Digger On Thursday 1 / 18 / 07 our beloved Little Buddy Digger passed on to a better place that has no pain . He was just 2 years old . We purchased Digger after playing with our daughter 's Ferrets Weasey and George . We were amazed at the personality and the character that these little guys possess . Digger would carry everything he could get his teeth around to the back of the television ! When ever you were missing something , that was always the first place to look . I will miss him hunching his back and hopping around the floor and rolling around the floor when he was playing with his toys . Digger was a talker , he was always making some kind of little noise . Whenever you would pick him up or play with him he would fuss and squeak . He reminded me of the Budweiser Ferret in the commercials on the radio ! He had the start of an Ulcer about 4 months prior to his passing . We had him to the vet and got him medication and he seemed to bounce back . But then he started slipping . I started traveling with my work and didn 't have as much time to spend with him . My wife would play with him occasionally , but not as much as he would have liked us to . We had a person watch all 3 ferrets over the Christmas holiday and when we returned from vacation Digger wasn 't good . He had lost more weight and was refusing to eat or drink . We got him home and tried our best to reassure him that we loved him and wanted him to get well again . We fed him Baby food and made him drink water with a syringe . He seemed to perk up and was getting back to normal , but was still very underweight . I had to go for a 2 week business trip to Utah and talking with my wife every day , she said no matter she would do , Digger fought her and didn 't want to eat or drink . She would sing to him at night and she said he would fold his little paws over one another as if he was praying . She would pray with him and he seemed to be soothed by it . Every day when I called home , the news was worse . I was hoping that he would hang on till I got back home , praying actually . My wife wWe currently are owned by 2 ferrets , Ferrolty female sable and Whitey a female sable & white . When we first bought Ferrolty for my daughter at Christmas 2003 , I have to admit we did not do any research at all . My husband had to get the biggest , baddest cage known to ferrets . So by the time we were done , we spent 545 . 00 . I had no idea that they were so high maintenance until I read a " Ferrets for Dummies " book . Now , I can 't stand to think what we would do without her . About 3 months after we got Ferrolty , my daughter and I came back from the store and opened the garage door to unload stuff . We then proceded to play soccer out in the driveway with empty pop cartons . She then looks under the van and says , " Ferrolty is under the van ! " I told her no way that a cat probably slipped in the garage while we were playing . I told her to go upstairs to check her cage . Right as soon as I saw a ball of fur I heard the scream echo thru the house . Luckily , Ferrolty hates screams so she ducked back under the van . I tried to close the garage door until I realized the back of the van was still open . I couldn 't get hold of her . I was terrified she would get past me and get loose . I then started scuffing backwards until she was biting my shoes . We were in the middle of the driveway at this time . I scooped her up and cried . No flat fert . But all I saw when my daughter screamed was Ferrolty 's head under the tire of the van ! I then see the message on the answering machine from my husband stating he felt sorry for the fuzzy and left her cage open . He didn 't realize she could climb the baby gate . I still have bad dreams about that . In April 2005 , a friend of mine at work said she found a ferret in her back yard . She gave it to her sister since she already had ferrets . I found myself disapointed that I didn 't get dibs first . I mentioned to my husband about ' maybe ' finding someone for Ferrolty . We went to the same Petco where we bought Ferrolty and they said they were all out that they had a special on them . Then a girl brought out this littThis should be one of those stories that happens to anybody , or it seems to happen to me a lot . You see I am the house that every drops unwanted animals off at . I have had puppies , kittens , raccoons and numerous others just showing up . I had two litters of baby skunks one of which their mother was killed by children that stoned her to death . Her three kits were delivered to me half dead . They survived and were released to live out their lives , the second was a second litter of kits that mysteriously showed up in a bucket . These too were aided and released . According to California law they should have been killed . They were released to live normal lives . Then became the strange critters . . . I got a call on a weird rat . This turned out to be a little sugar glider , sad he had been thru 5 homes and had been eating cat food to survive , he hated everyone . He would not come out , he hated to be held , and he was in severely poor condition . He lived a year after I got him and due to too many conditions he just could not go on . He did however gain weight and started to play in the cage we had gotten him . . Then I ran into a young girl trying to sell two ferrets . . . . well again I took a look . She said they were sick . . . Yes sick from being kicked by her boyfriend when they nibbled on his toes , Sick from being in a cage too small . . never let out . . They never saw outside . She was at her wits end with them . She was going to take them to the dog pound as she could not sell them in California . I offered to take them off her hands . On a cold rainy day , I met these too adorable cuties . They were scared to death , it was cold and rainy . . the boyfriend literally stuffed them into my car . I brought them home to find two little faces looking back at me . Skinny , and they had been bathed so much they had scales on their bodies . We removed them from their tiny cage and let them roam around , the little female was exhausted . The male was so very thin but full of life , he seemed to know what was up and went dancing around the room . I wont go into all theJUBILEE AND ROGUE Around the first part of March around my birthday I decided to act on something I had thought about for a long time . Finally getting a ferret as a pet . I 'd put it off for a long time because of alot of the negative things you hear about them . So I spent a couple of weeks reading up about what people that had them thought of them . Then to actually find some of the little critters and save up enough to get them everything they needed . Around mid April I finally managed to find some . OF course my original idea of only getting one went out the window when I found out how lonely they can get without a playmate . So I told my boss I was taking off for a couple of hours and left post and headed out as quick as I could to bring home the little critters . I even got a warning ticket from the Highway Patrol en route for going just a little too fast . I guess he thought my reason for speeding was funny since he let me off with a warning . Anyway after some mulling over I picked out a little sable with a bandit mask and a silver . I actually wanted two sables but the silver was pretty insistent . I loaded them up and mulled over their names for a day or two . The sable seemed at first to be the meaner of the two while the silver was more laid back . I named the sable Rogue for her temperament and the other Jubilee since she seemed so sweet . Ferrets being what they are once the names were decided on they did a personality switch on me and Rogue became the sweet one while Jubilee started looking at the world as her on personal fight club . Rogue would spend almost all her time playing with her toy balls and batting toys while Jubilee wanted to either play fight with me or Rogue . Which seemed to bug Rogue especially when she was busy with her toys or trying to hide them . Then I caught Rogue several times instigating the fights . I remember their first bath as well . Not experienced I thought I 'd save a little time and try to give the new babies their first bath . Rogue loved it and happily was splashing the water and having a ball while alOr Back in August 2003 , I decided to add just one more ferret to my current household . I already had Zeus and Pandora , but thought , " What 's the harm in one more ? " Fuzzy math , I know . Anyway , I stopped in to my local pet store one afternoon just " window shopping " and saw 6 fairly large ferrets on sale . Turns out they were older and that was the reason for the good deal since most people want cute little kits and not almost full - grown ferrets . I picked out the biggest one ; - over three pounds and asked to hold him . The little , or should I say , big guy , climbed right up on to my shoulder where he proceeded to claw and nip at me . Nonetheless , I thought there was something very unique about him and asked the pet store to hold him for a few days until I got paid . They agreed , and five days later I went back to pick up my new fuzzy . After bringing him home , " Atlas " was pretty much okay with the other two and myself for the first few days ; kind of shy but he was in a new place . Unfortunately , after the newness of his situation wore off , Ajax ( that name seemed to suit him better ) began attacking not only the other ferrets , one of which is 1 / 3 his size , but me as well . He bit , not nipped , but bit me nearly every day hard enough to leave large bruises and welts . He had to be separated from the other two and put in his own cage . Though he was shown nothing but love and kindness for over six months , Ajax 's temperament did not improve ; if anything it became progressively worse . After taking the abuse from the little monster and watching my other two ferrets flee in fear from this schoolyard bully , I had all but made my mind up to find him another home or take his mean , fuzzy butt back to the pet store , but then , one night while I was sitting on the floor trying to referee the nightly fights , a random thought occurred to me : possibly Ajax is deaf . After doing a couple of tests with jingly toys and snapping my fingers , I determined over the course of a week or so that this bully was in fact deaf as a post . I began to use hand signalsNatacha 's Story I had been waiting to get a ferret long since i could remember , i tried looking for one at a reasonable price but i couldn 't find one . After looking for months i finally found one . I was scrolling down a announce page when i came across Zoe . She is a silver ferret . There was no information on her so we had to call . The guy told us how he had gotten her . His friend was moving to Paris and wanted to bring his ferret with him but after getting all the needles done and getting a microchip pet watch put in her they didn 't allow him to aboard her onto the airplane . He then had to ship her all the way to his friends house by taxi . We only found out her age when we seen her date of birth from the pet shop . The guy said he wanted to give her a good home and after traveling 2 hours away and saving up my money , i was happy to bring her home . At first i was regretting ever having her because i have a friend who 's ferret is for ever with him , loves him , and is always with him . Zoe on the other hand wanted nothing to do with me . When i brought her home she was scared and shaking . I let her investigate my room but not yet the house , she seemed fine and went to sleep . The next day i held her for about 2 seconds she didn 't want to be held at all . She ran away and hid herself under my bed ! She had fun chasing my kitten around my room letting her know she wasn 't welcomed at all ! I sat there and said to myself saving up for this was a mistake ! Then i thought i shouldn 't approach her , she should come to me . Before i got her the guy told me that she loved walks so i decided maybe i should try to bring her . I walked around my front yard and she loved it ! Rolling in the grass running after my goose and she got the chickens curious in what she was doing . They followed us everywhere ( including my duck ) wanting to know what she was . Finally they wondered away and we set out for a walk down the road . We walked very slowly of corse Zoe had to smell everything ! pine cones , flowers , pine needles , then roll on the ground a few times . Then once wThis is the story of how I got my three little babies : Merlin ( a Blaze ) , Gabe ( sabel ) and Wesley ( Dark - eyed white ) . They were 11 months old at the beginning of this story . I volunteer at an animal shelter because the pet overpopulation as always been near and dear to my heart . I 'm kind of the " ferret expert " there , which doesn 't come in handy there considering we only get ferrets two or three times a year . I sadly didn 't have any ferrets at the time , I was a junior in highschool ( this was a year and a half ago ) and my mom said as soon as I moved out , I could get as many ferrets as I wanted if the apartment complex would allow it . On Sunday morning after I got back from church service there was a message on the answering machine . The head of the animal shelter ( Sarah ) had called me and told me that someone named " kelly " had e - mailed her and told her that Kelly knew of a neighbor who was mistreating her ferrets and was terrifed of them . Sarah then asked me if I 'd be willing to go check it out and see if this person would let me take the ferrets . When I got to this house 25 minutes later I knocked on the door . A heavily set woman who was middle aged opened the door . I asked her about her ferrets and told her that someone had reported them in . Her eyes got really wide and she took me to the basement . The basement was unfinished and REALLY cold . She pointed at a small cat carrier where she was housing three ferrets ! I couldn 't believe this person , my first reaction was to grab a brick and club her ( I held the urge in ) . I bent down to open up the cage door and the lady shrieked and told me not to open it because they were rabid beasts . I told her then she could go upstairs and shut the door to the stairs . I opened the cat carrier 's door and after some cooing , got the ferrets to come out . They were covered in their own feces adding to the musky ferret odor ( I love the smell of ferrets hehe ) . Their water bottle looked as if it hadn 't been changed in awhile and I am sure wasn 't clean to start with . They had a little food dish inside of the cage , and there was just a little bit of food left . I think it was a true miracle that these ferrets survived . I reached out to pet the sable ferret and he bit me . It hurt really bad but I realized the poor thing has probably got the wrong idea about what humans are . All three of them cowardily backed away whenever I got close . I could feel tears burning in my eyes . They all just kind of walked around , it was like they forgot how to be a ferret . I decided that these ferrets were not going to stay here another minute . I got them back in their little cage ( feeling gulity I hadn 't brought something better to take them home in ) and went up the stairs . I told the lady that she was killing these ferrets and I was taking them . She suddenly seemed unhappy that I was taking them and started crying and saying that " I was taking her babies " . Yeah right . In the end , I had to write a check for $ 400 , I have to admit I wasn 't thinking clearly at the time , but I got the ferrets out of there . Sarah told me that I should keep the ferrets instead of bringing them back to the shelter , people really aren 't into ferrets where I live so they would just be up for adoption in another lonely cage when they need lots of attention and love . After a long bath , a new four level cage , clean water , food and love - the ferrets were starting to act like ferrets again in just two weeks . When I first got them , they all bit me reguarly . Now a year and a half later they haven 't even nibbled on me for 9 months now . Which all goes to show that banning ferrets because the city / county / state is afraid that they bite and are little meanies is the most stupid thing - EVERY pet can bite ( except a goldfish maybe ) and show aggression . It all depends on how they are raised and cared for . My parents were furious that I had just gone out and bought ferrets , but after they heard this story they let me keep them . I ended up having to get two jobs ( at Petsmart and Petco ) to pay for vet bills , food , toys ect . But in the end , it was all worth it . Wesley is pawing at my leg , he wants me to come play again and I am telling him that I 'm busy but he continues looking up at me and sitting on my foot . He is the most stubborn one . I had better go look for Merlin , He 's probably doing something he shouldn 't . They all love my new studio ( it 's a huge studio too ) apartment . I have every inched of it ferret proofed to the best I can . Although they hate the futon , they can 't dig into the cushions or hiding anything behind it without me seeing it . The studio is nice because I can keep a better eye on them than in my parent 's house . Well to end this story , I have to say that Merlin , Gabe and Wesley are the most loving ferrets I know , cuddling and doing dances of joy when I 'm sad or just their antics can cure a tired headache at the end of the day ( although there are exceptions to that one ) . I still get emotional when I think that if " Kelly " hadn 't reported her neighbor in , that these ferrets could have died without ever knowing real love . So go tell your ferret you love them right now ! I dook you ! It all started when my boyfriend ( now my ex ) and I moved to New Mexico from California with my mother and our dog , Rebel ( a golden retreater . . err . . retriever ! ) . It was a new beginning for all of us , and we were excited . I have always loved animals , and I wanted to introduce a new species into the family . After a lot of research , I decided that a ferret would be the best way to go . My boyfriend at the time was ecstatic about the idea , but I told him there was still a lot of research to do . I don 't believe in rushing into the " ownership " of a living , breathing creature . I began by buying the necessities first - a cage , a water bottle , a good heavy food dish , a litter pan , hammocks , toys , litter , Ferratone , laxatives - everything but the fuzzies and the food . Unfortunately , Goober ( the boyfriend 's nickname ) got tired of waiting and took off to buy a ferret despite what we had discussed . I wanted us to buy two ferrets at the same time , preferably litter mates , because I had read that ferrets do better in pairs or more and I knew that we would not be able to provide constant attention . Goober rushed out and bought an albino ferret , brought her home and , after an hour of play , decided he didn 't like her . She was nervous and he was playing rough - - as a result , he got his finger nipped . He wouldn 't listen to anything I said , so finally we returned to the pet store to exchange her . This time , since he refused to leave the store without a ferret , I picked it out . I finally settled on a beautiful cinnamon male , who was bright eyed , attentive and extremely curious . He nipped at our fingers a bit , but so did every other ferret in the cage . This is just a behavior that you have to train the young little fuzzies out of , like sleeping in the litter box and pooping on the blankets . We took the little guy home and the adventure began . We named him Gib , because . . . well , that 's what he is . I learned immediately that Goober was not a good ferret person . I was paying rent and Goober was not - - I couldn 't yet afford to purchase Gib 's playmate . Because I was angry at Goober for jumping the gun , I told him that he would have to do all maintenance of the cage , care of the ferret and training until I got mine . Unfortunately , Goober didn 't care about that part . I ended up caring for Gib , litter training him , brushing him , looking after him and ferret - proofing the spare bedroom that became the ferret wonderland in the months to come . Goober only wanted to pull out Gib , play with him until Gib bit , and then scream , stomp , smack the poor guy and shove him in the cage . It got to the point where I wanted to do the same thing to Goober ! ! ! ! I was walking home from work one day and I saw Goober walking towards me . It was August , over 100 degrees out , and I see him holding Gib . Gib was panting heavily and looked like little more than a ragdoll in Goober 's hands . I had told Goober I don 't know how many times that ferrets were warm blooded creatures who did NOT handle heat over 80 degrees well at all . I carried Gib all the way home and as soon as we got home , I began to cool him down . He drank three capfulls of Gatorade ( he really likes Strawberry Kiwi , heh ) and I began to rub him down with a cool , damp cloth . He was sick for two days , and I stayed with him every second I wasn 't at work . Gib pulled through - - Then , Goober just kind of forgot about him . It was then that Gib became my guy , no matter what Goober said . Gib had behavioral problems during those first two months . He bit , screamed , and hissed - not to mention pooping everywhere * but * in the litter box . Goober helped in excellerating the problems but did little to work them out . I began spending all of my spare time with Gib , first working on the biting , then the litter box , and finally with playing gentle . It took a month , but by November ( he was purchased in July ) , he was the ideal ferret . Playful , happy , friendly , inquisitive and litter trained . The only problem was that he got lonely when we weren 't around - when I walked into the room , he all but tackled me out of excitement . I worked extra hours at Denny 's and pulled all the tips together I could manage to keep , excluding ferret food , litter , and rent money , and when I had saved up enough , I bought Gib 's new friend - Rocky . Rocky was a sable with an affinity towards water . He loved to play in puddles , our man - made fish pond , Rebel 's drinking bowl - anything but bathtubs . Oddly enough , he hated baths . It took Gib a while to get adjusted to the new guy , but pretty soon they were chumming it up like blood brothers . Rocky had to be trained to stop biting and to use the litter box , but Gib helped a lot - - imagine my surprise ! Teach one and they help to train the other . I was definitely impressed . In December , I finally broke up with Goober ( good riddance ! ) . He told me he was taking the ferrets and I refused to let him . I had paid for everything but Gib , and when he argued about that , saying that Gib was his " investment " ( He actually called him an INVESTMENT ! " ) , I coldly informed him that Gib may have been purchased by him , but I had put my blood , sweat , tears and cash flow into making sure those ferrets were healthy and happy . He finally admitted that he would not be able to care for the ferrets , and when he moved back to California , the ferrets stayed with me . In January , I moved into a smaller apartment and had to keep Gib and Rocky in my room . One of my roommates was terrified of them , so I couldn 't let them reign the house . Instead , they had to share a room with their mommy and the quarters were getting cramped . The situation with the roommates ended up on a sour note , and I ended up moving in with my current boyfriend in May . His apartment complex did not allow animals , so my fuzzies and dog ended up with my mother . My mom was scared of the ferrets when we first got them , but after they moved in with her , she began to fall in love . I visited every day and I noticed , little by little , that she interacted with them more . Gib is a cuddler - he will lay draped over your arm like a baby and climb up on your shoulder to give kisses . Rocky was the adventurer - he was a graceless bum who loved to play tricks and was always trying to push up the toilet seat . Rocky 's favorite pasttime was to find earrings that my mother would lay aside and hide them in all manner of inaccessible places . She began to play with them more , and then all of a sudden she announced she was going to build them a bigger cage . I paid for the supplies and she built it . Unfortunately , the cage was not 100 % ferret proof . Rocky managed to pull open one of the sides and push out the screen window . He was gone . I posted flyers and walked the neighborhood door - to - door . No one had seen him . I called the local Safe Haven for Animals Sanctuary ( SHAS ) and alerted them . I called the animal shelter , friends , businesses in the area . I walked through the park nearby with a can full of treats and shook it . I never found him . I told my mom several times that I didn 't blame her for Rocky 's escape . It wasn 't her fault - she had built the cage with the best intentions and had truly meant no harm . Still , she felt guilty and I guess it didn 't help that I cried for a week straight . What really broke our hearts , though , was Gib . He would just lay in his hammock and stare off at the window ; he didn 't eat for three days and wouldn 't even come out of his cage when we left the doors wide open . He just laid there and barely moved . I couldn 't afford a new ferret at the time , but mom took me to the petstore . I didn 't want to go - I didn 't want some new ferret , I wanted Rocky . Rocky who used to climb to the top of his old cage and take a flying leap for my bed , only to fall short at the last possible instant and cling desperately at the edge , sliding down the comforter . Rocky who would drive me insane by running circles around my feet , tripping me up all the time . Rocky who got his toenails caught on the ceiling bars of the cage one day and screamed , peed himself and then clung to me like a baby when I got him unstuck . Rocky who would give me kisses when I spared him from danger . I was against the idea , all except for Gib . Gib needed a playmate , and none of us could bear to see him depressed . So I went with her to the pet store , and half heartedly worked my way through the litter . I do a few things when I look for a ferret . I lower my hand into the cage and see who scurries over the quickest . Some nip , some try to climb my arm . I pick them up , one by one , and hold them all for a minute or two . I look in their ears , I check their eyes , I make sure their noses aren 't runny or bleeding . I see how they react to being handled , and finally I scruff them to see their reaction . Most will yawn and stay still , but I 've noticed that there are exceptions to that rule . I was scruffing the runt of the litter when he stuck out both forearms and began hissing frantically . It was the most hilarious thing I 've ever seen . He looked like Frankenstein 's monster ! It was the first time I 'd laughed since Rocky had gotten out . I knew right away that this little guy , whom I named Frankenbob , was the one for me . It was like a cheesy western movie at first . Gib stared at Frankenbob and Frankenbob stared back . Then Gib ambled over to Frankenbob slowly - - I held my breath . Instead of biting , pouncing and generally wrestling the smaller ferret into a submissive posture , Gib sniffed him and then laid on top of him . Frank chuckled and the two began to chase eachother around the cage . Later on , when I checked in on them , they were curled up together in one of the hammocks , fast asleep . Gib is almost two years old now and Frankenbob is the established terror of the family . They get along great and I still visit every day . They love to play with the dogs , Rebel and Azzie ( a dog I adopted from SHAS ) . They especially like to play hide - and - seek and sleep - on - the - people - foot . I love both of my fuzzies , but I still miss Rocky . I cling to hope that someone found him and gave him a good home - - it doesn 't matter that he gets home to me as much as it matters that he 's alive and well . Still , it 's hard to cling to that hope when I know there 's a ferret heaven up there , filled with tunnels and carpets he can destroy and earrings to hide and treats to hoarde and no limits on where he can and can 't poop . I have 2 ferrets and I have got them to do some tricks , but one of them is teaching me some tricks now . Well I work nights and I try to sleep in the day time but my female ferret Podoe will not let me sleep sometimes . She will chew on the door to the cage to wake me up . Most of the time she wants to play , but If she runs out of food or water when I am sleeping she will not quit until I wake up and fill the food and water . The worst thing about this is she only wanted to see food and water in the cage , because after it is filled she goes to sleep ! Everette 's Story It all started many months ago . When my girlfriend and I first started going out and I met her ferrets , I was a little shady about them first . She told me that the chubby female bit , and they like to nip feet . So over time she would let them out , I 'd stay out of the room . I got better a custom to them as time went on , and wow I never knew how much of a responsibility they were . I guess that 's why I never got a ferret before . In the beginning of 2003 my girlfriend and I got a place in PA together . I was getting to like the ferrets more and more . And didn 't mind them coming out and running around . Well to everyone 's surprise I actually started cleaning the ferret cage and letting them out when I was home by myself . And the shocking news that I now wanted 1 or 2 more ferrets surprised everyone , even my girlfriend . So a couple weeks ago my girlfriend and I started looking into ferret rescues and at stores who sold them . The reason we were looking into getting another ferret was because I really wanted one that I got to pick out . And because her ferret who bites , used to never bite . The only reason she bites is because her friend Rufie a big fat albino ferret had passed away , and they were best friends . We thought it would be nice to get her a new friend , because the other 2 female ferrets we have , formed a bond together and she felt left out . So we called a couple different rescues . We ended up going to a Ferret rescue in South NJ . As we walked in to see the ferrets for adoption , I fell in Love with a set of 3 . The one was huge , like the size of a small cat . The 2nd one , was a little smaller . And the 3rd one was quite skinny . Apparently he had been neglected by his previous owner . So my girlfriend and I talked it over and we adopted all 3 of them . We brought them home , and set up a cage for them and they started to feel comfortable right away . The smallest one who was neglected is doing well , I spoon feed him 1 to 2 jars of Turkey baby food everyday and give him vitamins everyday . I love all 3 of the new boys very muBrittney 's Story My name is Brittney and I am a first time ferret owner . I 've had my baby for little over two years now but during the past summer we had a very close call at losing my ferret . We now believe that his disease was either ECE or a very dangerous viral infection , he was never officially diagnosed . It was the summer time and I didn 't have classes so I was able to spend a lot of time with Benjamin . I took him outside a lot and allowed him to play in the leaves and to run around . Well he had been having a type of ' florescent green ' stool and I started to be concerned , but I couldn 't afford to take him to the vet just yet . My uncle who was staying with us had terminal pancreatic cancer and he was in his last stage of life . The medical bills look a lot out of my parents so there was nothing I could do but pray and ask my vet ( and former boss ) to help me out free of charge . At first they told me it was just something he ate , so I waited . But one day I came home and Benjamin would not play and he had stopped eating . He soon became very dehydrated and had no energy . He also slept all the time and was very disoriented . He acted like he didn 't know who I was , and it just broke my heart . Well I force feed him soft chicken flavored ferret food every two hours and forced some fluids down and he seemed to perk up . But then all of a sudden it got very worse . His weight dropped to about 1 . 5lbs ( keep in mind my ferret was the runt of the litter , his current now is about 2 . 5 - 3lbs and he is very healthy ! ) and just wouldn 't move and was having labored breathing . I decided to just take my ferret to the vet myself since no one else would . I went to the vets office and told Dr . Pat that if he treated Benjamin I would work off any and all debt . I guess he was touched by my dedication and decided to treat Ben for free . He said it was most likely a viral infection and gave me a bottle of antibiotic medicine . Within a week he was eating on his own and drinking . Within a month he was completely back to his old self . It was a very close call butLori 's Story I have owned a pair of ferrets for almost six months now , and it has been an adventure all the way . I originally started out with three , but one left us to live with a friend of ours . The adventure began when two different pet stores sold me male kits , telling me they were female . When I attempted to address the problem , I was told by one store that it was my problem not theirs . I have had to be very inventive with my boys . Keeping track of the little fuzzies is like finding needles in a hay stack sometimes . Luckily , my guide dog helps me locate them when they run too far astray . You see , my husband and I are blind , but that doesn 't keep us from taking care and loving our animals - God bless the inventor of the bell collar ! Cleaning up accidents can get a bit messy at times , but never have we had any complaints during apartment inspections or by family members who help out with keeping an eye on things ever so often . They both love to give kisses . They even are shoulder trained . I have heard that nobody can train their ferrets to heel ; well , mine do , and we all go visiting together . The labrador guide dog plays chase with them , and she takes the nipping like a good substitute ferret mother . The five month old kitten thinks they are her brothers ; she shares their ferret food on occasion , and always tries tours up in the ferret cage when no one is standing guard . We are a very happy family of six , and are hoping to add a larger cage and a few female ferrets soon . Loving my ferrets truly blindly , Lori On Dec . 3 / 01 we were informed by our vets about a ferret that needed a home ( our vet knew we already had a ferret that was a suckie ) . So we said that we would look at her and go from there . The phone number that we called was not the person who had the ferret , but she gave us the name and number . We made the call and said we would be there that night to look at her , thank god we went when we did . I have never seen something so terrible in all my life . The poor ferret was living in it 's own waste and had no water , the food looked as if it had been thrown in the cage ( cat chow ) . She came walking out from under a blanket that was full of waste , you could smell it from the door . I looked at my husband and asked him if he could go to the car and get our kennel , that she wasn 't staying here . As I opened the cage to get the ferret out the lady that had her ran into the living room , she was so frightened of her . That is how we know the ferret was not watered or fed properly , the women was terrified and couldn 't even go near the ferret . You have to ask yourself , WHY ? The women should have been charged , but I couldn 't leave that poor animal there . When we left with the ferret in our kennel , I started to cry , I could not believe that someone would be so cruel to a small helpless animal . Today she is content , has been to her doctors for a check up and gives kisses when ever she gets a chance . We have named her Honey and she is just getting to know her sister . After four baths she is starting to turn white again , the colour she should have been . We are happy to announce that Honey is part of our family now and will continue to receive the love and care she so much deserves . Sincerely yours , Pam and Ron ( Honey and Fanny 's mom and dad ) Thank you so much Pam and Ron for rescuing poor Honey from that horrible environment - and for giving her a loving home . The following story consists of two e - mails I received from an individual who purchased a ferret from a pet store . She agreed to let me post the e - mails here to help inform people about the risks that may be involved when purchasing a ferret from the pet store . Always make sure your ferret comes with a health certificate and warranty ( I know that may sound cruel , however it is better than taking your new ferret home and having to pay for numerous vet bills ) . Always ask plenty of questions . If the pet store employees can 't answer them , or the ferret seems unhealthy , you may want to consider going somewhere else ( unless you have a big heart like the woman below and are willing to give the ferret the proper medical care - this can be very expensive ) . This is going to sound a little graphic , but I just bought a ferret , and he has a bloody reddish swollen anal area . I asked the pet store about it and they are calling it a hemorrhoid . I don 't believe that is the problem here . I am afraid he is suffering from shock because he has bitten and seems like he is in pain . If you know anyone that can help me , please E - mail ASAP ! : ) ( I responded to her e - mail ) Well , my ferret had to have emergency surgery . He did have a prolapsed rectum , due to parasites and worms . It cost me a fortune . . . but , my lil guy is romping around now . I think he 's gonna make it . : ) Thank you sooo much for your advice and concern . Do you know if they have a law on ferrets , like dogs and cats , where they are supposed to be guaranteed and see a vet . before they are sold ? I plan to take action against that pet store . The answer to her question is that it varies from pet store to pet store . Most pet stores do have a warranty on the pets they sell . Their pets should be in excellent health . There is also usually a warranty from the breeder as well . Be sure to ask for this information before you purchase your ferret ( or any other animal ) . Hi , I am Amanda and Callie ( my ferret ) is helping me write this letter . I had a friend ( Tara ) who wanted a ferret but we live in California and is it a little hard to get one . So I told her I was going to visit my mother in Mt . Shasta which is not far from Oregon . Well , I got up to Medford OR . and found several ferrets , but none fitting Tare 's specifications ( gray , female ) - until I went to the mall and found her . So I bought her and took her back to mother 's house in Mt . Shasta , but I could not stop playing with her - she was too cute and so playful ! So I called my husband and informed him that I had adopted a daughter and that he will love her . So needless to say I had to drive back up to Medford Or . to get Tara a new ferret , but none like Callie . Most were dark brown and male so I bought one and hoped for the best . When I got back home to Santa Rosa my husband loved her at once . She is now part of the family . She takes showers with us , she helps me in the garden , she makes sure I wear socks every day . . . So when Tara came over to my house to get her ferret , all was going well and her children loved it . She was not happy it was a male but it was so cute she could not say no . However , when she was about to leave , my husband walked into the room and asked if she had seen our ferret . She was not happy when she saw that my ferret was gray and a female just like she had wanted . I had to tell her the story I am telling you now . So , all is well and my husband just spoke with Tara last week . Her ferret is healthy and happy . Needless to say our little Callie is happy and healthy as well P . S . I just like to tell everyone who owns a ferret about Marshall 's edible chew toys . They taste like chicken and are digestible . Jodi 's Story We live in a fairly small town . I went down the road to visit a friend of mine one night . While sitting at the dinner table he proceeds to tell me about the ferret he has . I didn 't see a cage so I had no idea that there was one around . My friend has two boys ( 8 & 10 ) the kids started yelling out " Stormy " all of a sudden here comes this creamy beige ferret from under the chair in the living room . I immediately called his name , he immediately climbed up my leg and into my lap . I fell in love . I held him like a baby , rolled him over and held him up in my face to see his feature , rubbed his head and hugged him like a puppy . God was he cute . Well this started my fever , I wanted a ferret . I had so many other animals already ( 2 dogs , 1 cat , 3 horses , and 55 gal fish tank ) and adding one more mouth would drive my husband crazy . But I could not resist . I tried to forget the idea , but the craving would not leave me . So I got on the computer and started researching them . My friends in my past had them and they were nasty , stinky , and just not the animal I would want to own . The odor they had was unbearable . But Stormy changed my mind . I thought that by researching them it would maybe change my mind . NOT ! This only made me want to own one even more . I found out that by feeding them properly and a bath once in awhile would eliminate the odor . Approaching my husband was fairly simple , he said okay , but don 't ask him for any more animals . What more would I want ? I called and shopped and shopped and called . I finally found this little one in a pet shop and she and I hit it off immediately . Jill was my valentine 's present for ' 2000 ( see Ferret Photo Page ! for a picture of Jill ) . One day , Stormy 's dad came down and told me that Stormy had gotten out and he was gone . I was so sad for him . But something told me that he was still around . Every time I went down there I would search . Two weeks went by . I had ordered a cage ( a bigger one ) . UPS was due to show up any time . When I saw the brown truck at the neighbor 's house I started cuttinFerrets who have been mistreated in the past can become wonderful pets when special humans give them attention , love , care , and a place to call home . Thank you for giving a misunderstood ferret a second chance ! Hi , I am writing to you because I recently lost one of my family members . His name was Snowball . I saved him two years ago from a shelter , and just in the nick of time because he was next on the list to be put to sleep . See Snowball was an older albino ferret and was very poorly treated by his previous owner . Nobody wanted him because he had some nasty habits , like biting toes so hard that he drew blood , but I was sure that with a lot of love and other ferrets to play with that his life would be happier ! I took him home and introduced him to my other fuzzies and they all were very happy with there new friend . I broke him of his toe biting habit I never caged any of my fuzzies they are all litter box trained and the other ferrets showed Snowball the rules of the house . At first he would spend a lot of time in the cage until he realized that he didn 't have to . After a couple of weeks he was playing and he would snuggle up with my Sable fuzzie Pumba . He also loved to play with my female albino Nala , but he really didn 't care for my two silvermit fuzzies Tweak and Timon , they are the youngest out of them all and a little to aggressive for Snowballs taste , but sometimes they would all curl up with each other and go to sleep . But sadly , on the first day of winter Dec . 21 , 2000 I came home and found Snowball laying in his favorite bag , he was in very bad shape so I took him to his Vet . and they told me to leave him there so they could try to help him , so I did . An hour later I received a phone call and the Vet gave me the bad news . Snowball was going to die , he was an old ferret and it was his time to go . They put him to sleep so he didn 't have to suffer any longer . He was a great ferret and will be missed . I 'm glad that the last years of his is life were filled with love and happiness , my only regret is that I couldn 't be there to hold him and tell him that I loved him as he was passing away . Thank you for listening ! Mandy 's Story Mandy sent me a few photos of her beautiful ferrets ( ferret photo page ) , along with a story about how she decided to become a ferret owner . Her story reminds us that it is important to do your research before purchasing a ferret and that there are far too many ferrets out there who suffer from abuse . I would like to tell the story of how I became a ferret owner , if you don 't mind that is . Chase and Trouble are my first pair of ferrets . I wanted a pet that 's not really common in my area , so I started to do a lot of looking around on the web to see what kind of pets were available . As I was doing this , I was flipping through the channels on my TV where I stopped on the animal planet channel . They were doing a show about a ferret shelter . I began watching it and by the end of the show I was in tears . Some of the things that those poor innocent ferrets went through was just so sad ! ! There was a male albino named Casper who had been taken away from his " owner " after he was kicked in the head . The result of that kick was Casper losing the sight in his left eye . Then there were two more ferrets , kits I might add , ( I don 't remember their names ) that were taken in after being found in a duffle bag under a park bench . Both of them were treated for dehydration , but they both made a complete recovery . The last couple of ferrets that they showed were Tish and Sparks . They were found in an all metal cage in direct sunlight with no blankets or any other type of cloth on the bottom . Needless to say these poor ferrets ended up with burnt paws . It was very disturbing to see what they little animals went through . After the show was done , I went to find any info on ferrets that I could find . I did tons of research to make sure that I completely understood what I would be getting myself into . I wish every one would do research before bringing a ferret home . It would definitely cut down on the sad stories of the shelter ferrets . After about a month or so of research I started to go into pet stores to see if they had ferrets . That 's whPlease visit the link below to read a story about a ferret in the UK named Boe . He accidentally escaped from his house , was found and picked up by the RSPCA , and was killed before his owner could claim him ( in a matter of hours ) . His owner is horrified and very saddened by the ordeal and decided to start a web site dedicated to Boe . He is sharing his story to inform others of the potential dangers that may await a ferret who wanders away from home . Grizz is a wonderful ferret who recently passed away from an unknown disease or condition ( also see Ferret Memorials ) . At his family 's request , I am posting their story - in hopes that someone can possibly give them some answers as to the cause of his sudden illness and passing . His veterinarians were unable to diagnose his condition . Please e - mail Grizz 's family at mailto : twodragons @ prodigy . net if you can offer any information about the possible cause of his illness . Grizz 's family hopes that their story can and will help others who may face a similar situation . Any input from veterinarians , or veterinary technicians would also be greatly appreciated . The following is an e - mail Grizz 's family sent to me . It is a hard story to read , but perhaps it can help other ferret owners in recognizing and possibly diagnosing this horrible condition . Grizz 's Story August 26 , 2000 Thanks so much for your reply . I apologize for the delay in responding . My little fuzzy has taken a great amount of care and almost daily trips to the vet . Sadly , Grizz left his pain last night . I can 't begin to tell you how much I miss him . I will do my best to answer all your questions . Perhaps this experience will save the life of another beloved ferret . Day 1 . Grizz is normally very playful . This day he played only for a few minutes , then wanted to lie still on the floor or be cuddled . Day 2 . Grizz slept on the bottom of his cage . When I took him out to check on him , he was very lethargic . He would push himself around with his hind legs , but the front legs were limp . He was also panting heavily . Breathing from the stomach like he had the hiccups . I rushed him to an emergency vet . She and her staff seemed to know very little about ferrets . One nurse could not even find his heart beat . I had to show her that it was not located in his upper chest . The vet did X - rays and tested his glucose level . X - rays showed no injury , no blockage , but some shadows over the lungs . His glucose level was fine . The Drs . diagnosis was pneumonia . I was sent home with antibiotics . Grizz was hydrated with fluids injected under the skin . Day 3 . By morning , Grizz had no movement in front or back legs . He was very weak . He refused water , and chewing ferret food was exhausting him . We started feeding him " duck soup " . This is a recipe for sick ferrets posted on FerretCentral . com . It is a mixture of ensure , Pedialyte , dry food , and Gerber bananas . He ate with gusto . We spoon fed him every 3 to 4 hours . He remained calm if we kept him near and his breathing was less labored . Day 4 thru 8 . We gave Grizz his medicine as directed . Slight movement came back to his hind quarters , but only during a bath . He was incontinent of urine and stool . We kept him clean and dry . I was concerned he would get a urinary infection . By this time my husband had pointed out that Grizz had an odd little blister on one of his toes . ( Left hind foot ) . I didn 't give itFerret ownership has been one of the most rewarding events in my life so far . I purchased my first ferret , Baby about twelve years ago . Believe it or not , the pet store employees actually gave me misinformation about ferret care . They told me to treat her as I would a hamster or a gerbil . They said I should keep her in an aquarium lined with cedar chips and handle her from time to time . They told me ferrets could bite , so I should wear gloves when handling her . I ended up purchasing a rabbit hutch instead of an aquarium for her and purchased regular dust free cat litter instead of cedar chips ( lucky for me ) . I also got some ferret food and an outdated book on ferret care ( the book suggested feeding ferrets raw hamburger mixed with evaporated milk , as well as feeding them fresh road kill as a treat - - luckily I disregarded this information ! ) . After I got Baby home I knew I couldn 't keep her locked up in a cage all the time . She was so full of energy ! I would let her run around my room for hours at a time . I remember thinking that she was attacking me every time she lunged or jumped towards me . Once , she chased my brother and I around the apartment ! We thought she had gone crazy and was trying to hurt us ! Eventually , I realized she was just playing and we became fast friends . She was always outsmarting me by hiding my things and crawling into places she shouldn 't go . I had to be creative in order to keep her safe . I ended up purchasing a second ferret , a male named Skipper , a few months later and the three of us had a blast . However , I cringe when I think about the things I let them do . For instance , I used to let them play in those Styrofoam packing peanuts ( a big no , no ) . I now know that ferrets like to eat Styrofoam and they can get serious blockages as a result . Ten years ago , no one warned me about it . Baby ingested some of the Styrofoam , but luckily she passed it . I never let them do that again ! Things started getting bad when Skipper began loosing his fur at about three years of age . I took him to one of the only vets in my area who treated ferrets and he diagnosed him with a skin allergy . He was given a shot of cortisone and we went home . Well , the condition didn 't get any better . The vet finally diagnosed him with Cushing 's , a condition common in dogs and cats . He medicated Skipper with pills designed for dogs . He did not get any better . There was little information available about ferret diseases at that time , so I trusted the advice of my vet . Eventually , Skipper lost most of his fur . He was still fairly healthy , however he had become more aggressive towards Baby and very irritable . I went to another animal hospital for a second opinion , and the vet agreed with the first vet I saw . One morning I got up and found Skipper lying in his cage . He had hind leg weakness and seemed disoriented . I rushed him to the animal hospital and my vet told me that he felt Skipper had a neurological disorder ( due to the hind leg weakness ) , probably caused by a brain tumor . He couldn 't do an exploratory surgery at his facility and told me the only place I could go was a Medical School located four hours away . Since the facility was so far away and Skipper was so critically ill , he said that the most humane thing I could do was put him to sleep . By that time , Skipper had been sick for about a year and a half and had under gone several different treatments for his hair loss . I didn 't want him to suffer anymore , so I allowed them to put Skipper to sleep . I didn 't know any better . I thought I did what I could for him . I broke down and sobbed in the vet 's office . Skipper had been my buddy for five years . My vet didn 't charge me for the procedure . A few weeks later , Baby began to loose the hair around her tail . I took her to the same vet for help and he got angry with me . He admitted that he didn 't know that much about ferrets and he refused to treat Baby . He again suggested that I travel to a different city to find treatment for her . I was shocked . I left his office feeling very sad and confused . Did I make the right decision to put Skipper to sleep ? Had this vet really known what was wrong with him ? I got on the phone and began the dismal task of trying to find someone to treat Baby . Finally , I struck gold . A new vet had just started working at one of the animal hospitals in my area and he had extensive experience with ferrets . He took one look at Baby and told me she had an adrenal tumor and needed a fairly simple operation . I told him about Skipper , and he told me that Skipper had probably suffered from the same thing . The weakness in his hind legs could have been due to the adrenal disease or an insulinoma , and probably not a neurological problem . I was devastated and racked with guilt . If my former vet would have just told me he didn 't know anything about ferrets , I would have looked harder for someone who did . Skipper could have possibly been saved . Baby recovered completely from her illness and we adopted a two year old ferret , Luna into our lives . Baby passed away at the ripe old age of eight . Then , about six months ago , at the age of four , Luna got ECE , and it was also discovered that she had the beginning stages of adrenal disease ( she had no symptoms at that time ) and low blood sugar . My husband and I had moved to a different city , and were lucky enough to find an excellent veterinarian who could help . For months I got no sleep , waking up every three hours or so to hand feed Luna through the night . Surgery removed an adrenal gland and an insulinoma , but the virus had damaged her intestines . However , proper medical care , persistence and lots of love got her through it . I am happy to say that she is better than ever , eating solid food and playing . She now has a new friend , Scooter , and they get into lots of trouble together ! There isn 't a day that goes by that I don 't think about Skipper . I really feel like I let him down . I know that I did what I thought was right , however I should have done more research before putting him down . I hope my story can help someone else who has had problems finding proper medical care for their ferret . Always get a second opinion if you feel your veterinarian isn 't sure about the diagnosis . Before you choose a vet , find out how many ferrets they have treated . Now , there are numerous books and web sites about ferret medical conditions . Take advantage of all the information that is available , and do your research . Your ferret 's life could depend on it .