Jebabba Remembered
When we first met Jebabba, he was probably about 4 to 6 months old. A friend's ex-girlfriend's neightbor found him in the woods in October in Northeastern PA. They were keeping him in a tiny hamster cage with shredded newspaper for bedding and pieces of bread for food. The ex-girlfriend convinced them to give Jebabba to us, and we went over to meet him. He was a tiny thing, an adorable dark brown sable, and I fell in love right away.
We took him home and introduced him to our group. He was accepted fairly quickly, and he latched on to Cheeba first, then Mojo, then Sohpie. He was very playful, and loved to run and jump all the time. He was a whiz at going through the tubes, and he was incredibly fast and agile. I can't remember how many times I would watch him take off across the room like a shot. He loved to dig too, and he was always digging in the dig box, at the carpet, and anything else that entertained him.
Jebabba was kind of a scaredy-ferret. He didn't like change very much, and loud noises scared the heck out of him. Like Rascal, Jebabba absolutely hated the vaccum, so after every time I used it, I would have to go searching for him. He was usually at the highest point in the cage, and I would pull him out and cuddle him against me, soothing him and giving him treats.
He loved going outside, and he was definitely one of those ferrets who had to be on a leash. There were times that, even with the leash, I would have to dive to catch him before he escaped. But he loved rooting in the dirt and war dancing across the grass, so the grass stains and grass I ate was worth it!
As he grew older, he became very sweet. Whenever I would spend time with them in the ferret room, he would lay flat next to me and wait for me to pet him. He liked to give kisses, but only on my arms. He rarely kissed my face. He loved to have his belly tickled, and he would roll around and dook when I did it. Jebabba was definitely a very vocal little guy, and I could always tell when he was in a playful mood by all the noise he made.
Jebabba loved chicken baby food. When Cheeba first started having problems with ulcers, I had to make sure to feed him when Jebabba was asleep, or he would try to eat all of Cheeba's food. Sometimes he would smell it, wake up, and come running out of whatever hidey hole he was sleeping in in search of it.
As he grew older and the other ferrets started to pass away, Jebabba and Bonk grew very close. By the time Cheeba passed away, Jebabba and Bonk were inseparable, and they went everywhere together. After Bonk died, Jebabba seemed to slow down, but there didn't seem to be anything specifically wrong with him. Then, in July of 2007, we did an intestinal biopsy and found out that he had IBD. He had had digestive issues in the past, but his response to medicine seemed to indicate that it was ulcer related. We got him on an IBD diet and he perked up right away.
At the beginning of August, we brought home some new friends for him because it was obvious that he needed some fuzzy companionship. (He was always a ferret's ferret, and human companionship just couldn't compare.) He had a great time running around with them and curling up together for long naps. They couldn't replace Bonk, but he definitely acted less lonely. He stopped looking for his lost friends and enjoyed his new friends.
But Jebabba's time with us was short. On Thursday, September 20, we helped him over the Rainbow Bridge. An autopsy revealed hepatic lipidosis had destroyed his liver. Even with treatment, it would only have prolonged his condition rather than cured it.
I miss him so much, but I would like to think that he thoroughly enjoyed his last couple months here with his new friends. Though I have lost him, I gained four new fuzzy friends who will help me honor and cherish his memory and the memories of all of my lost fuzzies who are gone but will never be forgotten.
Jebabba, I will always remember you, and I'm so thankful that I got the chance to be your mom. You were a very special little ferret.
Baby Jebabba
Gimme some Cheetos!! (don't worry, he didn't get any!)
Playing with his buddy Mojo
Chowing down on an N-bone
Chilling with the Bonkman in mom's lap - March 2007
Snuggling with his new buddies the night we brought them home - Jebabba is top left
Content on Mom's shoulder
Resting during his last few days with us
Jebabba and Mr. Big just a couple days before Jebabba's death
Are you coming, Mom?
Someday, my little angel. Shine on.
posted by Ms. Ferret @ 12:45 PM
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4 Comments:
What a wonderful remembrance of a special little fellow who shared your life.
It's the worst thing to lose a ferret. I've had cats and dogs pass on and have missed them desperately but somehow whenever one of my ferrets died (and there have been many over the years), I felt the loss as deeply as if it were a much loved relative.
One thing a friend did for me all those years ago was give me a flowering plant every time I lost a ferret. It was so kind of her, because every time I saw a flower on a plant for whichever ferret, I felt like they were saying hi to me and it was very comforting.
I also gave her plants as her ferrets passed on and, after 12 years, you can imagine how full our gardens are! There's no chance of me ever moving to another house :-)
Perhaps you too would find comfort in getting a flowering plant for each one of your little ones who are waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge?
Kristen,
I came upon your blog while searching for ferret information. I'm sorry for your loss.
My boyfriend and I adopted two ferrets over the weekend (Ares & Athena). We've never had ferrets before, but have been researching them over the past two years (so we would be as prepared as we could be). We're amazed at how we love them so much already.
We also have two cats and I consider myself more of a cat person, but ferrets won my heart over too. Unfortunately, we lost four of our cats to various illnesses over the past year, which was extremely heartbreaking. Aladdin, who I adopted when he was just 8 weeks old, died at 12 of complications with diabetes. It was his passing that broke my heart the most.
I really appreciate your blog; it's honest, helpful and realistic. As a new ferret mom, I plan to read back through your posts to learn even more.
Daphne in Maine
(it's signed ice-dance.com because I run an ice dance promotion website)
This is months after the fact but I am so sorry to hear about Jebabba. My Chloe is about five now and I dread the day when she develops an illness or disease. I know sable ferrets tend to look alike (though not to their owners, of course), but Jebabba really does look like Chloe. I have started finally to post observations and anecdotes about Chloe on a section of my nutrition site if you'd like to read them: Chloe Ferret
I love your blog and all of the adorable pictures! I have two ferrets of my own, named Skittles and Ferret! We could not think of a name to suit her personality. They love this one toy, it is a fishing pole, that has a fish at the end. Skittles is addicted to chocolate and any other people food, she can smell it from a mile away and will do anything to get it. Ferret is calm and laid back, not much can scare her or amaze her. She likes to sit back and watch her parents get ready for work and school. She reminds me of a lazy cat, high on cat-nip haha!
I really enjoyed your blog, I fear the day my little ones leave me. They are my children and I would be lost without them!
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