Bonk needs a vet visit
Bonk seems to have a skin rash of some kind - I noticed him scratching a couple weeks ago, and all of a sudden he has a bald patch and a red irritated area under it. His tail is balding too, and there are red and brown dots on it. I'm going to get him to the vet next week and see what she has to say about it. None of the other ferrets are having any problems (their coats and skin are doing beautifully). Bonk's hair is very soft, so I know it's not an issue of malnutrition. I just hope it's something simple like an infection or dry skin, and not a sign of a more serious illness.
On the upside, he's turning into a little duck soup pig, gobbling down his 20 cc's. (Would that make him a duck soup turkey?) All of them are getting nice and plump with beautiful sleek fur for the winter. I love their winter coats!
Cheeba seems to be acting more social all of a sudden. I think he was mad about something, but it's so hard to tell with him, spoiled little thing that he is! I've seen him sleeping with the other ferrets that past week or so. It's nice to see him getting cozy with them again.
Anyone in PA should head to York this weekend! The AFA Winter Nationals are on Saturday, Dec 3, and it looks like it's going to be a great show! Apparently they have about 25 vendors, and Patty Ferret has gotten together a huge raffle. If you want more information, go to http://ferret.org/.
Today's ferret tip is about working with abused ferrets. Abused ferrets have different needs than other ferrets, and not just when it comes to love. A lot of them need to be helped through their issues stemming from traumatic events, horrible treatment, and other things I (and other ferret lovers) hate to think about. Many of them are fear biters. Before you can train them to stop biting, you will have to figure out what past event or treatment is causing the fear. The usual methods (scruffing, dragging, etc) might not work. The most important thing to do is to stay calm - keep your voice low and soothing, and remember that the fuzzy's behavior isn't its fault. Figure out what its fears and issues are, and work around them. Praise the ferret when it does good rather than punish it when its bad. The first time the ferret lets you hold it or takes a treat from your hand will make all the effort worthwhile, and you could very well end up with a ferret that is completely devoted and attached to you.
posted by Ms. Ferret @ 6:44 PM
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2 Comments:
Hello I was just wondering how big your dig box is what you use in it?
and is this something you leave in the cage or only outside of the cage for play time
Thanks
Maria
Hi Maria,
I have a bunch of different dig boxes now actually. They're various cardboard boxes ranging in size from the size of a VCR box to the size of a medium sized tv box. I use biodegradable starch peanuts in them. They're for outside the cage only, and I only have one in the room at a time. I usually put one in the room for a couple days, then take it out so they "forget" about it. Then they're that much more interested in it when I put it in again. Just be sure to watch them the first couple times they use it to make sure they're not just sitting in the box eating the peanuts! It's not going to hurt them if they do, other than give them some loose stools, but if they're not going to play in it, there's no point in having one.
Quick note - never use regular styrofoam peanuts, as those can cause blockages if your ferrets eat them. The biodegradable starch peanuts are the ones that break down (melt, basically) when they get wet.
Hope this helps!
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