Ms. Ferret - A Ferret Blog: Meet the Ferrets

My first blog...you know, I never thought I would be a person who had a blog. But I think ferrets are so great they should be shared with everyone! Pictures, stories, sharing what I know with others - that's one of the most important parts of being a ferret owner to me. Ferrets really get a bad rap from a lot of people, so the more of us out there forcing incredibly adorable pictures of furkids on people, the better!!

This is just a quick introduction to the fuzzies that have made such a difference in my life.

This is Smoke, and the resident grandpa. He's about 7, and he was our first rescue. He was living in deplorable conditions at a pet store, and found his way into our home and our hearts about 6 1/2 years ago. He was a horrific biter at first, and his favorite toy was white socks - with or without a foot in them! Over the years he's turned into the biggest sweetheart, and we were very worried about him when we lost his cagemate earlier this year. Rascal was 2 years older than Smoke and the only ferret that Smoke would ever tolerate. But he seemed to deal with Rascal's passing well enough, and we moved him downstairs to live with us. He's our only free roam ferret.

This is Cheeba - he was "my" first ferret (our first two were my fiance's), and he's a total spoiled brat. I went to Petco the summer after I graduated to find a part time job, and walked out with a ferret instead. I used to take him to work with me for the first 8 months after I got him, so he was used to lots of alone time with mom. He's a tough little guy, and can never be accused of not having a mind of his own! He's about 4 1/2 now, and aside from a scary ulcer episode earlier this year is going strong!

This is Mojo, our second rescue. He was adopted from Oxford Ferret Rescue when we lived down in Delaware as a cagemate for Cheeba, and the two ferrets bonded in about 2 hours! He's about 4, and he's currently suffering from adrenal disease with prostate problems. He's not a surgical candidate because of a heart murmur, so he's getting monthly Lupron shots. He's doing quite well, and he's regained all the hair that he lost! His favorite things to do are pig out on duck soup and get scritches on the back of his neck.

This is Sophie, our third rescue. She belonged to the son of a friend of a friend, if that makes any sense. She was living in a tiny cage with no litterbox or even newspaper. She got no human contact, and no time out. The first time we let her out at our house, she was so excited to have space to run around in that it took us 30 minutes just to round her up to put her away. She's our only female, and the queen of the roost. She was diagnosed in early October with Insulinoma, and she's doing quite well on twice daily feedings of duck soup and doses of prednisone. We're not sure how old she is, but probably around the same age as Mojo or a little younger. She's a total daddy's girl.

This is Jebbabba, our fourth rescue. Our friend found him running around the woods in Northeast PA in October. He probably hadn't been outside long, given how healthy he still looked. We're not sure how old he is, but we estimate him at around 2 1/2 or 3. He's a little lover, and a big kisser! Whenever I'm hanging out in the ferret room with him, he loves to curl up next to me in a sleep sack or blanket and snuggle. He's a big jumper, and when he gets worked up, he dances and dooks around like no ferret I've ever met before!

This is Bonk, our baby. He's 2 years old, but I still think of him as a little kit. He's deaf, though recently we've started to think that maybe he can hear very high pitched noises, which might be why he loves jingle bell toys so much. (He stashes them in various places around the room, and then jumps around and dooks at me when I throw them all out again.) He isn't a big cuddler, but he loves to sit on my shoulders while I walk around the upstairs in the morning.

So there you have it - my fuzzies. The 5 younger ones live in the ferret room next to our bedroom. I spend about a minimum of 3 hours a day up there with them, and the only times they're in their cage is when I'm cleaning. They have brought so much to my life that I didn't even know I was missing.

This blog is dedicated to my ferrets, and to one in particular - Rascal, our wise old man we lost in April. He was the first ferret I ever hung out with, and the reason I wanted ferrets of my own in the first place. He battled lymphoma for a year before giving up, and by the time he left us, he was totally blind as well. He was smart and beautiful, even in his last days. Dance and dook on Rascal, this blog is in your memory.