel the states.

I love that our vet office loves pets as much as we do even the light cover in the bathroom shows off their great sense of humor.




Have a Chittering Good Day,
Jo
15 days and counting.

Brushing Ferret Teeth

Manny getting his teeth brushed while I filmed how to do it.

 

 

Have a Chittering good Day,

 

Jo

Fleas.

Being around pets, you may find that fleas can sneak in to your home if you aren’t diligent. Fleas don’t just like cats and dogs they also like other animals and if left untreated can kill smaller animals.

Did you know there are several species of fleas? The two most common ones are Ctenocephalides felis and Ctenocephalides canis. Can you figure out which animals these two species infect?

Ferrets can get fleas from a number of sources like cats and dogs. For ferrets that get to go on outings can get fleas left behind by wild animals such as squirrels and mice.

Some signs that a ferret may have fleas is scratching, chewing, and in some extreme cases hair loss. But this doesn’t always mean there are fleas present. Many ferrets will leap out of their beds from a sound sleep to vigorously nibble at their fur before going back to bed as if nothing happened. Hair loss can also be a sign of Adrenal Disease

While it may be easier to see those little buggers on Marcuz and Marylin, it is Manny that makes finding evidence of fleas harder due to his darker coloration.

Of course the best scenario is to keep the fleas off my fur kids but I am limited to what preventatives I can use on them. Most flea control products fall under the Minor Species Act of 2004 (MSA) this allows vets to prescribe medications that are often designated for dogs or cats to other species that the medication might also help.

In my case that is the use of kitten advantage flea preventative. The use of kitten advantage for kittens is to use the whole tube I only need a drop or two per ferret giving me quite a savings thankfully.

Before application the fur kids get baths with T-gel. T-gel is a shampoo that has an ingredient that basically stuns the fleas and makes it easier to wash the little buggers off the ferrets with a second shampooing with baby shampoo.

Once out of the bath all three of the ferrets go crazy drying themselves off by doing the snake dance that someday I will have a great video of it. Once they are dry then it is spa day for them. They get their teeth and coats brushed, nails clipped, and then a drop of kitten advantage.

I live in Western Pennsylvania so flea season doesn’t last year round thankfully.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Did You Know…

That ferrets can be taught to walk on a leash like a dog. I get an assortment of different looks when I walk my three fur kids and the most received statement is “I didn’t know they would walk on a leash.”

Like training a dog, you have to have the right equipment.

What you need:

A harness

A belled collar

A leash

A tandem lead

Ferretone

There are different styles of harnesses to choose from and the one you choose has to fit your lifestyle. What works for me may not be the style or design you want. There are three main styles of harnesses and they are:

This is one of the cheapest one it’s made from a twisted cord that loops over the head and has a plastic slider that has a button lock making it look like one of those Bolo Ties   seen on Oil Tycoons but without the silver tips.

To make the second loop you take the line with the metal clip under the ferret’s body behind their front feet and clip it into the plastic loop on the side of the slider.

This type of leash is attractive to many first time ferret owners because of cost but the effectiveness of using this leash is almost nil. The button lock doesn’t stay locked and agile ferrets can maneuver enough to unlock it and slide it so they can walk out of the harness.

The Neoprene Harnesses are usually brightly colored and has Velcro® on the ends that go around the neck and around the body.

 

The Comfort harness is similar to the Neoprene Harness in design but also features buckles for added safety. The furkids buddy Snotface Critter wears one on his travels and Marylin wore a smaller version until she was big enough for her newest harness.

I use the H style harness mainly because it was the only style available where I live until recently when the store started adding more designs to their inventory and Most of the time you bought the harness and leash as a set. These are made from nylon webbing and are adjustable around the neck and body and has the same buckle as the comfort harness.

 

All but the string type harness have a D ring for the leash to attach to. It is important to make sure the harness fits correctly. To loose and the ferret will escape too tight and then the ferret won’t be able to breathe or move properly. Rule of thumb I use is one finger between the ferret and the harness.

Always start harness training inside.

I cannot stress this enough. First, it allows the ferret the chance to get use to having the harness on in a controlled situation. If the ferret realizes they can get out of the harness, they will do so in the safety of their home and not in the big wide world of unknowns.

Second, it lets you adjust the harness so that it is not too tight or too loose without the worry of the ferret escaping.

To Be Continued…

 

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Are We Jeopardizing Our Pet’s Health?

I watched The Doctors yesterday, February 27, 2013; the show was titled Guilty Pleasures Jeopardizing your Health.

I am sure most of us try to eat healthy and avoid the sugar trap. I found that many of the foods we think are healthy really aren’t. The most disturbing fact was that most of us consume 150 pounds of sugar a year. The recommended about is 34 pounds. That equals out to 6 tablespoons of sugar daily for women and men get to consume 9 tablespoons.

Most of us blow those amounts out of the water with our first can of soda or with our daily coffee intake. One can of soda has 10 tablespoons of sugar.

These facts got me thinking about our pets and how much sugar do we give them unknowingly? We know that sugar plays a role in obesity, diabetes, and it has also been suspected as part of heart disease.

Most of us know to read labels on the foods we eat and some of us have started reading the labels on our pet’s food as well. The problem is that our food is required to have a nutrition facts panel that must have specific things such as serving size, the amount servings per contain/package, and the amounts per serving and what the recommended daily value.

One of these facts is the amount of sugars. Example did you know that a serving of Cheez-It® has 0 grams of sugar.

But most pet food labels have what is called the Guaranteed Analysis.

“At minimum, many state regulations require a pet food to guarantee the minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and the maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture. The "crude" term refers to the specific method of testing the product, not to the quality of the nutrient itself.” Pet Food Labels – General

Typical Guaranteed Analysis for a Good Ferret Diet
Crude protein	38.0%
Crude fat	18.0%
Fiber	3.5%
Ash	6.5%
Moisture	10.0%

 

It is normal to see the following ingredients in ferret food.

Chicken by-products, herring meal, corn, cod fish, animal liver, dried beet pulp, brewer's dried yeast, cane molasses, salt, sodium propionate, DL-methionine, L-lysine, taurine, vitamin A, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, riboflavin supplement, niacin, biotin, choline chloride, folic acid, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, BHA, vitamin B12 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (a source of vitamin K), D calcium pantothenate, manganese oxide, inositol, ascorbic acid, iron sulfate, copper sulfate, zinc oxide, cobalt carbonate, potassium iodide, sodium selenite.

You can see there is no mention of the amount of sugar on the Guarantee Analysis. For ferrets that develop Insulinoma these ingredients can play a devastating role.

One of the ingredients Brewer’s Yeast is used to lower blood sugar which is something we don’t want to do in a ferret with insulinoma as his/her blood sugar is already low due to having too much insulin in his/her blood stream.

The other ingredient is cane molasses, which is a byproduct of white sugar, and the gram amount is 55-70 per 100 grams of molasses.

Just by having these two ingredients, we are causing a blood sugar drop only to have it spike again in our ferrets.

It would be interesting to know if these two ingredients could be causing the Insulinoma to show up in so many ferrets over the age of three.

Learning what goes into our pet’s food needs to become as high of a priority as knowing what is in our own food. By learning this we can better help our pets live longer and have happier lives.

What is your opinion? Of this list of ingredients do you know what they do or where they come from?

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Did You Know?

Did you know that in 2011 there were only 75 board certified veterinarian dentists in the United States?

Did you know that most people believe that hard food and chew toys will keep a pet’s teeth and mouth free of cavities and other dental problems?

Did you know that ferret teeth grow from the tip up?

Did you know that the pulp inside a ferret’s tooth does not grow all the way down in the tooth?

Did you know that baby ferrets called kits have 30 teeth by the time they are 3 months old and should have lost their baby teeth by the time they are 9 months old?

Did you know that adult ferrets have 34 teeth?

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

The Caged Bird Does Not Sing, And There’s Good Reason Why That Is So

 

Many of us enjoy having pets of all kinds, from dogs and cats to gerbils, goldfish and birds. For many, owning a pet is a pleasure. Pets provide companionship and are fun to have around. But still, the experience of keeping animals contained within your home is not an issue that is always easily dealt with for some.

As well treated as your pet may be, the very act of domesticating animals that were once wild sets up a moral dilemma for some. Keeping a dog or cat in your home is one thing. Both, under the right circumstances, can be allowed outdoors to wander about to varying degrees. But for bird owners, the proposition of owning a feathered friend is more troubling. Most birds that are kept as pets are enclosed in a bird cage. And that by itself gives many who are conscious of animal rights pause.

Except on occasions when their cages are being cleaned, birds kept as pets usually stay inside their cages 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To many, this is a cruel form of solitary confinement that is hard to justify. While a bird cage is not exactly the equivalent of a prison cell, it does confine one or more of nature’s creatures to a space that is unnaturally small and restrictive, and is certainly in conflict with the natural environment to which birds are normally accustomed. To many, this act of restriction in itself constitutes animal cruelty, and is an inexcusable form of imprisonment.

In general, birds do not thrive when they are caged. Some domesticated birds, such as parrots are sometimes kept on perches and not confined to a cage. For many, that is a preferable way of handling the issue of keeping animals that should ideally be able to roam free or fly where they may.

Commonly used phrases, such as “free as a bird” demonstrate the conflicted sense of propriety we are always likely to foster whenever the topic of keeping a pet in a bird cage comes up. While birds are beautiful creatures that are a pleasure to have around one’s home, the feeling of justification that some experience when it comes to the act of limiting an animal’s natural freedom is off-putting to many.

For the most part, the birds that most people keep caged in their homes were captured from the wild, or were raised domestically as pets. In either case, both domestic production or capturing wild creatures and keeping them confined for our own amusement is considered by many to be a reprehensible act. Animals are innocent creatures that typically thrive in the wild, unless they have become so domesticated that they cannot survive outside of the artificial environment created by humans.

Birds can be kept in sunny, pleasant areas of your home, where a controlled temperature will ensure that your pet is never too cold or too warm. They can be fed good, healthful diets and even be allowed to fly free inside the home on occasion. All of this can create an environment that is quite a bit better than a “prison cell” for pets. Despite all of the good intentions, keep in mind that birds were born to fly freely, and keeping them in any cage is against their nature.

 

Fabian

 

Disclosure: Enlightened Ferret does not normally have guest posters. In the future guest posters will be ferret experts in their own right. A monetary donation was made this disclosure is in keeping with the FCC rules.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Ferret Proofing 101

 

For those that haven’t read the previous ferret proofing post it is here .

Ferrets are notorious for getting into places they don’t belong. I already covered about couches, recliners, and wheel chairs. Other places ferrets can get into are dryers, refrigerators, and the stove. I know that many people let their ferrets be free roamers throughout their house but I would be a major basket case wondering where my boys were if I let them be free roamers.

  

They can also end up in the washing machine if you don’t check to make sure your little fuzzy isn’t taking a nap in the hamper or laundry basket.

Ferrets are smart and can disconnect the dryer vent hose and escape to the great outdoors. Once outside they will embark on a merry adventure until a hawk or other predator sees them. They won’t know how to get back home either as they are not blood hounds.

Many ferrets in shelters, rescues, and humane societies have been found alongside the road, under decks, or just wandering around. For this reason it might be a good idea to have your ferret micro chipped.

Cabinets are another place ferrets are great at getting into or behind and if there is a gap under them that is where a ferret will go. Imagine your surprise when you go to take out that pot for making spaghetti and inside it is a sleeping ferret.

  

Or you can see a paw sticking out from under the cabinet but for whatever reason the ferret can’t figure out how to get out from underneath it. Believe me it has happened to many ferret owners at least once. Sometimes all it takes is a whiff of Ferretone or a special treat to get them out but other times it takes some muscle to lift the cabinet while someone else grabs the ferret and drags them out.

I am glad most of my cabinetry is on wheels for that very reason and again my boys are only allowed in one room of the house.

Next time I will talk about ferret proofing while traveling with the fuzzy butts.

Disclosure: The photos are not mine and are linked back to the sites they have come from except for the pot and drawer one.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Peek A Boo… I see you! Pet Finder's Less Adoptable Pet's Week

 

Well I guess having a name is better than a number but really what kind of name is Peek A Boo   for a boy?

So I can only say that I am playing the game Peek-A-Boo for now in Pittsburgh, PA and I would really like a good boy’s name along with a forever home.

I know there isn’t much about me okay there isn’t anything about me on the site and my picture isn’t the best.

I am sure all you ferret hooman recognize the maneuver that I am doing. Hey when ya gotta go ya gotta go.

So are you the hooman for me to play great games with like hide the sock, where’s the carpet shark, and hide and seek? I promise I’ll let you win once in awhile and reward you with lots of ferrety kisses.

I’ll also entertain you with my special weasel war dance moves that are designed to make you laugh.

If you or someone you know is looking for a special little boy to love in or around the Pittsburgh area won’t you let them know about me?

Thanks

Disclosure: I get no compensation for featuring ferrets on my blog from Pet Finder or the shelter that has the featured ferret.

The commentary from the point of view of each ferret is my own take on the information given or not given depending on the shelter, rescue, or society and should not be taken seriously unless noted in a note or the disclosure.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Pet Finder Less Adoptable Pet Week: A Girl For All Seasons

Hi My name is Summer   and I am a 2 year old Dark Eyed White (DEW) girl. Right now I am calling New Arlington, NJ home until we can find the right forever hooman for me.

You see I need to find just the right hooman this time cause my first hooman spoiled me wif all these yummy sweet snacks and now I have something called Insulinoma. Once I was diagnosed wif this my first hooman took me to diz scary place called Animal Control and left me there.

I was lucky there was this really nice man there took the time to find my foster hooman’s place and she came and got me right away and while I love my foster hooman we both know I would be better off with just the right hooman of my own.

I have a sunny personality and a need for medication everyday for the rest of my life. So the perfect hooman for me knows about insulinoma and knows how to test my blood sugar so that I have a good record for the vet.

This hooman will also know how to give me my medication everyday and won’t be tricked into giving me those yummy snacks I crave.

I maybe little and have a medical condition but I have a lot of love to give to the perfect hooman. Are you that hooman?

Note: Summer is most likely on Prednisone and will need vet care more often than a ferret without insulinoma.

While Prednisone isn’t expensive finding a pharmacy that will fill a vet prescription can be time consuming. Ask your vet for a pharmacy they have dealt with before.

Disclosure: I get no compensation for featuring ferrets on my blog from Pet Finder or the shelter that has the featured ferret.

The commentary from the point of view of each ferret is my own take on the information given or not given depending on the shelter, rescue, or society and should not be taken seriously unless noted in a note or the disclosure.

Insulinoma is a type of cancer that can shorten the lives of ferrets. With that said Summer is part of this weeks less adoptable pets because 1. She is a ferret and 2. She is considered special needs. Those two items would make her harder to place with the right person but I know the right one is out there just looking for a fuzzy to love.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Pet Finder's Less Adoptable Pet Week: Bennie and the Jet

Hi all I am Jet and my buddy is Ben and he doesn’t talk much.

Sorry there aren’t any cute photos of us just of what our feet looked like when we first came to Ferrets Unlimited Rescue better known as FURS.

Our first hooman abandoned us in an apartment in Windham,OH with an iguana.

We were stuck in our cage for such a long time that we were left standing in feces.

The person who first rescued us though that it was just caked on our feet so bad then when she tried peeling some off of Ben’s feet it left them bleeding.

Ben: It hurt a lot and my feet were really swollen.

Jet: Our first rescuer realized that our care was going to be more than they could handle so they brought us here to these nice people. After being examined it was determined that it wasn’t caked on poop it was these nasty little parasites called Scabies.

Well we were immediately put on antibiotics, inflammatory meds, and pain meds, and daily soaks in a antibacterial soap.

Well Ben got the pain meds because his feet were so bad. Because of this ordeal we weren’t up for adoption until now.

We are recovered from the scabies and we’re told that ferrets don’t get them often so we shouldn’t get them again ever.

I am a bit more out going then Ben here. He is a huge fraidy cat about being out of his cage and likes to find places to hide so he can let his bottle brush tail relax.

So we need a hooman that is understanding of Ben’s fears and help him work through them.

I am a fat boy who is all ferret.

So are you the right hooman for us or know someone gentle, soft spoken, and able to deal with high energy and a trembling ball of fur? Won’t you come check out the adoption process at Ferrets Unlimited and see if we can’t come home with you.

Ben: Please?

Note: Scabies is a parasite that burrows under the skin causing extreme itching and is more common in humans. With the right treatment the reoccurrence is almost never depending on living conditions.

Disclosure: I did pick these two because of the injustice done to them while in the care of an unkind human and the fact that they have survived what had to be a very painful ordeal means they have a lot to give to the right human.

I am getting no compensation other than the fact that I may be able to help them find a forever home.

I get no compensation for featuring ferrets on my blog from Pet Finder or the shelter that has the featured ferret.

The commentary from the point of view of each ferret is my own take on the information given or not given depending on the shelter, rescue, or society and should not be taken seriously unless noted in a note or the disclosure

Please pass the link on about these guys to anyone that might be interested and is the right kind of person to be their new hooman thank you.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Pet Finder's Less Adoptable Pet Week: The Juvenile delinquent

 

Yo! I am Riggs   and Iz hanging out here in Stewartville, MN whilez Iz waiting for da right boz to come hire mez. Iz a tough little guy dey found mez hiding out under sum stranger’z deck and somewherez along da way Iz lost one of mez toe nailz. No one knowz if itz gonna grow back or not. Not dat Iz miz it.

Iz young wif dem figuring Iz about 3 yearz of age and I’ve developed Adrenal disease but Iz know wif da right treatment Iz will give a lot of time to da right boz hooman.

Iz good at stealing heartz in a New York minute whilez taking yer wallet at da same time. So if youz think youz can rehabilitate mez from mez bad habitz den give dez nice folkz a call and come see mez.

Disclosure: I get no compensation for featuring ferrets on my blog from Pet Finder or the shelter that has the featured ferret.

The commentary from the point of view of each ferret is my own take on the information given or not given depending on the shelter, rescue, or society and should not be taken seriously unless noted in a note or the disclosure.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

To those that have enjoyed posting Anomys. those days are over. I am now requireing that you at least have a name that I can respond to if the need should arise.

In references to the pictures that are on this blog this week. I am copying the url from the site its self so if the pictures are stock or owned by someone else I wouldn't know it.

With both things said. I must say that I blog about ferrets because they are my passion and those that have met me in real life know that is the truth. I am not an expert on ferrets just an owner that loves doing research to gain more knowledge that can be passed on to other.
I do reviews on different things and the opinions are always my own and at this time I get no monetary compensation for anything that is on my blog unless otherwise noted.

Pet Finder's Less Adoptable Pet Week: A Star in the Making

Hello Darlings I am Marilyn   from Missoula, MT and no there is no relation to Monroe that I know of.

I am considered one of the less adoptable pets by many because of my long sleek body and my pointed nose.

But then they do say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am looking for the right hooman to be my personal assistant.

Just like Monroe I am a beautiful girl with one little flaw my tail has lost its hair but I am sure with the right treatment from a specialist it will grow back to match my fur coat.

Won’t you help me land the role of a lifetime: Queen of Hooman’s Heart? I am not a prima Dona I love cardboard boxes of all kinds and any bag that crinkles.

I’ll eat almost any snack as long as I get plenty of exercise to run off the calories. Okay I am very particular about where I sleep but then a star has to have her beauty rest.

Won’t you apply to be my personal assistant as I am sure we would be a perfect match.

Note: Marilyn’s hairless tail maybe an indication of Adrenal Disease and should be checked out by a licensed Ferret Vet. I am not a vet but one of the symptoms of Adrenal Disease is hair loss.

Disclosure: I get no compensation for featuring ferrets on my blog from Pet Finder or the shelter that has the featured ferret.

The commentary from the point of view of each ferret is my own take on the information given or not given depending on the shelter, rescue, or society and should not be taken seriously unless noted in a note or the disclosure.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Country Boy

 

Hi all I am Garth and right now I am calling Mason City, IA home until I can wiggle my way into the right forever hooman’s heart. I isn’t big on cats and dogs and really would prefer der wasn’t any in my new farmstead.

I knows there isn’t a lot of information about me listed other than I am a boy and I don’t care for cats and dogs but I think that is because the hoomans here are just too busy with all dem other critters to sit down and write up something about me.

At least you can see how cute I am. I maybe just a hay seed to some but I know there has to be a hooman out there that needs the complete innocence I can provide while checking out every inch of my new forever farmstead. Won’t you let them hoomans know I am waiting right here for them.

Disclosure: I get no compensation for featuring ferrets on my blog from Pet Finder or the shelter that has the featured ferret.

The commentary from the point of view of each ferret is my own take on the information given or not given depending on the shelter, rescue, or society and should not be taken seriously unless noted in a note or the disclosure.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Jumping Jack Flash

 

Hi there my name is Jack and I am living in Stewartville, MN and I am now looking for a forever home with someone who understands a ferret who has gone through major surgery to remove an adrenal gland.

My tail is still working on getting its hair back but I am sure it will be back to being full soon.

I am easy going so I would like to be in a home where there is one or two other mellow ferrets that I could cuddle up with when I get tired from all the jumping and running I am catching up on.

The right hooman would know just I need to stay healthy and know the perfect vet to take me to when I need a checkup.

With having the diagnosis of Adrenal I really should see the vet more often than once a year just to make sure I am not having a relapse or something else show up that could become really bad fast.

Are you the right hooman for me or know the perfect one then please come/send them to check me out and see if we are the perfect match.

Note: Jack wasn’t available for adoption until after his surgery. Because he is an adrenal survivor he is listed as special needs. Ideally he should be adopted by someone who has dealt with this disease and knows the reality of his survival rate could be lessened because of the chance he could develop tumors on his remaining adrenal gland.

Disclosure: I get no compensation for featuring ferrets on my blog from Pet Finder or the shelter that has the featured ferret. The commentary from the point of view of each ferret is my own take on the information given or not given depending on the shelter, rescue, or society and should not be taken seriously unless noted in a note or the disclosure

Have a Chittering Good Day,
Jo

Texan Looking For Love

 

Howdy all! I am JJ from Austin, TX. I am looking for a new homestead to call my own as my previous hooman made a mistake of not checking with her landlord before bringing me home to live with her. Before one of ya’ll decide I am just the gal for ya’ll please make sure I can live with you without the same problem.

Now if you own your own homestead and are ready to have a rodeo of a good time then I might just be the furry gal for you. I am a small barrel racer in the disguise of a long sleek young body and I have more energy packed inside of me than a raging bull.

I just know the right cowpoke for me is out there won’t you come check me out and see if we can raise the roof together with laughter?

Disclosure: I get no compensation for featuring ferrets on my blog from Pet Finder or the shelter that has the featured ferret. The commentary from the point of view of each ferret is my own take on the information given or not given depending on the shelter, rescue, or society and should not be taken seriously unless noted in a note or the disclosure.

Before adopting/buying a ferret make sure he/she will be a welcome guest where you live so that others don’t have the same fate as JJ here. Know if there is an extra deposit for pets and just what pets are allowed where you live.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Blog Paws Pt. II

 

So I have met some really interesting people and talked a lot about ferrets. I have very little voice left but it is so worth it if I reach just one person.

The boys slept most of the day and were oblivious to all the attention they were getting. I am sure their faces are plastered on Facebook, twitpic, other blogs. If you have posted their pictures leave me a link to them so I can see what they look like.

I have to get a lot steadier hand at taking pictures. Opening ceromony

Nikki @DesignCoyote Ashely @RescueAnimals Hope I got them right this time. For some reason I want Ashely to be Nikki.

One part of the crowd attending Blog Paws 2011.

Manny and Marcuz giving @CokieTheCat some loving. @BZTAT and the growing crowd.

  Photo ops happen as soon as @FlatTyler joined the group and Manny and Marcuz decided that @CokieTheCat was perfect for their cuddle pile.

I am not sure anyone would believe that I am a shy person who has some crowd issues when it seems I am in my element. My two best buds keep me calm and focused and they are my passion.

Which is what Blog Paws is about PASSION. See you all in the morning at breakfast.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

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

Responsible Ferret Ownership

     I was sent two links about ferrets as pets on twitter. The first one was about a baby losing seven of his fingers to the family’s pet ferret. The father of the infant killed the ferret by throwing it across the room where it hit a cabinet.

     The second was about how people are calling the Kansas City Ferret Hotline not to ask for help but to give up their pet for fear of it turning into some cannibalistic thing.

     First let me say that the family should have never had a ferret in the house with an infant if they weren’t going to supervise both the ferret and the infant. It also remains to be seen why it took so long for the parents to even realize something was wrong especially since the mother was supposedly on the couch right beside the child.

     Ferret bites hurt and even I scream when one of my boys decide to do the lick, lick, chomp that all ferrets are capable of doing. With that said it must also be said that the parents are under investigation for neglect and the fact they failed to get the necessary exotic license for having a ferret in the first place.

     Second let me tell you what else I have found since starting research on this incident. Two days before this even happened the parents were trying to find a vet to remove all the ferret’s teeth so it couldn’t bite the child. “Angela Simpkins, a metro ferret advocate, says that she offered to take the ferret but was turned down by the family, who had planned to have the ferret's teeth pulled out before the gruesome attack”(1)

     If the parents had just surrendered the ferret at that time both the child and the ferret would have never made the news. Also having a ferret's teeth removed for no other reason that to keep it from biting is barbaric and cruel.

     It is this kind of news story that give ferrets a bad name. It has been my mission for over a year to promote responsible ownership and have said in many of my blog posts that ferrets and babies/small children DO NOT go together.

     Ferrets love anything that makes noise and will try to take the noisemaker to his/her hidey-hole. Babies make all sorts of strange noises that a ferret would want to stash.

     It is also possible that the ferret that lost his life was hungry and the child had something on his fingers that tasted good. It also needs to be said this did not happen in seconds it took time for the ferret to chew off that many fingers.

     Pediatrician think that ferrets are attracted to babies cause of the milk smell which makes they think of suckling prey. I personally believe it is the fact that they squeak and the wild movement they do but that is my personally belief.

     Ferrets have teeth like a cat and those with cats can tell you that it takes a cat a while to eat a small mouse which is equivalent to a minimum of three infant fingers.

     It must also be said that a ferret can be hurt or even killed by a small child loving on it too hard. Like any animal a ferret will bite and scratch anything causing it pain. So if you do have a ferret and children it comes down to common sense. There needs to be supervision of both ferret and child for both of their safety.

     Have a place to keep the ferret contained when you can’t supervise them together. This gives the ferret a safe place to be and allows the child to be a child without you fearing that something bad is going to happen.

     Lastly if you don’t know that much about ferrets and you really want one wait until the child is old enough to understand that ferrets are not dogs or cats and can be hurt by them and do a lot of research before you get one.

     Ferrets can be great pets but they are not for everyone. Ferrets are high maintenance in many of the same ways an infant is dependent on you for the first years of his/her life.

What are your feelings about this whole incident?

Have a chittering good day,

Jo

1. http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-woman-says-family-planned-to-pull-ferrets-teeth-before-attack-20110112,0,3269293.story

Come on California See Beyond the Old Thoughts

     Once again the legalization of ferrets is brought up along with the old song of why they are illegal in California in the first place. While the reason may have been valid when the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) put it into place those reasons are no longer valid.

     If California were to legalize ferrets and give amnesty to those already living in California the state would benefit in a number of ways. One of which could be the registration and licensing of the nearly one million ferrets living as outlaws in California. The other would be from the revenue that could be produced by sanctioned ferret shows.

     It was pointed out in the The Orange County Register online paper’s comment section by some people that ferrets are legal in almost every state except Hawaii that was called a hold out state. What most of these people don’t realize the reason Hawaii won’t legalize ferrets is because of the native birds that ferrets could decimate like they did in New Zealand.

     It was pointed out that most ferrets aren’t sold intact so they can’t reproduce but there is a flaw with that statement in that some are sold ready to breed and that is what needs to be addressed before the law can be fully repealed. In Pennsylvania you must have a license to breed ferrets. If you don’t have that license you are not allowed to own a “whole” ferret.

     It is also true that ferrets have lost most of their survival instincts but they still have the urge to eat and will kill small rodents which is what they were bred for in the first place. As to the destruction of plant life we as human beings do more damage by hiking outdoor. Finding water isn’t really that hard a ferret only needs a few drops here and there when they are on a quest. What will kill a ferret if he/she got loose would be the heat. Ferrets prefer a nice temperature of around 65 degrees any hotter and they can suffer from heat stroke in a matter of minutes.

     Another commenter stated that ferrets are pretty fragile creatures. Yes in some instances they can be easily broken but if you ask anyone that has owned a number of ferrets they will tell you that they are also very agile and can survive a lot more than they are given credit for. The fragility comes from the number of diseases that can kill a ferret and their reactions to different vaccines.

     Another thing to consider before condemning the CDFG about their rules/laws is that the law has been on the books for a long time and the current officials may not agree with it any longer but can’t change the rules without a study and what right minded official is going to suggest a study about releasing X number of ferrets into the wild to see if the fears are correct? There are too many organizations out there that would object.

     I must remind you I am from California and now a ferret owner. When I lived in California I didn’t know what a ferret was besides those that were in movies. Now that I live Pennsylvania and have had the opportunity to own these fascinating creatures I would never move back to California unless they did legalize ferrets but I also understand how politics work.

     A non-profit group called California Domestic Ferret Education Alliance (CDFEA) is working to educate people about ferrets. Education is needed as one commenter called a ferret’s offspring “pups” when they are called kits. The same as when a fox has her babies.

     It was also brought up about ferrets attacking children. Pet ownership is a responsibility no matter what animal you have. Ferrets are highly inquisitive and will check out anything that squeaks this includes infants and small children. If a ferret likes what it has found it will try to take it back to his/her hiding spot and this involves using his/her mouth.

     It is not recommended that families with small children have ferrets for this very reason. If children are visiting a home where ferrets live then the ferret owner should either put the ferret in his/her cage for the duration or place them in a room with a door away from the child. While most owners will bristle at me for saying confine their fur babies in their own home they might think about the result if their ferret bit a child. The ferret will always loose to a needle.

     It may be the CDFG vs.  ferrets for now with those rallying to get the law repelled but both sides need to sit down face to face and calmly talk out their beliefs and how to either disprove or prove them. The law has been on the books for how long? That answer has never been published in any of the articles I have read. The answer is 1933 according to Golden State Ferret Society.

     So for seventy-seven years ferrets have been on the banned list isn't it time to re-evaluate the reasons?

     All comments, reactions, thoughts, links to other information about ferrets, and recommendations are welcomed and appreciated.

     This post is in response to an article dated May 20 2010 in The Orange County Register’s online paper.

Jo