Ferret Aid Society Volunteers

VERY late Friday report

2010-01-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hi all, so sorry this is so late. I’ve been in bed for the last 2 ½ days with my lovely friend Fibromyalgia!

Thursday, New Year;s eve was terrific. I had Bonnie, Nigel, Sue and her hubby James, Debbie and her hubby Eric my friends Ang and Johnny over for dinner. We all thought it was REALLY funny that I was cooking for our regular Friday volunteer who wasn’t coming in the next day because she would be hung-over J We all had a nice time together and it really reminded me that we, as a group have to keep up with the social ‘fun’ stuff. So Deb Cole and I will be chatting in the next couple weeks to figure out our next fun day.

So Friday, I couldn’t get out of bed. I was just beat from cooking and cleaning for the 10 guests we had for dinner. The fibro pain was horrific! Mirek started the first runs at about 4pm and after quite a few heavy pain killers I joined him at about 6ish. The first group was Marla, Jasper and Storm. Someone in Jasper/Storm’s cage had red poop. It looked like they had eaten red blanket but there was no red blanket in the cage. All else was good and they had about 3 hours out-of cage time.

Baby and Ross were group #2. It was a nice surprise to see their cage (Baby/Cutie) pretty clean! I guess we now know it’s Bob who is the slob? Ross and Baby were out for about 2 hours and I found them cuddled up together in one of those lovely doughnuts on the floor.

Baby stayed out and I let Cutie be with him for group #3. Baby mostly slept but Cutie was his good ‘ol self.

Group #4 was the big group of 7. They were out for about 2 ½ hours and still going strong!! Poops were good, a little soft all around. My apologies to Katie, I cleaned as many cages as I could but can’t bend to clean the lower cages so I didn’t.

Mirek once again helped me clean the rooms after play-time and was still so shocked that ferrets manage to get poop UNDER the litter boxes. The floor was lightly mopped as I was still in a lot of pain and Mirek was super tired from a long day of playing ‘ferret dad’.

Hope everyone had a super holiday season and a very happy New Year!

Love Randy

Re: [ferretvolunteers] Monday .. + test litter pan for Baby

2009-09-15T10:51:00.001-07:00

Just to add to Sue's report ...

While at home, I guesstimated and cut open a plastic container to use as a corner litter pan for Baby since he likes to dump in the bottom left corner of the cage. Well, I guessed the size wrong, so it's a little small, but I put newspaper on the bottom and "showed" it to Baby, who did do a trial back-up into into ... while I held my breath and hoped he'd do his business too -- LOL -- but he didn't. Later cutie checked it out and tried to move the newspaper and container. I forgot to insert a whole into the container, to clip to the cage.

I left a few folded pieces of newspaper on top of the cage. I'll get around to making a hole in the container and drop more newspaper off at the shelter. Since Baby normally backs up into that corner, I'm hoping the container will work. If yes, then I'll make a better sized container.

Failing that, Sue suggested using incontinence pads, attached to the sides and bottom of the cage.

Hopefully we'll be able to solve the messy cage problem. That will just leave the messes that Baby makes while free roaming.

...Nancy

Monday ..

2009-09-15T10:27:00.001-07:00

As I'm now sharing my shift with Nancy it's become much easier on me .. and the ferrets get more attention as I was finding on my own all I seemed to do was clean !! okay, I admit I've slowed down a lot !!

Pleased to see most of the poops were pretty good, not one really yuckky one .. still a few quite soft .. but much better than last week. Hugo went for a stroll while Trixie and Bilko got rid of their excess energy and the group was fine together when we came back.

Jasper put Marla down and told her to lay off .. she's funny, after that I could hear someone chuckling around and couldn't find out who it was .. it was Marla going from cage to cage trying to get a reaction !! Little devil .. she's a ****-disturber !!

All it all, everyone seemed alert and perky .. Tessa wasn't anywhere near sleepy after her group had been out for two hours and she came out again later while I was cleaning the room and could keep an eye on her, we spent lots of time at the gate as she jumped up and over .. and I think we finally tired her out !!

Bob Baby and Cutie actually got even longer out than was marked on the sheet, Nancy went to town on the cage so they were out until we left about 8:30 .. they were all sleeping by that time .. but we had loads and loads of loving with them.

Everyone adored their N bones .. and I really enjoyed watching them with them .. some shared, one on each end .. a kodak moment but my camera is still on the fritz

Nancy also sorted and labelled the containers in the back cupboard and on the stairs ..

The wet blanket from the stoller (used at the show) is hanging near the sink, think it was just water but didn't sniff it) .. and there was other stinky wet bedding hung in the front room.

Cheers all, Sue (and Nancy)

Cinnamon & Sugar

2009-07-17T15:05:00.001-07:00

Dr. Lane saw Cinnamon this morning. As per Randy's instructions, he was given a Lupron shot.
Blood was extracted for testing. Other than being very scrawny and thin, there did not seem
to be an immediate cause for concern. We will know more when the blood test results are back.
To reduce the volunteer shift workload, I have taken both Sugar and Cinnamon home.
I am hoping to fatten up Cinnamon with a/d.
Neither Ginger nor Felix flinched at the sight of 2 new furry faces sniffing and exploring their territory.
These 2 weren't bothered by seeing the cats either. Poor Floyd. He is nervous of his own shadow.
When Sugar got within 2 feet of him, he shreiked in terror and galloped up the stairs to find a hiding place.
I found him hiding in the bottom dresser drawer.
The new kids are safely locked up in Floyd's cage while he has full run of the house. I need to assess whether
further ferret proofing is required. None of my threesome are chewers so I may have to thin out the toy supply for the new kids.
Have a super weekend, everyone.
Noreen

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Owen

2009-04-22T08:50:00.001-07:00

Owen went to the vet last night. It looks like he has an enlarged left adrenal (surprise, surprise) maybe that's why he has no fur from the waist down ....

Also his blood sugar was low 2.8 so he's on Pred, but thankfully it's to be given in tone. He even fought me over that, I had to force some in his mouth .. he really doesn't like me much, nasty woman, forcing nasty stuff in his mouth. He doesn't come out of the cage unless I physically take him out. I gate him in the bedroom so he has a safe place out of the cage.

I'm hoping after his Lupron shot last night, and with the pred he'll perk up. He's drinking, eating some dry 8in1, I'm still trying to get him to eat soft.

Sue

Monday ..

2009-04-13T17:23:00.001-07:00

Well I will try and remember some details from what was mostly swarming dooking furries and poop .. lots and lots of poop ... the time flew by, I didn't really even get to sort out all their names, let alone personalities, but one thing for certain, the new group Bob, Valentino, Cutie? and Baby are SLOBS, utter SLOBS. There were poops on both levels of both cages. Randy put Baby on his own on the bottom. I pretty well had to take everything apart to clean. I added an extra litter pan to each cage .. it really does take up too much room, but I had to do something !!! I didn't change their blankets, but when I was refolding and putting them back I realized they probably could use a change shortly, I think these were just put in, I remember just reading a post about how bad their cage was .. no change today. But they certainly kept themselves amused and didn't appear to notice that I didn't have much time to spend with them, except for I belive Cutie who tried to climb up inside my jeans a couple of times. We played a little, they went nuts !!

Cash Loot and Jinx were out in the back room, while the foursome were in the front. Later I moved the foursome to the back, took Cash Loot and Jinx out for a stroller ride, and let the huge group out in the back room. When I got back in the two first groups went back to their cages and the large group had both rooms to romp in while I tried to finish up the cages. Haven't cleaned this many cages for a long time .. have to admit towards the end I was flagging badly .. my apologies to tomorrow's volunteer about the dried poop near the wooden gate, my scraper has disappeared and I couldn't get the ruddy thing up or find anything to scrape it with. Sorry it's still there ..

I did manage to refill the litter bin, but the food bin is very low and I couldn't find any more food. Hopefully tomorrow's volunteer is OK to bring some ???? not sure who that is ..

Also Baby needs to go to the vet .. can anyone take him in ???

Don't know where the time went, flew by - cheers all, Sue

Cover Needed - April 12 & 26

2009-04-01T08:29:00.001-07:00

The mystery has been solved .. Bonnie remembered an email asking for cover March 31st, April 12 and April 26.

I remember this now too because they are all very bad dates for me, once I looked at my calendar I remembered the email too, I must have deleted it. The 26th is bad for a few volunteers because we are doing the Open House at Toronto Animal Services on the 25th, hopefully someone who is not helping out on the 25th can take the 26th, as it's a lot to expect of someone to give up their entire weekend.

Also this raises the issue of co-ordination .. we can't expect Randy to 'manage' this .. but it's easy for dates to fall through the cracks .. at one time we had an online calendar, maybe we need something like this again .. so we can manage coverage as a group .. comments ?? suggestions ?? I have to admit I don't even know if I have sign on to the yahoo group, maybe the calendar is still there ??

Sue

Saturday

2009-03-28T22:29:00.001-07:00

Today's Mission: Free the Stroller and get everyone out to enjoy the beautiful weather .. Mission Accomplished !!!

Group One .. the Boys go to Timmy's

There was a long line up at Timmy's so I parked the stroller where I could watch it from the line and watched Jinx go into action .. he really loves people, he was so alert and aware if anyone came near he'd come to the front and give them his begging for treats/love look .. he really had one lady enamoured. Jinx also got out on the leash for a bit at the park, but he found that pretty overwhelming at first, he liked being in my coat though and got down a few times for a sniff round. Cash and Loot really enjoyed being in the stroller and seeing the sights.

Group Two .. the Girs go out ..

Just to the park, where both had a short turn with the leash. Both were nervous, Izzie more so than I thought she would be, sorry now I've fogotten the new girl's name .. Tizzy, no, darn can't remember, ... Trixie !! anyway she was less nervous than I thought she would be (being a newcomer) and she had quite a good sniff round the park.

When I was out I left the group inside in the front room (as opposed to the garage room), so when I came back with the girls I let them out in the garage room and went to check on the boys and start the cages. I forgot to put the mat under the gate and Izzy escaped, but I heard the scratching so she didn't get far ... Izzy the breakout artist, doesn't miss an opportunity ... so I brought her in the front room while I cleaned the cages and let Trixie have the garage room to herself, which she loved, the two girls both love to stash toys, I don't know how much they actually interact with each other but they certainly kept themselves busy rearranging the toys whenever they could.

Perfect timing today, we really hit the warmest part of the day .. it was great.

Cheers all, Sue

Monday ..

2009-03-16T21:25:00.001-07:00

It was a very pleasant day at the shelter today, just the foursome, all were in fairly good spirits but relatively quiet. Cash and Loot weren't too playful, but ate loads of treats, all four enjoyed lots of soft-moist and teeth crunchers .. nice to see even Loot enjoying treats. Miss Izzie was busy .. she had to keep putting toys in their proper places, especially when I kept moving them to places she felt just weren't correct. Jinx was a total snuggle bug, following me around, begging for more treats, more hugs, more attention. After everyone had been out for nearly three hours Jinx was still pretty perky - Cash and Loot were ready for bed, (they tended to wander off into the shredded paper when I wasn't paying attention to them) so I put them to bed, and Izzie, and took Jinx for a walk. We didn't go very far, he really enjoyed being held inside my coat - with this head sticking out .. he loved it when the wind blew in his face when he was like that. He got fairly relaxed and did get some good snuffling about the grassy area, but he was more drawn to the garbage bins in the alleyway !! He was out for a little over half an hour and I hope he went to sleep dreaming of his big adventure.

There was a nasty, very liquid, very light coloured, poop on the floor, and Cash & Loot's litter box contained lots of loose, light poops. Izzie & Jinx's litters looked fine.

Also, the wooden gate did not seem to click shut today, I gave them both rooms from the start so only noticed it when I went for a smoke I closed both gates, Jinx can get the barrier to move and he's quite determined when he gets bored to get up the stairs. When I came back the wooden gate was open and Jinx was furiously trying to escape !!

Monday .. and MUGS

2009-02-17T09:20:00.001-08:00

Great time with the kids yesterday, picnic'ed with Cash Loot and Izzie .. although Izzie wouldn't have much to do with the AD, but Cash and Loot ate well. It looked as if Izzie had eaten quite well, her dry food bowl was quite low. Loot and Izzie got along very well. When she approached him, he rolled over on his back and she sniffed his tummy. She's quite the little sniffer, exploring every inch of each room. She got under the gate from the back room, she also mysteriously appeared in the ferret room with the boys (I let them out first and then was working with Randy). Luckily Jinx had just realized she was there and they we just getting ready to go at each other. I just put her in the front room and switched the boys around (except for Jinx). Loot and Izzie played lots in the tubes.

I've left six 'ferret lover' mugs, tiny, but good for ferret brushes & clippers, or pens .. they were donated to the shelter by my daughter, they are custom made, and can be had for a donation of $10. I should have put an envlelope under them to collect the money, if you don't have an envelope put it in a mug for now.

Cheers all, Sue

The Wednesday report

2009-02-12T19:52:00.001-08:00

OK- so it would have been another ho-hum nite at the shelter if it hadn't been for the new addition, little Izzy (Izzie). She was given the nod and sniff of approval by 2 out of the 3 resident boys. No need to mention names.
Altho' I hear that Izzie did not enjoy her ride in from Hamilton, she wasted no time getting out of the carrier.
She quickly explored the main ferret room with Loot or Cash in tow. I figure that Loot is the more yellowish of the pair. Lots of talking and tubing. An absolute gentle bouncy ball of fur. She is just what sleepybones Loot and Cash needed to get themselves moving and exploring again.
Everyone was out for close to 3 hours. This allowed Loot and Cash ample time for a snooze or two. Jinx enjoyed a lot of cuddle time in my arms away from Izzie. While I held Izzie, Jinx ran around the room in a frenzy hunting for her. This was promptly followed by a timeout for him in the isolation room.
What did these guys do without that tent??? It sure is the major attraction and a super place to cuddle up in a ferret bed for a few zzzz's.
It was a great evening for all. The boys ate an entire can of warm a/d. The new gal wasn't interested in a/d or ferretone. As a matter of fact, she did not eat a thing. She checked out everything in her cage before settling down quietly under her blankets.
Noreen

How fun is this? IMing with Windows Live Messenger just got better.

Monday ...

2009-01-05T17:01:00.001-08:00

and all was good at the shelter. The girls were playful and sweet, Cash and Loot took turns being playful and snoozing, Jinx wasn't particularly playful but he was very snuggly and checked out some new treats from the gift bag while we were putting them on the shelf in the closet. I could not get over the change in his size !! he's a total dumpling, no problems with eating for him. On the other end of the scale I kept confusing Cash and Loot since Loot has gotten so skinny .. I did manage to coax him to eat a little bit of AD mixed with some babyfood. Cash ate most of his portion and I left the rest in his cage. Jinx said he'd be happy to finish off any leftovers and he did manage to get a few mouthfuls in, and he quite liked the 'dookers' treats.

Love those amazing black soft blankets, assume they were a christmas gift .. they are fabulous.

Happy New Year to all and best wishes for 2009 ... may all your fuzzies stay healthy all year !! cheers, Sue

Monday

2008-12-22T17:25:00.001-08:00

Sorry I forgot to write in the book !!

All poops were loose, but all in the litter boxes as far as I found.

The groups were separated girls and boys and everyone had a chance to play in both rooms. Jinx is funny, when he was in the back room he seemed to just want to watch at the gate for my return, but when he was in the room where I was he wasn't all that interested, he just seems to like to have a human around. But he was a real snuggle-bunny, I got loads of snuggles and ear-snuffles from him .. he will make someone a fine lap ferret one day I hope. Jinx was more than eager to help Cash eat his AD, I let him have a bit but then took Cash off on his own to eat. He ate almost all that was remaining in the can, about 1/2. The small leftover I left in his cage.

Another sorry, I left the yesterday's food bowl from Cash soaking in the sink.

I left my boots at the back door on a towel, inside the back room. Freddy really enjoyed crawling inside and resting there. The girls loved the Bandits. Note to anyone who might be thinking of taking Freddy .. she really likes Bandits !(and boots) !! She has filled out wonderfully, beautiful tail,great silky fur and quite the pear-shape taking hold.

I brought in one of my scrapers, as whenever I have to clean up any dried poop I'm at a loss without one. It got most of the mess up from under the girls cage.I've left it on the side of the sink with the cleaners, etc.

Everyone was quite active for their two hours .. cheers all, Sue

Monday

2008-12-08T17:33:00.001-08:00

It was a fairly quiet afternoon, no one was crazy playful but the big group were active and causing trouble for their whole time out. I had hoped to put the large group in the back room so that I could spend more time with the boys while I was cleaning cages. But after either Sadie or Sarah oozed under the gate twice I put the large group in the front room. Next time I'll try stuffing a towel in the hole (thanks Deb M!!).

Fredrica is absolutely gorgeous, she's soft as silk and has a very impressive tail. She doesn't seem to be having any problems in the group, they mostly ran in a pack, as soon as I put a waterbowl down on the floor when cleaning out a cage, everyone came over to drink out of it, and then the group would investigate all the blankies that came out of the cage. As soon as I was done, at least one of them had to try and climb in to inspect. And they were determined to mess up any clean spots I made. Total sweethearts, the whole bunch. Either Sarah or Sadie put herself to bed, in her own cage, very cute, probably about half an hour before the rest went back in.

Jinx was the most active of the small group. Cash and Loot were to be found snoring every time I came into the the room, but they'd wake up and have a treat and a bit of interaction while I was in with them. Cash had finished the AD in his bowl, he ate about 1/4 can (mixed with some hot water), he really wanted it off the spoon (I think ferrets recognize that I'm a sucker for spoon feeding), I had put out 1/2 can but he only ate 1/2 so I put the other 1/2 in his cage and the rest of the can in Randy's fridge. Jinx certainly feels like a good hefty man, but Cash and Loot are skinny, there were only three or four tiny poops in Cash's cage.

Sundance was the only one who I found had not been using his litter. Luckily he used the small cloth on his food level so it was an easy clean.

Cheers all, Sue

FerretAid Sale item

2008-12-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

This is your chance to own one of the best samll animal brushes on the market. The bristles are soft and will not scratch tender ferret skin. This can also be used for anywhere you need a small brush. they are selling at the incredibly low price of $2.00 each with of course extra for postage.

Monday

2008-11-11T08:14:00.001-08:00

As usual I had a great time with everyone. All were in good spirits, even Sophie perked up and we had a good 1/2 hour where she tore around the room, boy she's fast, you should have seen her flying through the tunnels. I gave her some time on her own while I walked the Moose-man, and then forced her to sit on my lap to get a treat, even managed to get a little lovin' from her. I think pant legs are something she cannot resist, simply because she can, she's so tiny she can just scoot up there unnoticed and find some nice soft flesh. She didn't get me, but I caught her a couple of times getting ready to try. So I turned aggressor on her and we had a blast. She was a hoot with the broom, running up to it and then running away, when it was just propped up agains the wall, when I started to sweep she flew around loads more. We actually got started playing when she started trying to jump over the door so I dropped her in the popcorn container (standing upright) to give her something to actually jump out of - no problem - she's quite the little athlete. But I was overjoyed that she interacted with me and had some fun. I know she misses her man, but I think she is slowly adjusting.

Moose loved his walk, he's such a smart boy, I really adore him. We had treats together, I think he just likes having company in the room, I cleaned the room and he nosed around a bit, laid in his cushion and watched me, he loves being talked to and he's getting fantastic on the leash. He knew his way home and when he decided he's had enough of the cold he headed right back to his own door .. such a smart boy!!

Freddy is really coming along nicely, she interacted a bit with the group, but also happyily chased balls in the toy container and played on her own. Butch pooped on (thankfully) the small blanket in his cage, the rest appeared to all be in his box. Pancake too appeared to have been using her box and I did manage to get up the last of the dried poop beside her cage, even after being soaked overnight it still needed more cleaner and a hard rub. She's quite the little slob, very, very, cute though. Butch also got quite aggressive with Sundance (while Freddy and Pancake looked on) towards the end of his time out, so he went to bed first.

Jinx, Loot and Cash were their usual adorable selves, Jinx is a total treat-hound. Someone wrote he was asking for snuggles, but honestly, I think he mainly wants the food !! Cash ate about 1/4 can - what he didn't eat Jinx was more than happy to finish it off, not that he needs it.

Cheers all, Sue

Monday

2008-10-27T20:13:00.001-07:00

With the exception of Moose, everyone was great today.

I was amazed how well Pancake, Fredrica and Oscar played together Pancake hissed a lot, and there were a few squeals, but they were all lively and really seemed to have a good time. This was the first time I met Oscar, he's an absolute doll, sweet as can be and obviously a big hit with the girls he's met so far.

Cash is certainly looking better, he ate about 1/4 of a can, and I left another 1/4 can in his cage. There is 1/2 can in Randy's fridge in a bowl, as well as an opened can that I didn't realize was there, so it should be used up first. He had eaten all the a/d in his cage. The three boys were playful and active. Jinx sure likes the soft treats, he's a real treat hound.

Sophie and Herc were in good spirits too .. Sophie managed to climb up my pant legs without my noticing it .. she's such a little shark, she almost got my leg, luckily I got her out just in the nick of time !! I think it's a challenge she just can't resist, because she was otherwise totally sweet with me.

Moose had a good walk, although it was a bit shorter than usual as it was quite wet out and kept trying to rain. He played for awhile with me in the back room, but when I left to do cages he curled up in one of the comfy beds and went to sleep, so I switched him into the other room to help me clean and he sniffed around, played a bit until he found the dog, and that was pretty much it, he spent the last 1/2 hour of his time out attached to, actually humping, his mate. Only tone finally broke his hold.

Everyone had and hour and a half out .. cheers for Pancake, lots of poop in her box (all in the same corner .. funny girl) what a relief !!!

Cheers all, Sue

Monday

2008-10-13T19:55:00.001-07:00

Great day, as usual the fuzzies cheered me up and made my day.

Jinx, Loot and Cash were just their usual fun selves, Cash ate a nice 1/4 can of AD no problem, and I left him another 1/4 can in his cage.

Fred wasn't really interested in her AD at all, she had a couple of bites, I left hers in her cage, but the one from yesterday was still there and didn't look as if she had eaten much. She's a dear, we tubed for a bit and she played very gently and was loads of fun. Vulva still very swollen, but she seemed in good spirits.

Pancake is so adorable, she too plays so gently, she's so soft and pudgy and snuggly. We had a nice walk, she's so great on the leash, follows along like a little dog most of the time. BUT she's a total slob, NO poop in the litter box at all, it was in two corners of the pan on the bottom of the cage, and there were two or three more that looked as if she stuck her butt as far over to the edge as possible, managing to get poops on the cage just at the edge of the pan and on the floor under the cage. I put a litter pan in her cage from one of the boys that needed the sides cleaned, and put her food bowls down on the bottom floor with her litter pan.

Moose had a great walk, we were out for 45 minutes, we went all around the block and spent loads of time around the empty building .. too bad someone's mowed all the grass in his favorite places (at either end of Randy's complex) and around the empty building, but he really enjoyed it anyway. We didn't find the doormat he fell in love with on his last walk, sorry Moose, it was one of those hard bristly ones and he spent a lot of time sniffing, trying to dig, rolling himself all over it. When we came back in I put him back in the cage as I had ferrets out in both rooms and figured he could come out and help me clean later, I was so surprised he immediately went soundly off to sleep, I did wake him back up to clean out his cage and to help me clean up the the garage room, but he curled up in the cage with the stuffed toys and went back to sleep. I woke him once more for tone and a big snuggle and he went happily to bed.

Sophie and Herc were in good moods today too, Sophie was sweet with me, no signs of biting and they played together and had a ball.

I guess I better 'fess up my major blunder of the day .. I didn't close the garage room door properly, and the threesome had a great time exploring back there, luckily not for long and most luckily no one escaped out the hole in the garage door .. my poor heart, the fear rush was too much !!! I know that door has to be pulled shut quite hard to get it to click, obviously I just wasn't thinking.

I washed the garage room floor, and used the silver bin in the 'cleaning closet' to keep recyclables that can't go in with the litter .. I'll put it out with the recycling cause I'm in on the same shift as the recycling. I also used up all the paper towels that were out and didn't replenish .. lovely job whoever refilled all the treat containers, everyone had lots for thanksgiving . and happy thanksgiving to you all too .. cheers, Sue

Monday

2008-09-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

Nice to meet all the new kids, totally loved everyone .. first though I must apologize to tomorrow's volunteer as I left a bit of a rush. Cash's old dish is still soaking in the sink and I didn't put a new bag in the poop bin. I think I also forgot to fill in the times on the sheet.

Everyone was out for about an hour and a half. The singles all went out for a walk in the stroller and on the leash. I was concerned that Moose might not want to put on the harness but he was a good boy, no problems at all. He loved his walk, when I first put him down he didn't know whether to roll in the grass or sniff everywhere first, he was so happy outside, even in the stroller when the wind blew in his face he just put his face into the wind and kinda closed his eyes and sniffed it all in.

Cash ate about a quarter can of AD, sitting on my lap eating from a spoon, he had eaten about half of what was in his dish, and I left another quarter in his bowl in the cage. They are both so thin, but beautiful boys, and those lovely dark noses. Loot kept digging at the food bin trying to get the lid off so I finally took it off and he would lean in and grab a few bites and then run and hide them, he was breaking my heart so I moved them to the other room. Loot would have nothing to do with the AD so I gave him quite a few 8 in 1s, which he really enjoyed.

Jinx and Frederica both had good walks and were very well behaved and loved nosing around outside.

No nasty poops at all, I'm all ready to take everybody home with me, as usual .. loved them all.

Cheers, Sue

PS GREAT JOB with Moose, the new improved Moose is adorable !!!!

The Not a Saturday Report - 082308

2008-08-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Sooo….. we have new ferrets at the shelter, so everyone can check in for their shifts. Three are some who will be unavailable, so please check back through the emails and see if you can cover for these people who are taking vacations.

Bonnie and I went first to Mississauga Animal Control to pick up Kirby, a special needs boy, he has a serious biting problem and no-one should go near him unless you wear the gloves, at least for the first few days. Also, note; NO sandals or Shorts if you value your ankles and feet. He has adrenal disease and that may be the issue. We also think he was abused. I picked him up several times with the grip Randy taught me several years ago so he could not bite me, and I held him for short periods. He was wandering behind Bonnie's feet and she moved and Kirby went for her ankles. I had to pick him up again. So please, some caution. Speak to Randy if you are not sure of handling him yourself until she can teach you how to. Kirby is about 3-4 years old. And he actually is quite cute.

Randy thinks Kirby may also have cutaneous lymphoma, you can see he has an ear problem.

Next up is Frederica, a lovely gentle sable who has a huge vulva, a cold, adrenal, and Guardia, she has issues. Please ask Randy about her meds, she needs them regularly,

She slept most of the time after we brought her in, so I cannot say much more about her.

She needs some special TLC. We were told she is 5 years old.

And now we get to Jinx. Noreen picked him up in Hamilton and stayed with us the afternoon to help settle every one in. Jinx is a sable boy who also may be adrenal, but is a very gentle playful boy. He will put his teeth on you but lets go immediately, no biting.

Jinx is probably around 1 ½ to two years old. He is very playful and active. He should not last long in the shelter.

And Finally, Socks. She has some serious issues……………

Socks is bald, naked or bare whichever way you put it she has no hair, or just a few hairs on her face. She is about 5 years old and seriously adrenal, with insulinoma. She also has a cordoma on her tail, and a mast cell on her flank, and to top this off, she is diagnosed with a slightly enlarged heart . She needs some special feeding and care, so she gets to stay at our house for awhile. She is not too steady on her feet and so far sleeps a lot. She is very affectionate, she loves licking in the ears and on the cheeks of whoever picks her up. She does seem to have good energy to explore her new surroundings. We'll keep y'all updated on her progress.

Not a great day. Four ferrets all adrenal, amongst other issues. With all this we have to do some serious fundraising.

Nigel and Bonnie.

Sunday 20th July

2008-07-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

This time we did the Sunday shift. There is a new boy “Seth”.

On arrival, Phillip was up and so was Gadget so we woke up Ronnie and the three came out. As there was only three groups we decided not to double up our runs as we usually do and just enjoy the ferrets. With the three boys out, and exploring, I decided to see if the new boy Seth could work with this group, so out came Seth, under the supervision of both Bonnie and I. He bounced all over everyone else. He did not seem so interested in butt sniffing as to scruffing the boys. Not biting their ruffs but scruffing them. Not hard holding. A good shrug but the scruffee and poor little Seth would fall of. The boys on the other hand spent the first ten minutes trying, mostly in vain to sniff out this new comer. Seth was bouncing too fast for the boys. It made for a very interesting half hour. None of the boys got aggressive with Seth although he did after a while start pushing Phillip about a bit more. Still no real concern. We did put him away fro awhile as he was getting a bit over enthusiastic with Phillip, not what you would call nasty. Just too much energy.

We then had Kiwi out. She is still adorable. She played with me for a half hour then decided to try for a nap in the ball box and when I put my hand in she enjoyed playing with my fingers. She nips. She then went into the padded cube where there was lots of paper and curled up. I put my hand in around her, she sniffed it and then snuggled in closer and took a few winks.
Kiwi has a beautiful new tail and has started to grow hair on her back. Let’s hope she can make it a full coat.

At about this time we had visitors who were looking for adoptees and were mightily impressed with Ronnie, Gadget and Phillip, although it was the pictures of little Kiwi that drew them in. They have adopted from FAS before and are now trying to make up there minds as to who to adopt.

Finally, Ronnie and Gadget, Sorry, Phillip was in there but jumped out just prior to taking this picture.

Have a great week
Nigel & Bonnie

Tuesday

2008-07-09T07:03:00.001-07:00

Aggie everyone missed you and sends their love and best wishes to you and the family .. everyone went for a walk today, Phillip and Kiwi were very good on their leashes, Ronnie and Gadget wanted to go in opposite directions all the time but Ronnie was quite quickly happy to sit in the stroller as long as we were nearby. Everyone was in good spirits and nobody tried to run off and sleep .. Ronnie didn't totally drive Gadget crazy with his grooming but he came close when I put Gadget back in the stroller with him.

And sorry O I cleaned up all Gadget's food again, today it was all over the floor in front of his cage so I put the attachable bowl in with a mix in it.

Everybody has pretty loose poops.

I totally messed up the times on the sheet, I was so surprised that it was six when I got picked up (I thought it was five) .. I lost an hour somewhere (my first clue should have been when the lights turned off !!) .. too much heat what can I say ... it was lovely and cool in the shelter though.

I have appointments made for the distemper shots and for Kiwi to have a look-over.

Cheers all, Sue

Monday ..

2008-07-07T15:43:00.001-07:00

It sure was hot out today, but everyone got out for awhile .. we hung out in any shady spots we could find. Kiwi just loved her walk, she very good on the leash and happily sniffs everything .. she much preferred the shade too. She gave me the most heart-rending appeal to go back out again .. she reminds me of Dahlia with such a pretty expressive face .. and she was standing by the back door just with begging eyes, asking to go out again. After she helped me clean up and put everyone else to bed we went for another walk until my ride home arrived.

Ronnie certainly loves to groom Gadget .. his walk didn't go too well as I couldn't adjust the harness to get around his middle !!! I finally let him down with only the neck part done up, but he seemed happiest just sitting the stoller so he didn't walk too much .. next time I'll get the harness adjusted before we leave. Gadget had a good time though, and so did Phillip .. he's quite the amazing climber .. I watched him as he climbed up to Ronnies floor (both cages were open for cleaning) using the outside doors as support !!! little devil .. but he loves exploring outside and was much calmer than last time I took him out.

Love the new light in the back, I was doing my usual fumble for the switch on the lamp when I arrived and nothing was happening, then I remembered ... try the switch !! amazing .. a great improvement.

Poops were all pretty good .. Gadget dumped both dishes of food so hard to tell which he's eating !!

Olympia I'll call you later this evening re tomorrow (I can cover the shift) .. and also Phillip's eye appt which we can do and possibly some of the distempers ..

Cheers all, Sue

The Saturday Report - June 28 2008

2008-06-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

First of all……a little test with a prize.
Can you guess who this is; the winner gets to take this ferret home. Please disregard the manicure or lack of it.

First off, lets see who has or has not gained weight.

As you can see; no big changes in health. There are a couple of issues though. I think Terrence has some issues and needs a vet visit. And Bonnie noticed that Phillip has an eye problem. His left eye is milky and swollen. Randy mentioned something about possible glaucoma. I think he will be to the vet soon.

I had Gadget and Ronnie and Bonnie had out Terrence and Phillip . I found both Ronnie and Gadget active and playful but did need lots of attention from me to be that way. Gadget kept coming over to me and scratching my feet and legs for a pick up and hug. He just loves that type of attention. Meanwhile Ronnie looks put out that he is not getting attention. So he got as many p/u’s as Gadget. Ronnie loves to roll over on his back and pull himself along under the cages by the bars. I found out while eating my ham and swiss cheese sandwich that Gadget likes both swiss cheese and ham. At least the first few pieces then he stashed the rest.

Gadget lived up to his name and tried to steal ( collect) my pen.

Gadget and Ronnie both love the soft moist treats, Ronnie just moves too fast to get a pic.
Bonnie tells me that Terrence was good and active for the first half hour then took a 5 minute battery recharge before playing again. He did this a couple of times. Phillip was Ok and active. Playful and active but did not do any of his usual climbing. Maybe his eye was bothering him, as I said before, it was a bit swollen, actually obviously sticking out.

Finally Kiwi got her time out. Kiwi is a favorite with Bonnie and I as we had a much loved cat called Kiwi, who was a favorite of all who met her.

Kiwi has steadily gained weight whilst at the shelter, she loves lot’s of attention and loves to give little love nips if given the chance and you scritch her neck.

Did I forget to mention, that she loves the ball box to sleep in. She caught several winks in there today, when we let her.

But she can be coaxed out or at least to come up for air, to check out the action and then retreat back to continue the nap.

Well folks, that was it for today.
Nigel and Bonnie.

Monday

2008-06-23T15:46:00.001-07:00

As usual, I want to take all five of them home with me .. there isn't one of these guys I truly wouldn't adore to have.

Terrance and Phillip were quite active .. Terrance had a nasty poop while out .. runny and seedy .. he definitely doesn't have the energy he had and seem quite skinny .. but he was playful and they had a great time in the tubes playing .. they had time in both rooms and went out in the stroller. We were just ready to set out when it poured with rain, but some animal had gotten into the recycling bin, tipped over and opened a few bags spread litter etc. all over. The lock on the bin is out of it's hole, I tried to fix it but I don't have the brute strength needed. Anyway I cleaned up the mess while the boys watched fronm the stroller. I stopped raining and we took a walk to the park. Phillip enjoyed being on the leash, didn't mind the wet grass at all and had a good sniff around. Poor Phillip was simply overwhelmed but it gave me a good excuse to hold him and he was quite happy with that.

Ronnie and Gadget .. Ronnie was soooo happy to be out with Gadget I thought Gadget might get miffed with him .. but they settled down and had a great play. Ronnie sure loves his treats, making happy noises as he chowed down !! what a cutie .. Gadget did a great cleaning job on my left ear .. they are both just adorable. Ronnie seems awfully bald behind both his ears ???

Kiwi .. such a tiny little beauty .. quite nervous but she was quite active and played as long as I was in the room .. whenever I left and came back she'd be curled up but she'd jump up as soon as I came in .. we played in the shredded paper and she had lots of soft treats. She does seem 'shaky' and she did seem to loose her balance a couple of times .. she did not stare off into space though .. on my way home I was wondering if she should be getting some AD, she could use to gain some weight too. Unfortunately I didn't think of this until after I left.

I also noticed how nice everything is looking, I havent' been in for awhile so there were a lot of new innovations, which I loved, found the 'bottle holder' very useful and loved the new covered bin !! and the fancy compostible bags .. all very nice. The pictures look great too !! and I liked the lights in the main room .. at first I found it quite dark, but it's nice on the eyes. Are the lights on a timer ??? are we supposed to leave them on .. or was this discussed as a possibility for the future .. I couldn't remember so I turned the lights out.

Cheers all, Sue

Tommy, Bailey and Dougie

2008-06-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

You wanted updates so you gottem. Tommy clawed opened a package of mushrooms the other day as we were bringing in the groceries, yesterday he tore the top off a carton of rice milk and pushed it over so it flooded across the basement floor. Just before going to sleep in the laundry basket he chewed the top off another carton and punctured one more earning him the nickname "Can opener". Later he put his nose and claw marks into some grout I had filled in under the bath stall. In revenge I sold him to a travelling circus as a rare masked gopher.

Dougie is with us now too, he has two broken upper K9s. The right one is healing well, the left one will be removed by Dr. Mike on Tuesday. Until then he is staying with us and playing with Guido. He has taken a liking to soup which is a good thing 'cause he looks skinny. Does anyone have a weight for him while he was at the shelter? Bailey will not eat my pedestrian swill like soup. Arrogant bastard! I have taken his smoking jacket and cigars and threatened to burn them using his VSOP brandy as starter fluid if he doesn't smarten up!

Curmudgeonly yours,

Steve

Help!!!

2008-06-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

As many of you know Bonnie and I have a ferret by the name of Burke, a wonderful laid back big boy, who is good with all other ferrets.

Unfortunately, Bonnie sometimes gets carried away. A lady in the US put out a call for ferret fur to make something for auction to aid a worthy cause. So Bonnie decided that she and Burke would contribute to this cause. Well actually, Bonnie decided, Burke got caught. And as you can all see, Burke has suffered horribly, Damn it, he’s almost bald.

I can see his ribs cause he’s got no fur.

As you all may know this is not the first abuse Bonnie has inflicted on a ferret, remember Keiko, who we had to call spot for awhile? Hair dye!!!!!

Keiko got painted and finally we had the other abuse she inflicted on Burke, she gave him eyebrows!!!!

Please help me help Bonnie, this abuse just has to stop.
Nigel

PS, Did I forget to say that Burkie is shedding, and blowing his coat big time

The Saturday Report 18 May 2008

2008-05-17T16:21:00.001-07:00

That time again, and an exciting day it was. I awoke at 6am and couldn’t sleep so went downstairs and worked on my new laptop. I am changing the HDD to run Windows XP and trash Vista. So far I am very happy with the decision. Later after breakfast, Bonnie and I visited the Brampton Animal Control to pick up a couple of scruffy looking ferrets. Olympia, bless her heart, had done all the legwork and done the ADV testing so the boys could come away with us. We had seen them before last week, when we had gone to check out the smaller of the two. At that visit, another boy came in, so Olympia did double duty with the tests.
One of the boys may have been outside for awhile as his coat was very dirty and it was difficult to really judge his condition. The other was a blaze of sorts with a mix of silver mitt and champagne coloring. He was very scrawny. So we left some 8 in 1 soft food for them both.

At the shelter, Bonnie took the big boy, I named him Ronnie, after Ronald Weasley of HP fame, and I took Gadget ( Bonnie’s idea as a follow-up to Gizmo). Bonnie was doing the Ivamectin dosing in their ears to avoid mites. After a half hour we switched so Bonnie could bath the big boy, he needed it. It turned out that he was not a dirty grey but a gorgeous dark-eyed white at about 1500 grams.

The caption for the last picture is “ wait till I get out”. Notice the slitty menacing eyes. Well, when he came out he was the most laid back gentle fellow you could imagine but with a spark of fun in him when provoked. Almost another Jeffie, but different.

Conversely Gadget, who is also a fine fellow, is a bit, a lot more shy, and care should be taken the first time you put your hand in to pick him up. He has not bitten us yet, but he is nervous until gets to know you then he wants attention. Very gentle; likes being snuggled. Zones out!. Both the boys would make super single companions. Ronnie is probably about four years old and Gadget is about the same. Gadget is 990 grams so not too big and is a bit scrawny at present. Ronnie is solid.

Notice the size of those teeth in the last picture.

Both boys need to learn to play again, but shouldn’t take long as both played well with us.

While I had Tommy and Bailey out, Bonnie took Chickpea, Terence and Phillip in the other room. Bonnie had not run Chickpea and the boys for some time so Chickpea’s mature size was a surprise and the energy levels would surprise anyone. They all played for an hour before she had worn out the boys. Phillip decided he had had enough so he climbed on top of the cupboards and watched the activity from there.

Tommy and Bailey were not overly energetic but did explore and play together. Poops were good for both. And both really want lots of attention. It’s about time they found a good home; they deserve to have a real home. Bailey has gained some weight in the last three weeks and Tommy has been stable.

Sorry no picture of Bailey this week. But he is still a pin-up ferret.

KIWI, has the cutest face, it reminded us of our late Roxie, beauty and her 575 gram size. She has lost 45 grams since last week. She definitely has issues at present, but looks like the upcoming vet visit may cure all, someone says she is in heat. She came out and went straight to the nearest blanket and curled up. I placed the blanket on my lap and she curled up in a ball and slept. So did I. Kiwi’s poop is very bad, pure fluid and grey green. Hopefully once she is spayed it will get better.

Even though she wasn’t up to much she certainly can catch your eye with that cute face.

With that we tidied up, socialized upstairs and left.

Nigel and Bonnie

Monday

2008-05-12T20:32:00.001-07:00

Chickpea was ready to burst out of her cage as usual, I was surprised at how much she has changed. In appearance, she has a fabulous new coat, very luxurious and shiny, she really looks healthy .. and she's certainly not loosing any weight!! I was hoping to let her have a little time to slow down before Terrance and Phillip came out, but by the time I'd let Tommy out, they were more than ready too, so they came right out. I let everyone have half an hour playing while I had my tea and then let Kiwi out while I took Tommy and Bailey out in the stroller. Hannah came along so we took leashes to the park and the boys had a ball. Bailey loved exploring in the wood chips and the grass. He, of course wanted to check out the overflowing garbage and undersides of parked cars, but Hannah had him going down the slide and playing in the tubes. Tommy was pretty nervous, there were lots of trucks going by and he'd freeze when he heard a loud noise, which was a great excuse to pick him up for a cuddle and remind him he was safe .. lots of fun. He was ready to get back in the stroller first and they both were asleep (together) when I returned with from Kiwi's walk.

She's a lovely wee girl, very chatty, quite nervous but didn't seem to want to chomp me until I tried to put the harness on her. But she did let me and she really enjoyed digging in the wood chips at the park. She curled up in the shreddings box for a nap while I was in playing with the threesome.

Sadly, the threesome didn't get a chance to get out for a stroll, but they were the only ones left with the energy to help clean up, at least Chickpea was, Terrance and Phillip had been out for two hours at this point so they were ready to relax … but Chickpea never tired out. She came out at 1:30 and went back to bed at 4:00 and could have played more, no problem.

There were a lot of soft poops, nothing too bad, Tommy's were the softest.

Cheers to all, Sue

The Saturday Report ( Abbr'd)

2008-05-03T17:56:00.001-07:00

With only five residents, it makes it a short day, two runs groups.

I arrived by myself, Bonnie had to stay home and wait on Air Canada to deliver our luggage. For those who may not have been aware we spent four days in Newfoundland, around the Gros Morne Park area.

Anyway I let out Terrence, Phillip and of course Chickpea, all three bouncing all over the place. Chickpea jumped all over the others, until they could stand it no longer, then they both ignored her. Terrence went off and proceeded to try opening the closet door. That little man knows how to kick the bar out of the way and slide the door open for the others to enter. They had lots of fun checking everything out. I pulled them out and closed the door, only to have Terrence to open it again. I gave up. Chickpea, I picked up every time she came near, gave her a kiss then put her down, sometimes I just blew in her ear then put her down. I had the distinct impression she loves this treatment as she kept coming back for more. I have learnt that she loves the attention but for very short periods. Phillip was also catching on to this and paid me as much attention as did Chickpea. Terrence was still busy with his closet closing bar.

About this time, Bailey, who was getting anxious, turfed all his food out of his bowl and kicking most of it onto the floor. Not the cage floor but the one I cleaned up twice, I am a slow learner. I then pulled him out, along with Bailey and let them run in the garage room. Went in for the first little while and Bailey bounced himself silly, all over the room, he jumped on Tommy and Tommy jumped on him. They just love the human inter-reaction, Bailey kept showing me his teeth but never once chomped down. I had to leave and check on the thumping from the other room, so they played chase through the green tube and the Purolator tunnel. The noise turned out to be Philip climbing cages and finding things he shouldn’t.

At this point I let Burke out. He was chewing the cage bars. And for those who may not be aware, Randy was ferret sitting our boys ( Burke, Higgins, Dew and Fabien) while we gallivanted around Western Newfoundland. And, Aggie, these boys do have a forever “home” and if you did take them, you would have Bonnie to deal with, she would never appreciated losing her “boys”. I let Burke say hello to Chickpea. They did the usual butt and neck sniffing then she crawled onto his back for a free ride around the room. He actually was ignoring her, but she will not let anyone ignore her. Little b…… nice girl. Then the boys found Burke and they all followed him around, they were a bit of a bother to him, but Burke is great with other ferrets, only he is still recovering from surgery so all the attention was a bit much. I put him back so as to not stress him, and he went back to chewing cage bars.

Tommy and Bailey were getting lonely so I spent more time with them. Bonnie arrived at this point, guess that meant our luggage was home at last thanks to Air Canada. So she stayed with T&B while I changed the groups and let our boys out for a short run before we took them home.

Thanks to all of you who met our boys and gave them extra runs and attention, although I am not surprised, as these boys have a way with humans, they entrance them into showing lots of love and affection. Thanks again. To those who missed these enchanters, better luck next time.

That’s it folks, short report

Nigel & Bonnie.

Monday, Monday

2008-04-28T16:56:00.001-07:00

Everyone was in good spirits tonight. Chickpea seems to have chilled out quite a bit, she still plays a lot with the boys, but played on her own and with me too. What a little pear shape she's getting, but she looks so healthy and vibrant. She was a scream with the toy on a stick. And Phillip, Sir Edmond to me now, blew my mind. He loves to get up on the of the cages .. mind you he looks terribly handsome when you look at him straight on .. I was asking him what he thought he was doing up on top of the cage, we were nose to nose for a few moments and then I stepped back and he jumped on my head .. little acrobat did it twice .. I was so amazed !!

Tommy & Bailey gave me a repeat performance of the 'foamy fries incident' .. Tommy went crazy for a chew stick and Bailey was interested in what Tommy had, but Tommy hissed at him and told him to go away .. when I gave Bailey his own chew stick he just stashed it and went back for Tommy's .. silly boy .. Tommy actually tired out first tonight .. he and Bailey curled up together in the large bed. Nobody else was really ready for bed, Chickpea didn't drive the boys crazy at all!!

Hugz to all, Sue

PS Tomorrow's volunteer - I will be picking Chickpea up at about 6:30 for her booster

RE: [ferretvolunteers] Caesar

2008-04-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks for this Tanya. It is always so nice when one of our volunteers adopts one of our 'kids'. He'll be missed around here, he was my big boy lol! Your post brought tears to my eyes, especially remembering what Elvis and Hardy had to go through before coming to you and now Caesar, the big and very frightened boy who used to bite and bite and bite. Now he'll live the rest of his life happy and TOTALLY spoiled!!! Thanks girlfriend. You and your parents rock :)

Miss Randy Melanie Belair

President

The Ferret Aid Society

www.ferretaid.org

Join the IFC Ferret Aid list! Get the info FIRST!

IFC_FerretAid-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Ferret Aid 2006 photos

http://www.ferretaid.org/events/ferret_aid_2006.html

From: ferretvolunteers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ferretvolunteers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Tanya Mereweather
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:18 AM
To: ferretvolunteers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ferretvolunteers] Caesar

Hi Everyone

Well it is official - Caesar will not be returning to the shelter. My Mom
spoke to me yesterday morning and advised me that her and my Dad wanted
Caesar to stay especially with it going so well between him and Elvis.
Based on that last night I was told that since he is now officially a member
of the family he has to be let upstairs. So after waking him up and he and
Elvis having some playtime in the tubes the door was opened and Caesar
ventured for his first time up into his new home. Needless to say he took
full advantage and spent the whole 3 hours investigating every level of the
house. I usually knew where he was because either Cleo or Peaches would be
following him around. The two cats that make him rather nervous is Topaz
and Tiamat. They have not done anything to him but I think it is their size
that scares him. He was up in the hall by the kitchen and Topaz came
upstairs. Well he went rather wide eyed and looked at me like "Wow - she's
big!" and proceeded to run into the living room. Topaz just looked like
"what's his problem?"

By the end of the evening Caesar was beat. According to Caesar there is just
way too many stairs in this place for such little legs. He headed back down
to the basement and splogged on the floor. Cleo came down and bounced
around in front on him waiting for him to chase her. He looked at her like
"I just don't have the energy." After a few more tries he finally dragged
himself up onto his feet and made an attempt to play tag but it was very
half hearted.

Needless to say he seems to be settling himself into his new home and
getting to know everyone - two and four legged family members. I'll keep
everyone on posted on how he is doing over the next little while.

Tanya Mereweather
Credit Analyst
Coast Paper (a division of PaperlinX Canada Limited)
Phone: 905-264-4866
E-Mail: tmereweather@coastpaper.com
Fax: 905-265-6073

We are now in our new facility at 200 Galcat Drive, Vaughan, ON, L4L 0B9

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Tuesday at the Shelter

2008-04-22T20:21:00.001-07:00

Everybody came out at about 5:00, and went back in about 8:00, even though on my sheet I put 7:00 ... it took me nearly an hour to clean up and put everyone to bed .. okay I must have been goofing around cause a grand total of five ferrets don't make that much mess !!!

Tommy and Bailey came out to the back room, and Chickpea, Phillip and Terrance had the front room. Chickpea absolutely exploded out of the cage, and I couldn't get over how much she's changed in only a week .. she looks a lot chubbier and her coat is different too .. as every she's not lacking in energy. P&T seemed bowled over so I thought it might be a good time to take Tommy and Bailey for a stroll .. in the stroller, and let Chickpea have some time on her own. I also tried Tommy on the leash, but the harness was too big and bunched under his belly, making him walk oddly, but he sniffed some grass and although a little nervous, quite enjoyed himself.

When they came back in, I took Chickpea out for a stroll but it really seemed to make her quite nervous, so I figured she's rather have P&T along for the ride, Phillip adored being outside, his tail bottle-brushed and he sat and looked out quite happily, Terrance too enjoyed the scenery until Chickpea decided it was more fun to attack Phillip and Terrance than anything else, so we headed back to the shelter.

I switched rooms and put C P & T in the back room, and T & B in the front. Everyone played happily, lots of tubing and treats. Chickpea could care less for hugs, but Phillip and Terrance seem to tolerate them no problem, and of course Tommy and Bailey loved lots of attention. Phillip had his meds.

Just a note, if anyone else is strolling ferrets, should you run into any curious neighbours, it would be best just to say they are your ferrets. Just like in my condo whenever anyone asks how many ferrets I have I say "two" .. and actually now I'm telling the truth !!

The stroller is parked in the far corner of the garage.

Cheers all, Sue

The Saturday report. 040508

2008-04-05T18:34:00.001-07:00

Report time again.

I started out with the new boys Terrance and Phillip and they bounced all over the place, but nothing in comparison to when Chickpea came out. The three of them just went nuts for at least the hour. Bonnie in the meantime had Tommy and Bailey out, and both boys were quite active. Chickpea was bouncing on both of them, in fact I think she overawes them a bit. Interestingly though it was chickpea that was hissing even when she was the boss of the situation. Someone maybe should have called her Sweetpea instead of Chickpea.

Tommy and Bailey were fed lots of treats and played well. Bailey as usual outlasted Tommy in the energy sweepstakes, and actually never slowed down once in the hour and a half they were both out.

C, T & P were also out an hour and a half and were still going strong. I found that Phillip is a climber and kept climbing the cage and then waiting for me to pick him up, offer a hug and his is then looking over my shoulder to get someplace else.

Then I had Jeffie out while Bonnie took out Gizmo. Him I have to talk about later.

Jeffie was playful but did not last too too long before he looked for a place to sleep, the toy bin.

While he was out he loves playing in the green tube as you can see. He is looking good following his surgery, but has yet to regain his stamina.

Gizmo was out with Bonnie and all I heard was cries of joy from the other room interspersed with a rumbly dooking. Giz was active and playful but has a distinct breathing problem, once he sneezed and it got better for a couple of minutes. Then came back. We both listened to him with the stethoscope and it’s difficult to tell where it is happening, it is all over, in the chest, in the throat and Bonnie believes hse can hear this rattling in his head, meaning his upper respiratory tracts.

Gizmo is a smart little devil and showed Bonnie just how smart he can be. He opened the toy cage in the garage room, he just flipped open the latch and went in. Bonnie couldn’t believe what she had seen, so she fished him out closed it and let him do it again. In all this was repeated 4 times, and on the forth I caught him with the camera.

Next in line to come out was Caesar and he still smells, I think he could do with some scented baths and conditioner, any volunteers?? He is even more cuddly that before, but that odor is overpowering. He palyed super well during his time out but more about that later.

The good news this week is that after all the poop problems and surgeries, etc., all the inhabitants except Jeffie have gained weight, and he stayed the same. The gains were; Tommy – 20; Bailey a whopping 45 grams; Gizmo – 35; Caesar – 40; Chickpea – 60; Terrence 35 and Phillip 40 grams. So we can congratulate ourselves with having some healthy ferrets.

Take a close look at the following photos, who are they?

Anybody figured out yet who put the life back into Caesar. Who is young, brassy and bouncy, and fast. Who does not show fear. CHICKPEA.

That’s right we thought it would be interesting to try little Chickpea out with Caesar and under very close supervision at first, it worked wonders. There was a lot of interest and bum sniffing on both sides, and I even think Caesar was a bit intimidated by the audacious Chickpea. They played for almost 45 minutes together in the tubes and around. It was fun to watch two sets of tails wagging at the same time in the tubes. If they came face to face, it would invariably be Caesar who backed up and out. This means we can give Chickpea two runs, good for a youngster.

I would not recommend doing this unless you take the time to stay with them. Once they have been out together a number of times it may be OK to leave them.

So that wraps up our day at the shelter

Keep an eye on Gizmo, he may have a respiratory infection and need some meds or a visit to the doctors.

Happy ferreting

Nigel and Bonnie

One last thing, Caesar may be a Quebec ferret, he loves Pepsi. Watched by Chickpea..

Monday Post

2008-03-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I absolutely love Chick Pea. She is such a sweet and crazy baby. So full of energy happiness. She loves kisses, but sometimes gets overexcited and nips a bit. I introduced her to Tommy, Gizmo and Jeffie and they tried to eat her. I did not even bother with Caesar or Bailey. I bet she’d make a great playmate for Pearl….whaddya say Debbie? Are you ready to have another baby? In all seriousness, I think Pearl would get a kick out of Check Pea.

Tommy and Bailey had a ball together and only had to be separated once. Tommy is so affectionate and both boys just love to engage in play.

Gizmo was a chatterbox and just too cute for words. What a wonderful little boy. He still sounds a little grunty in his chest.

Jeffie was not very active. He did not want to play, just wanted me to address his itchies and snuggle him. He barfed a clear liquid in the litter pan, but it was only bile – no foreign objects.

Caesar was last to come out. I was going to bring him with me to take Rob into work, but Rob ended up just taking us back to Randy’s as I started to have an allergic reaction to Caesar. (There is something about intact males or ferrets with advanced adrenal disease that causes this reaction.) I can’t believe this is the same little guy that shredded Rob’s hands two weeks ago! He’s gentle as a lamb and such a doll.

Take care,

Amanda

Friday February First Ferret Frolic...

2008-02-02T08:13:00.001-08:00

Jeffie – Big, heavy, slow moving, non-aggressive, and great to play with – in other words – my kind of ferret. Jeffie enjoyed running through the tunnels and rolling around in the box of leaves. He was quite inquisitive and ran his nose over every inch of my shoes and hands. Amanda and I cleaned his ears and added the ear mite meds to each ear.

Tommy and Bailey – Through the tunnel, into and out of the toy bag, into and out of every empty litter and food bag, get snuggled by Amanda, bolt under the cages, through the drawers, find the treats container, open the container, eat the treats, get caught, blame it on the other ferret, place both ferrets on their backs and tickle their bellies, repeat.

Gizmo – We let him out last. He managed to wander up the stairs after a gate was carelessly left open by, um, Bailey. I tracked Gizmo down in the kitchen mixing up a screwdriver. I scolded him for not also making one for Amanda and I then took him back downstairs. Gizmo tunneled, dooked, and generally carried on. He climbed up on to the top of one of the cages, and helped himself to some of the Tds.

Rob and Amanda

Saturday, 26th January 2008

2008-01-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

I have just been looking back at some of the postings on the blog and realize that I may have to be more circumspect in what I say and what I describe. So here goes with today’s report without any racy comments.

When we arrived at the shelter at 12:05pm, I wandered in to see how many groups we still have as I had expected that perhaps Sophie and Hercules may have abandoned us without saying goodbye. They were still in their cage. But I hear they may not be for long, a done deal is what they call it. They have a home!! Anyway I was leading up to my surprise, which was to see a new white body in the cage that Gloria and Laura just vacated. And what do I see, a tag with a date and D.E.W. I called Bonnie over and asked her if she had snuck our Dew back to the shelter. If you remember from a couple of years ago we got in a young DEW, a real cutie, and Deb fell in love with him. Someone, I am not sure who saw his tag and thought his name was Dew. Anyway for lack of more imagination, he stayed Dew and is, to this day one of our brood.

I have corrected the tag, by looking back over the last few day’s reports and found he is called Jeffie. Well, I was told Jeffie had been found in a dumpster, no comments, it could get dirty!. Jeffie is a wonderful affectionate big boy (1750 grs.), no longer young but with oodles of love for anyone picking him up and giving him the least amount of attention. He can be playful too, especially if you scritch him on the shoulders or the base of the tail. He may be as old as 5. But he is cute;

Couldn’t you just hug this one??? He is so solid, Bonnie said fat, unkind, that he couldn’t fit in the tubes so that was out for him. He tried but after wearing a tube a couple of times he gave up.

Bonnie had him for the first half of his time out. I, on the other side, had the two boys, Tommy and Bailey. A word her about Bailey. He has lost about 100 grs. In the past 4-5 weeks. Keep and eye out for him. He is very active and playful but we must watch him. Tommy needed his hugs and squeezes before he could wander about by himself. Have you ever noticed the look on either one’s face when you pick up and cuddle the other. Can ferrets be jealous?. Bailey had some time in the leaf box and had a ball. I dropped Tommy in and you would have thought he had been dropped in a puddle of dirty dish water, he moved pretty quick to get out. He obviously is not interested. Both, in their own ways were active and playful, each got their soft moist Ultimate treats. The boys both tend to settle down somewhere and snooze if left alone too long, they just need the stimulus and company.

Next I had Gizmo out and this attractive young man just wanted 100% of my time, he played well and loves playing with one’s hand. Please everyone pay attention to Gizmo and watch out for his breathing, we were hearing some rattling as he breathed. Bonnie even heard it while he was asleep before his run time. Gizmo has gained 40 grams since last week.

At the same time Bonnie took out Hercules and Sophie, we weren’t sure if they were going today or tomorrow. It will be a bit strange not to see them next time we do a shift. BUT it will be good to know they will happily be at home at last with their new little friend Dakota. Sophie must have had some inkling of this, because Bonnie said she seemed so happy today and more active. She is still very kissable. In Bonnie’s words Sophie “had a ball” today. She even let Bonnie know the old Sophie lurks just under the veneer of the civilized Sophie. She snuck her head up Bonnie’s pant leg and licked her leg with her teeth. NOT a nip but a tease. Hercules same old self, wanders around satisfying his curiosity, greeting the humans, checking out his next nap spot and finally settling down after an hour in same spot. Then we switched and out he came again, long enough to say his hellos, another wander around, a bit of play then crawled into a carrier to groom himself.

Sophie has put on 30 grams, and Hercules has lost 30 grams. Together they are stable, same weight together. Looks like Hercules gave up some grams to Sophie so she would look good for her new human. Generous chap.

Then we went home, and on the way had breakfast. Now you are probably wondering what the hell is he talking about, what is the relevance, etc. etc.

You figure

Nigel (&Bonnie)

Hardy

2008-01-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

On December 11, 2004, we were called out to pick up many ferrets from a back yard breeder in Paris, ON. When we arrived, we all thought we had arrived in hell. 29 ferrets were taken alive, some near death and 12 were dead, half eaten by their cage mates or simply skulls. Of those 29, we lost Leezle first. She was just too weak for her spay surgery. We were left with 28. Hardy was one of those 28. A big boy who defiantly fought to survive. We knew it from the minute we laid eyes on him, Hardy would have done anything to live. He was the healthiest ferret we removed that day and also the most aggressive. I think he fought so hard to live because he knew there was something better out there for him. I think he was holding onto life so hard hoping to find happiness.

Shortly after coming to the shelter, many of the volunteers feared him. I remember hearing a scream coming from the ferret room one day and rushing to see what was going on. I giggled as I saw Olympia half jogging with Hardy attached to the back of her leg. He was a handful. Off to a foster home he went in hopes he would learn to behave.

Within a few weeks, Hardy was as gentle and loving as the other Paris kids. I fell in love with him and paired him with Elvis, my true favorite of the bunch. All the other Paris kids got homes except Hardy and Elvis. Truth be told, I was holding out to find what had to be the perfect home for them. They were my boys and no one but the best was going to be allowed to take them from me.

Along came Tanya and her family. I never hesitated once. I knew they would be the perfect family for my boys and they were. I have never seen more spoiled ferrets in my life (though Britt and Stephen come VERY close!!).

Fast forward a year. Hardy gets sick. Has insulinoma. Tanya struggles with the idea of surgery for him. After a lot of thought and much encouragement from all of us, she decides to go forth with the surgery, knowing it will help him and doing what we all thought was the right thing to do. We all thought it was right.

Hardy went through the surgery and a large tumor was removed from his pancreas. The surgeon had a hard time stabilizing his heart rate and his right adrenal was too close to the vena cava that the surgeon decided to leave it. Hardy's heart just wasn't stabilizing and they didn't want to have him under anesthetic for longer than needed.

At about 9 o'clock last night, the vet rang Tanya. Hardy was still unstable hand had to be transferred to the emergency clinic over night. They had the equipment to monitor him and stabilize him.

Hardy died at about 2 o'clock this morning. This is my ode to the Hard One. The one that put the volunteers through so much, the one we all fell in love with the one we must now say good bye to. Hardy doesn't have to fight anymore, he learned what love was and I believe his fight to survive so early in life paid off well in the end. He had a forever home, one that loved him and is now desperately missing him.

Good bye little Hardy. I love you and please watch over your mom, grandparents and kitties. Run to my mom Hardy. She'll goo you for us all.

Miss Randy Melanie Belair
President
The Ferret Aid Society
www.ferretaid.org

Ferret Run Report - January 7, 2008

2008-01-07T20:24:00.001-08:00

Tommy and Bailey – Tommy required extensive fussing before he got to business with Bailey. The two them played in the overturned toy bin. Tommy managed to get his fat body airborne in an impressive war dance after freeing himself from the bin. After that he and Bailey got into the empty litter bin just before I refilled it. Tommy made it out before I started to refill the bin. Bailey didn’t. I buried him. He exploded out of the litter and war danced around the inside of the bin until finally jumping out and onto Tommy. The carried on for a while longer before tone and bed.

Gloria and Lauria – I’m never sure what I’m going to get out of these two. Both of them have a habit of cautiously approaching me, sniffing, licking, then chomping down before finally taking off. Gloria wanted to play so I played with her. Unlike previous evenings I really had to rile her up before she gave me a decent bite. Laura also allowed me to play with her. She also didn’t bite me too hard but did, I think, hiss at me so let her be for a while. I gave her some tone and we were cool. Laura had her ears cleaned as she was scratching at them.

Herc and Sofie - Sofie was in fine form. She managed to climb every cage and annoy every other ferret in the room. When I reached to get her off Gloria and Laura’s cage she really latched onto to my arm. I had to scruff her to get her off. I’m beginning to wonder if Sofie is acting out due to boredom or frustration or both. Herc was his pleasant and playful self. I really enjoy it when he hassles Sofie. He gooses her from behind and dooks while he’s doing it. They played well together in and around the toy bin and tunnel.

Juniper – This ferret has a seriously soft coat. She’s also the only female ferret that doesn’t attempt to shred my arms when I play with her. I played with her for a good 10 minutes in the cloth bin. She never bit hard and really seemed to enjoy being tickled. She also enjoys it when you run your finger across the tube – she’ll chase it to the end of the tunnel and back. I let Juniper on the counter while I washed her water bottle and bowl. She literally sniffed every centimeter of counter top she could reach.

Gizmo – the greatest ferret at the shelter. Gizmo was out last so got the benefit of playing in both rooms. We played with the rugs. And by play I mean I would cover him with rugs while he tunneled through all the folds. Amanda had cleaned up the other room so I took the opportunity to chase Gizmo around the room for a while. Gizmo got his meds. Mama Randy says his chest sounds much better.

That’s all for the (every other) Monday Crew.

R&A.

Saturday report-29 dec 07

2007-12-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

So, it’s that time again. THE SATURDAY REPORT by Nigel

Today we decided to give Randy her fill-up of fuzzies, she had been looking a bit peaky lately so we figured she must be down a few hugs and kisses. You all know what I mean, Randy’s form of ferret abuse, she calls it rent, but tell me, how many times do you see Randy with a ferret up to her face with the little fuzzy’s desperately trying to push her away with his or her front paws. We brought along an alumni of ferrets from the shelter, Higgins & Burke, Fabian (Stumpy) and Dew. Sorry Deb, he’s still as cute as ever.

Out first, came Gloria and Laura, or Laura and Gloria if you prefer. And after an appropriate pause, Burkie was deposited in the middle. Gloria was ecstatic, a great big male to sniff and frolic with, Laura also soon caught on and we had a threesome. No dirty thoughts here, just three ferrets. So, guess what, we dumped Dew into the mix. No problems, all were having fun together, in went Fabian, and finally Higgins. We were concerned about Higgins, he used to be Juggernaut, and for a reason. He is very rambunctious, just big and fuller of energy than most. Well apart from a bit of a drag across the floor of Laura until she was taught him his lesson. All went well for the rest of the hour. These two girls should be tried with other ferrets in the shelter, under strict supervision, because they seem able to mix with others quite well. They did the same mixing with Ali’s two boys a couple of weeks ago.

We did see one funny thing during this gathering. Our boys all needed their nails cut so we decided to do it while at the shelter. When we were finished, we gave each a bit of tone on the belly and let them lick it off. We also gave some to the girls so they would not be left out. Well it so happened that Burke was placed next to Gloria while they both licked themselves clean, weeellllll.,……………. Gloria finished first and decided to help Burke and started to lick his belly. I haven’t seen Burke move so fast with such an indignant look on his face when she licked his privates.

Then our boys went to bed and out came Hercules and Sophie in one room and Tommy and Bailey in the other room. I had T & B in the main room. I also filled a box with some leaves from the bag in the back room. Bailey went absolutely nuts when dumped in the leaves and then had leaves poured all over him. Tommy was excited too but not as nuts as Bailey. On Bonnie’s side, Hercules and Sophie were introduced to first Burke and then Dew. Hercules did not like Burke being there but took some time to get nasty. He tried to intimidate him, but Burke can’t be intimidated, he just ignores aggressive ferrets and goes about his business, this must have frustrated Herc, cause he then tried to teach Burke a lesson, and although he wasn’t getting very far we pulled Burke out and put in Dew instead. Sophie got to Dew first and tried to take a chunk out of him. Looks like Sophie and Herc are great together but not with others at the moment. Neither was very impressed with playing very much in the leaves. They were both active until about an hour had passed and then Hercules went down for a snooze. Sophie was still active when she was put away, with a large dose of goop on her belly.

Tommy prefers the paper box to the leaves.

Lastly we had Juniper and Gizmo out, one to each room. Giz is like a puppy, and wants 100% attention. He actually nipped me to get my attention when it faltered. He now has an impressive coat of fur and needs to get adopted. He will make some one a wonderful personal friend. He is so gentle, and yet loves to play one on one. At some point, it would be interesting to try and introduce him to another ferret. Perhaps we could try him with Laura and Gloria.

While Juniper was out she had Burke for company, and to those that thought she would not mix, they got along fine. She did try to show him who’s boss, but when he stood up to her she backed off and then tried periodically to provoke a reaction from him. He would then ignore her. All in all, they tolerated each other and even interacted quite well. They survived an hour together without any conflict. She is another that should be mixed in with another ferret. Maybe Gizmo.

And that ends Saturday, we have four exhausted boys all curled up and fast asleep. Bonnie and I may not be far behind.

Nigel and Bonnie.

December 24, 2007

2007-12-25T17:33:00.001-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house ferrets were dooking, playing with my spouse…okay, I can’t pull it off so I’ll just stop and give you the skinny on the pre-Christmas weasel run…

Hercules and Sophie played well together. Sophie snacked on my right arm all evening. She really doesn’t like me. Perhaps my making her eat her own ass has something to do with it. She played in the leaf box with Herc and they chased each other through the tunnels. Herc enjoys antagonizing Sophie. He has a terrible habit of goosing her from behind. One day that boy is going to lose his nose.

Gloria and Laura were good fun. Laura is not unlike Sophie in that she likes to chew on my arms. She will wander over and just casually hangs out beside me and then out of the blue nip me, then again, then again, then walk away. She never bites hard enough to hurt, unlike Sophie, and will only bit the soft fleshy part of my arms. Of course both Sophie and Laura, and Gloria for that matter do no such thing with Amanda. Gloria climbs everything all the time. Cutting back on her coffee would probably be a good idea.

Gizmo looks so good now that his fur is back. Gizmo tunneled through the blankets and towels I piled on the floor. Unlike the icky girl ferrets, Gizmo doesn’t bite. He was a lot of fun to play with. Gizmo spent the better part of his time out digging a rubber ball from the ball box. Once out he hide it somewhere. I’ll ask everyone to keep their eyes open for it, its blue and pink, and a definite choking/blockage hazard if it gets chewed up.

Even though Randy had Tommy and Bailey out previously, we had them out again for another 30 minute. They tooled around, dooking and carrying on like they normally do. Tommy is so fat now that his shadow was moved to another cage due to overcrowding. I played tug-of-war with Bailey and the hammock he pulled out of the toy bag.

Juniper was let out by Randy before we arrived. Thanks Randy.

Merry Christmas to Randy, Olympia, and all the volunteers. Thanks for caring when no one else would.

Sincerely,

Robert and Amanda.

FW: Randy Belair: Harley Bug

2007-12-25T10:57:00.000-08:00

Here's a VERY sweet letter sent to me. Wanted to share.

Miss Randy Melanie Belair

Hi Randy,
Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I "talked" to you. When Tazzie was so sick, you and Harley was talked to often lol. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you how much I loved your story in ferret magazine. It made me bawl of course. Lots of forgotten memories of things we talked about, about Harley and Tazzie and how Harley was showing Tazzie how to fight the good fight and how you helped me deal with those that said, put him down. I know you probably don't remember all this, or me for that matter, but you and Harley forever have a huge place in my heart. I remember when Harley died, Tazzie died a month later. I have always thought they are at the bridge together making up for all lifes' hardships they had to endure.
Harley has both eyes, and is the picture of health, and Tazzie, he is NEVER on those Tazzie wheels again. He's running on strong healthy legs and enjoying every minute of it:-)And your mom. I cried when she died. I saw her picture before yours or Harleys when I was thumbing through the magazine. I recognized her as your mom. I recognized her from all the love and stories and pictures you shared of her and Harley. I keep seeing her sharing her pudding with Harley lol. I can't remember if it's Dena or Deanna, but I'm almost 100% positive it's one of those two, even after all these years, and I'm a very forgetful person. I guess my point on this part is the legacies do go on. Anyway, I'll let you go. I just wanted to let you know how touched I was by your story. I remember all the pain YOU went through at the the time, and I know, you were such a great mom. Harley was very, very lucky to have you. Just as lucky as you were to have him.

Hugs and Merry Christmas
Lois Caselman

FW: Rolo & Otis pictures

2007-12-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

Wanted to share these with you all. My Rolo and Otis :) Miss them so much but just LOOK how happy they are!!! Merry Christmas all and looking into these kid's faces remember what a great job you all do in helping these little ones find forever homes. We couldn't have a shelter or any success with the shelter without all of you. I am so thankful we have the WORLD'S BEST volunteers. Love you all!!! xx

Miss Randy Melanie Belair

sunday report

2007-12-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

The kids were especially adorable and playful yesterday or maybe I just
missed them more.

I was so pleased to see that Tommy and Bailey are room mates again.
They are so cute sleeping together in the hammock.

Laura and Gloria had loads of energy. You can barely tell Gloria had
surgery, her fur has grown in so nicely. They make such an adorable
little couple.

Sophie and Hercules have changed so much since she first came to the
shelter, They are so much happier and well adjusted. Every time I
walked by Herc's cage it seemed that he poofed but I guess they were
little love farties. It was time again for little Herc to be expressed
so out to the driveway we went.

Juniper gets prettier every time I see her. She is gaining weight and I
didn't hear her cough at all.

Gizmo by man is finally growing the fur on his back and neck. He is
such a sweet little boy and I love his Roman nose!

I put all the extra paper towels in the wood cabinet so the second room
does not look so cluttered.

Have a great holiday!
Olympia

saturday report

2007-12-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry I didn't post yesterday.

I had Gizmo and Juinper out first. She was very active and chatty
yesterday. And all poop and pee was in the litter box! Gizmo was his
crazy little self, was running around like his head was cut off! Just
having a great time. I did notice he went into the litter box at least
5 times with out producing any urine. Other then that, he was fine.

Then Bailey and Tommy, with Sophie and Herc were out. I didn't realize
that Sophie can jump the gate now! Good thing Randy caught her, she
gave me a heart attack! So the back door was closed for Sophie and
Herc. Other then her getting out, they were great, very playful and
they love the leaf box still :). Bailey and Tommy are so cute, so
active and playful and Tommy runs to you to be picked up and cuddled.
Bailey gave me my first kiss! Three licks to my chin :). Everything
was great for them.

And then Laura and Gloria were out. Laura was very chatty yesterday,
and Gloria was her sweet self. Both were playful and cute :). Gloria
gave me lots of kisses, and Laura got a good bite to my chin! Forgot
what one I was holding, was looking at something and she just reached
up and "chomp!" My fault for ignoring the girl.

I cut all there nails. Some of them had really long nails, so I just
decided to cute them all, hope that was ok.

Two of them, or maybe three had soft poops, I can't remember what ones
but I wrote it in the log.

I really hope I get my camera for Christmas so I can start taking
pictures of them! There was one shot of Tommy I wish I could have got.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday! And a great New Years.

Ali

Harley "Bug" in Ferrets Mag!!!

2007-12-11T07:39:00.000-08:00

It's been many years since he left us but now he's alive in our hearts once again. Harley "Bug" is on page 50 of the Jan/Feb issue of Ferrets Magazine. I couldn't be happier to share the story of Bug with everyone. My man. Even so many years after his death, he still remains such a big part of my heart.

Miss Randy Melanie Belair

Saturday Report

2007-12-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Saturday was great, every one had lots of fun.

Gloria, Bailey and Herc are looking wonderful after there surgeries.

Logan, Bailey and Sophie had soft poops, Sophie also had one yellow
coloured. I think it was just the three of them.

First time meeting Inge. She is so playful! She was running around
after me and she goes crazy for the squeaky toys. I thought she was
going to fall over trying to get to it after I squeaked it, and she
jumped pretty high as well.

Gizmo was out for 45 minutes (5:15, not 5:30, I can't remember if I
changed it in the log book or not). He kept scratching him self
somehow, maybe because he didn't have fur to protect himself. When I
took him out, he had a rash/scratch on the back of his neck and two
scabs, one on both back legs. When I left him to go clean the second
room, I came back 5 mins later and he had two small puncture marks, I
guess its called, on the back of his neck that were bleeding a little
bit, nothing major just a small drop or two. Then about 10 minutes
before I put him back he had another scratch/rash on the top of his
head. Something to keep an eye on maybe? I tried putting the red shirt
on him, but he wouldn't keep it on.

Well hope everyone has a great weekend :)

Ali

Thursday report

2007-12-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

We sure do have a lot of lovely ferrets at the shelter right now, so
playful and social, we had lots of fun tonite. The second room is quite
improved, the draft is gone, and once I had the door open for awhile
the room was just slightly cooler than the other one, and I think they
all enjoy room two the most .. I think the temperature is fine with
them.

The new rugs - I'm not sure if they are eyeballs or what - are lovely
and thick, we all liked them a lot, as well as the boxes of
leaves/shredded paper and the new soft tunnel were greatly liked and
well played with. Tonite was a good ball nite too, Gizmo was hilarious,
flying around after a ball like a fiend.

Chubby and Logan weren't as chirpy as I would have liked to have seen
them, but they played quite a bit and were up most of an hour. Everyone
else was bouncy and playful for their whole time out.

I can't get over what a little miss sociability Juniper is, she's a
lovely girl.

Cheers all, Sue

Tuesday report

2007-12-05T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I'm new so please forgive any faux pas I commit. I've also got a hectic week, so this will be a bit brief.

Tommy and Bailey - Bailey looks a little raw around his stitches closer to his hindquarters, but the upper three-quarters seem to be healing well. Both were very active and wrestling quite a bit. Tommy was especially sweet as always.

Gloria and Laura - Spent a lot of time playing in the leaf box (which has now morphed into a shredded paper box as well).

Sophie and Herc - Sophie was as mischievous as could be and Herc was his normal plodding happy self.

Juniper - Wow, is she ever a ball of energy. She was running and climbing and chatting and just didn't want to stop. There were four or five poops outside her little pan as well as what was inside. Some of them were dried so I don't know if it was all from one night.

Logan and Chubby - They were pretty active for the two of them, so I gave them some extra time out since I had an odd number of run groups. They eventually tired out and snuggled up in the cube, but they seemed to be in decent spirits.

Gizmo - The coat looks more full and even, mostly in the hindquarters, than two weeks ago. There was also more energy and inquisitive behaviour, so that seems to be a good sign.

Inge - This was my first time meeting Inge, but she seemed really excited to play and climb. She was ready to go long before she got out and would have been fine to keep going if she could have. Sweet little girl.

Cheers,
Stephen

Saturday report

2007-12-01T20:29:00.000-08:00

Just thought you would all like to see it in bold lettering as you all keep telling me to keep writing one, sorry Ali but 6 ½ years of reporting is a hard habit to break.
Today was a thrill for both Bonnie and I, except for the bone problems, you all know what I mean, eh, Sue, some of us older folks find it a drag to keep sitting down on the floor and then getting up again. It has to happen, you know, you get settled on the floor with one of a duo to find the other has just climbed a cage and you think they are in imminent danger of falling off or tossing everything onto the floor, so up you get and bring them down, to then sit back down and find they have climbed back up. It’s a cycle we all go through, eh! Sooo truue.
I started with Juniper and Bonnie started with Inge, then we swapped at about the half hour mark. I was catching up on my paperwork using the cage with the plywood on top, and little Juniper would keep climbing the cage just to be with me. Time and again, she did this. She just loves personal attention. A beautiful little girl for someone to adopt. So personable. She also loves playing with balls.

Oh, she also got into my camera bag.
Then Bonnie and I switched girls, I got Inge and she got Juniper. She found Juniper to be the same with her as she was with me. Inge is very similar in her behaviour as Juniper. She is very personable, and cuddly, loves being handled, takes TD’s, and will nip when she is in the leaf box. NOT hard.
BTW, I brought in a large yard bag of dried leaves to keep the leaf box fresh with scrunchy leaves for the ferrets.
Oh, I forgot, It’s Bennie’s birthday on Sunday, please call (416-219-6728) to wish her a happy birthday.
Inge originally was picked up by Bonnie and I at Brampton Animal Control after she and her companion, Tony, we named them were left at the gate of a local school. Her friend was Tony (named after a couple, friends of ours and the shelters who took four ferrets from the FAS. Tony and Inge. Unfortunately, and sadly Tony had issues that did not allow him to survive a surgery we gave him to help him overcome his problems. That left Inge, who substituted all the volunteers for her lost mate. She is a really affectionate little girl. Forgot to mention, Inge uses the litter when outside the cage, unusual but great.
Following Inge came Tommy and Bailey with me and Sophie and Herc with Bonnie. Tommy has his best coat ever, long hair and super luxurious, Bailey is also doing well, but his is more course. Bailey’s tail is super, grey with a black band and a pure white tip. Tommy actually looks much bigger than he actually is due to all his luxuriant fur. Tommy also seems to be developing a blaze on his head, it is a light streak from front to back. And finally, he seems to be the dominant one over Bailey in the leaf box. Bailey actually behaved quite subdued to Tommy when they were both in the box.
Just a note, our Burke has just sobered up and woken up, he loves to clean our wine glasses, he can smell one from across the room, and NO we do not encourage him.
Bailey is looking great after surgery, hasn’t really slowed him down one iota. His incision is still looking a bit raw, but it is not slowing him down.
Please keep an eye on Sophie, she has vomited at least three times in her cage. She did well today, her normal mischievous self, or as Bonnie told me, she nipped Bonnie on the back of her leg, i.e. bare skin, and then fluffed her tail and jumped around the room chortling to herself. ( laughing at Bonnie). She really is a really personable little devil.
Herc was his normal self despite having had his belly ripped open this week. Sophie and Herc were out in the garage room which according to Bonnie is perishingly cold, the ferrets must agree with her as most who came out in that room spent most of their time looking for warm places to curl up.
The door needs some weather stripping installed and also the mouldings need some more nails, I will try to do something about it soon.
Next was Chubby and Logan, and these boys really do need to get out of the shelter. They need a home!. They are not doing really well at the shelter.
One really has to work at getting these two to play and be active. They are wonderfully personable boys, but seem unhappy. Chubby was also quite cold in the garage room and spent most of his run looking for warm places to curl up in.
Logan did play well in the leaf box with the new leaves. If these current leaves get mulched like the others did, then change them from the bag of leaves in the garage storage room.
Almost at the end, we had Gloria and Laura out . Let me firstly fill you in on Gloria’s last few days. Gloria had surgery on Thursday, adrenal. Britt picked her up from the Clinic and took her home, so she got the royal treatment at Britt and Stephen’s, with lot’s of Stephen’s chicken soup. It is so famous that other significant ferret owners use it too. As it was our weekend to do the shelter, Bonnie and I went over to B&S’s ( we were Xmas shopping in their neck of the woods anyway) and spent a great evening with B&S (thank you) and brought Gloria home with us when we left. She slept all the way home. She also met our little Dew, who is so unobtrusive and inoffensive that she let him follow all around the house while she explored. He wa totally enamoured with Gloria.
Today we brought her back and Laura was ecstatic to see her little friend. Gloria is the most cuddly, and gives lots of kisses. Laura is still a bit skittish, she was particularly nervous when any sudden noise occurred. I made some noise while I repaired the half door by the stiars.
PLEASE DO NOT USE THE DOOR AS A HANDRAIL/SUPPORT WHEN YOU GO DOWN INTO THE ROOM. IT WILL BREAK THE DOOR. SO DON’T DO IT.
And lastly out came Gizmo, our little naked boy with all the pizzazz imaginable, although he must have felt cool, he just kept going, always looking for attention, climbing p on us so he could get attention.
He appears to be starting to grow some hair, hopefully it will all come back, he really is a great ferret, who needs a good attentive home. He at least does not stand on his dignity, and shy away from attention, he is a proud and playfull little guy.
So there you have it. Saturday’s report.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and remember to give your little friends an extra hug, you all will enjoy it.
Nigel and Bonnie.
PS my other bitch is against those who secure the litter boxes in the cages to stop the guys from moving them around. It makes it so much harder to clean them.

Tuesday report

2007-11-27T21:33:00.000-08:00

Everyone got LOADS of time out today, all over an hour and a half.

Tommy and Bailey were their regular ol shmo selves. Got more leaves out of the box than in. Oh, who am I kidding, they're not leaves anymore, it's mulch.

Giz looks rediculous with his new fur coat coming in, but he was very playful today. He's such a trooper! I smeared some diaper rash cream on his little sores. They look like they're healing up, so I wouldn't put anything else on it, just watch to make sure they're not red and inflamed or getting bigger.

Sophie and Herc were lots of fun today. Sophie's toe is just fine :D

Chubby and Logan look like they've gotten over their funk. They're much more playful now. They like the ping pong ball box.

Laura and Gloria were very cute, they played lots and had lots of fun.

Juniper is a very playful little lady! She likes the ball box too.

Inge is the new lady. She's actually quite playful, explored lots. Keep an eye on her, I saw her vulva a bit enlarged. Possible adrenal.

Nothing else too new. Tommy and Herc both got to come out again and meet new friends. Both were suckups :D

Until 2 weeks from now!

Aggie

Monday November 26, 2007 Report

2007-11-27T10:56:00.001-08:00

The Monday Night Report

Lots of fun last evening with the shelter ferrets.

Tommy and Bailey enjoyed rolling around in the box of leaves. Bailey hopped right in and lay on his back yawning lazily for a good couple of minutes before being joined by Tommy. They wrestled a little but mostly just tossed leaves out of the box for Amanda and I to sweep up.

Juniper was very active and a lot of fun to play with. Both Amanda and I had a go at her and she was up for it. She didn’t bite me even once, not even in play. Definitely a good candidate for adoption.

Gizmo is the most pathetic looking ferret at the shelter. There is a small Christmas stocking in the toy bin that he c. When I sat down he crawled up the front of my shirt and onto my shoulder. Just a short jump and over the gate he went -, right into my wife’s purse. Amanda and I notice what appears to be a rash of some sort on him. On second thought I’m not sure if its from excessive scratching. Please keep an eye on Gizmo.

Laura dooked the entire she was out. Gloria was a troublemaker all night. She especially annoyed Chubby by climbing his cage and then hanging there. She got bitten on her right, front paw for her effort. Both Laura and Gloria took turns chewing on my arms and I took turns making them eat their own bums – we all had fun.

Sophie and Hercules were like night and day last evening. Sophie burst out of the cage and had a major run around while Herc was a little on the quiet side. To say Sophie has a lot of energy is a major understatement.

Last, but not least, Logan and Chubby. Not very active at all last night. They crawled into the soft cube and promptly went to sleep. They came out for a TD each. Chubby then went to sleep in the old cage by the garage door and Logan rummaged around in the towels on top of it.

Robert Rose

Sunday at the shelter

2007-11-26T04:57:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

We had a great day at the shelter today. The highlight of my day was when Chubby did a mini war dance. Logan insisted on giving me kisses for quite a while.

Gizmo is was energetic today and seems to growing some new fur. He is still a bit thin but that is accentuated by the lack of fur.

The rest of the kids had a great time. I moved Juniper into the main ferret room, Below Gizmo. Inge is expected back to the shelter today so I thought it might be less stressful if she was in a room without all the other ferret smells.

Tommy, Bailey and Gloria are having surgery on Wednesday so keep the positive vibes coming.

Weights were taken. We have 3 bags of litter , lots of paper towels.

Have a great week
Olympia

Saturday report

2007-11-24T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone.

Today was fine, everyone was out and everyone was happy.

Bailey and Tommy were out first with Laura and Gloria. Both groups
were crazy and playful. Tommy is such a sweetheart and kept coming to
me to be picked up, then would run around and play with Bailey. Bailey
just loves to play :).

Laura and Gloria, I've fallen in love with. They play so much and
Gloria always give me kisses, Laura was following me around and
biting my socks, then trying to go in the tube with them lol.

Then I had Logan and Chubby out with Sophie and Herc. Both Sophie and
Herc went crazy with the leaf box! Sophie would bury herself under
them and Herc would jump on top of them. Most of there play was in the
leaf box.

Logan and Chubby weren't to active, but Logan gave lots of kisses and
would play with me when I played with him, also played with Chubby.
Chubby likes playing tug a war with the toys and jumps on my lap to be
pet.

And then Gizmo with Juniper. Gizmo was so full of energy! Woke up
while Logan/Chubby/Sophie/Herc were out and didn't go back to sleep
till 10 minutes after I put him back to bed. He played the whole time
and ran around and played, and was just a big cutie.

Juniper is one cute fuzzy. Very playful, and really loves to play with
people. She likes sitting on shoulders and being dragged around on the
floor on or in a blanket/sleeping sack.

I believe that was it. Have a good weekend everyone :)

Ali

Inge

2007-11-23T07:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone.

Inge is doing well. She's returning to the shelter tomorrow.

She has a small appetite, but put on weight with 2 feedings per day of chicken baby food - ony accepted if it was warm.

Inge has lovely manners. She drinks from a water bowl - no spills. I didn't even try her on a water bottle.

As for litter pans, she has 4 thoughts. Good for doing her business #1 and #2. Good for digging in. Good for pushing around. Good for hollowing out a small depression to curl up and sleep in (this applies only to pans that are not being used for business #1 and #2).

She chuckles a lot when roaming around and giggles when you play with her. She loves to play in a really large bag, filled with more bags. With a hole in the bottom of the large bag, she soon learned she could enter/exit from either end. (I'm sure she'll love the box of leaves at the shelter.) She enjoys tubes, but she absolutely loves squeak toys. We do the grab and stash routine ... I squeak a toy, she grabs/dashes/stashes then comes back looking for the next one to grab ... she'll nip when I grab the toys from her stash.

Inge was a bit of a biter when I first took her home (broke skin and drew blood). After a couple of weeks, she became very comfortable with us and her biting lessened. She still bites during play, but not as hard.

Inge eats paper ! So please watch her, if she gets on the cage that has the volunteer sheets.

Best of all, Inge gives kisses.

...Nancy

Monday Report

2007-11-20T10:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone

Logan and Chubby - they still have very soft poops and there was a green one
in their litter box. Hanna had them out before I got there so she was
playing with them.

Sophie & Hercules - Hercules poop was fine last night when I did his litter
box. Sophie still has some soft poops. Both were active and playful and
had a great time in the leave box.

Tommy and Bailey - Tommy's poops were ok Bailey had some soft ones. Both
were their usual crazy playful selves. They also enjoyed playing in the
leave box.

Laura and Gloria - these two are so cute. Both were playful and active.
They had some ok poops and some soft ones. Unfortunately I didn't see
either one of them go outside the cage so I don't know which one is still
doing the soft poops.

Gizmo - our sweet bald little guy. He was very active. He shared my dinner
last night. He likes roast chicken breast. His poops were actually ok
which surprised me.

Juniper - she's cute but watch those teeth. She talked non-stop and loves
to play wrestling in the blanket. If I remember correctly her poops were a
little soft.

All the blankets, towels, etc in the cages have been changed. All the
litter boxes were dumped, scrubbed and fresh litter put in. Unfortunately I
could only get three bags of ferret litter but I didn't have to open any of
them last night. I forgot to pick up more paper towels but we still have
six rolls in storage and a full roll in each playroom so we should be ok
until my next shift.

Tanya

Saturday Report

2007-11-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

Firstly, if anyone has been on the website in the last few days then I sincerely apologize for the mess in the adoption section. I tried to add some pictures and they sort of went all over the place. Looks like that part of my education still has room to improve. It will get there, so be patient.

To the ferrets then.

I got to the shelter early to do some work on the upstairs computer but couldn’t, due to bodies all over the place so I let Juniper out and let her run in the garage room. A tip, close the door to the house, it’s warmer. Juniper is very attentive to whistles, it really gets her attention. This little lady really loves to play with hands, she also doesn’t bite but does use her teeth so gently it is like a caress. Also like some people I have known she is very ticklish on the ribs. Squirms and kicks to get down then comes right back at you. Be careful though, she has that look of giving a playful nose nip if given half the chance, and NO she did not get me. She also has a fascination with pant legs and will tunnel up your pants if given the opportunity. She chatters a bit while playing and there is ample evidence of some tail wagging in the tube. A real joy waiting to be adopted.

Sorry, second picture is not as complimentary as a lady would like.

At this point Bonnie arrived and took Tommy and Bailey into the garage room while I got to have out Chubby and Logan. These are two very nice guys. They have coats, others would love to have. Long thick and luxuriant, but underneath they are both quite small and a bit skinny, I can feel every rib they have as well as every joint down their backs. Chubby still nips in playing but never hard, and it is playing. Logan, unless provoked is a quiet little fellow, and just wanders around exploring every nook and cranny. Both these boys will follow you all around the room while you doing the cleanouts, they just want lots of attention. I don’t think they like the lack of 24 hour attention they probably got where they were. All-in-all, a couple of really nice 4+ year old ferrets.

Oh!, I forgot to mention, at home we filled up a box of maple leaves for our ferrets from our front yard, and Bonnie brought it in with her. Well, we tried Chubby and Logan in and they enjoyed the enrichment.

Tommy and Bailey also got the same treatment but I am sorry I did not get pics of this. When first brought in Juniper was still out so Bonnie brought Tommy in and put him in the box. Juniper came over and jumped in as well without realising another ferret was in there. She fluffed, screamed and went for poor unsuspecting Tommy. At that point she went back to her cage. Tommy came out of the leaf box and explored the room a bit. I then gave Bailey over to Bonnie and he joined Tommy. Bonnie thought she would try again to see if Juniper would go with the two bots after a little bit of introduction. More screams from Juniper and the two boys had the best bottle brushes I have seen in years. Juniper was not left out with the boys. She was toned and went to bed. Both boys, once they had gotten used to it, loved the leaf box. Tommy’s poops were not the best, he was given hair ball tonic, but please keep and eye on him, and give him some tonic. Tanya, we may need some hairball tonic, it’s that time of year for some moulting.

Laura and Gloria came out with me next. Both just love that leaf box. If I have time I will get a whole paper sack of them and let them really dry out and then bring them in to the shelter.

Both the girls had hairball tonic. Gloria just loves playing with hands and will put her teeth on you but not hard, almost backs away when she realizes she has a finger in her mouth. She just loves all the attention you can give her.

In the other room, Bonnie had Herc and Sophie out. As Bonnie says, Sophie had a blast today. She actually played a lot with Hercules while they were both in the leaf box. Jumping on him and burrowing. I went in and found them both on top of the cage in the garage room, both wrapped up in the blanket that had been left there.

If that isn’t a couple, then what is. She seems to be accepting vene more than before. No longer just tolerating him but preffering his company Bonnie thinks that the smell of the outdoors really brought out the spirit of fun in Sophie..

Doesn’t Hercules colour really show well against a leafy background? And finally after we had a bite to eat, I went up stairs to work on the computer and Bonnie brought out Gizmo. He is quite active in exploring everything about him. He also got into the leaves.

He certainly is bald, but acts well, only likes to burrow in the blankets, we suspect, to keep warm. Without a coat he could feel the cooler air in the basement much more.

On top of his cage is a small container of soft moist food which he really likes and it would help “fatten” him up and make him feel better. Please keep us all informed if he continues to like it and Bonnie will bring in some more for him.

To Tanya, the last bag of litter has just been put into the bin, so they will need more in next few days.

And finally, check this out, it makes cleaning cages easier, the Ferret Nation cages will support the litter bag bin.

It just hooks there. Another note in the spirit of using less litter. Try scraping the clean litter away from the wet and poopy stuff and only scoop the dirty litter. I think a lot of clean litter is being recycled.

That just about wraps it up for Saturday. The rest of the pictures will end up on the web site.

Nigel and Bonnie.

Freckles

2007-11-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

As you all know Freckles has not been doing well so Brit took her home to give her extra loving care. Let’s hope she can fight her way back.

Thanks so much Brit!
Olympia

just another lazy tuesday afternoon

2007-11-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

So, quick and easy peasy.

Everyone was great, Gizmo looks pathetic in his new leather jacket,
but is still very playful, took his meds just dandy, incision looks great.

Freckles doesn't look so hot. Sue came by and fed her and gave her
fluids and she perked up a bit.

Chubby and Logan has nasty seedy poops. I saw that Debbie said they
had green slimy poops? Weren't they at the shelter when we had ECE a
few years ago? Weird. They went with Randy for a tv spot appearance.
Little superstars.

Everyone else was just fine.

Sophie, the little brat, got over anything I used to block her off.
(Nigel, you'll be so proud) I rigged up a little something around the
door that will keep ferrets in. There's a piece I left by the door
that gets put in as the baby gate is closing. I also put a piece of
plywood by the door in the garage so that if by chance the door gets
opened, you wont have ferrets immediately booking it under the shelf.

That's bout it. Tootloo!

Aggie

Robbie update

2007-11-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

Hi Olympia,

It's been a while since you've gotten an update so I thought I'd pass along a few recent pics of the little guy. He is still doing wonderfully!

I hope yours are too! What ever happened to his "sister"? Such a sweetie! Did she go to a home or did you guys end up keeping her?

I hope all is well!

Bye for now.

Debra (and Robbie )

Bubba

2007-11-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

Bubba came to our shelter almost 3 years ago with his brother Tut and 2 sisters Memset & Tiye. I was always worried about having to split them up in order to get them all into homes. I mean, no one in their right mind would adopt four ferrets at once!! Well, I was wrong. A WONDERFUL couple came to our shelter and fell in love with the group. Tony & Inge assured me that having four kids was a dream for them.

Sadly, Tut passed quite suddenly after a short illness just after going home but the other kids thrived. In Inge's words the story of her kids and her 'newbies' adopted from our Canada Day rescue.

I am so sad to share with you all that dear Bubba passed away late last night. He'll be sadly missed by his mum & dad as well as many of our volunteers and by me. Fly to the angels little Bubba. We all love you very much!! Tony & Inge, MANY thanks for loving this boy (and the others) and giving them all a second chance at a beautiful and happy life. I will forever be thankful to you both.

Randy

Sunday at the shelter

2007-11-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

We had a good day at the shelter with the exception of Freckles, she is not feeling well. She has lost weight, she is very dehydrated, very weak, and was grinding her teeth. I fed her chicken baby food twice, gave her Sulcrufate and Randy and I sub-Q her but she is still very weak. She seemed to get worse after she stopped the antibiotics so Randy will start her up again. Please keep a close eye on her.

Bailey and Tommy were out first and surprisingly were well behaved and did not fight with each other.

Hercules and Sophie were out next. Herc was very playful today and Sophie did not bite me once. Sophie did escape to the upstairs and got into the garbage can so she had a bath.

Chubby and Logan were very mellow and I imagine still getting use to the shelter life. Chubby did do a very runny poop when he was out.

Gloria and Laura were very playful, especially Laura.

Gizmo was very quiet. He walked around for a few minutes but went back to bed after that.

Juniper was quite active and eager for attention. I had her out for quite a while and near the end she started to sneeze a lot.

Nigel, the scale is broken so I was not able to weigh anyone.

Take care,
Olympia

update on Drew

2007-11-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

Hi Olympia

The bonding between Gizmo and Drew goes better each day.

She loves the leaves, she can be so playful,sometimes just by herself when Gizmo is still sleeping.They are all in little pieces now,so I have to go out and get a new batch.

We took her outside the other day,with this new leash it goes very well,she can't get out.She wasn't sure in the beginning but after a while,she started to appreciate it.

Take Care!
Marielle

Tony the ferret

2007-10-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that ferrets Tony & Inge came in this past weekend. Tony was put on the priority list for surgery yesterday when the vet found he had a cigar sized, very hard hair ball in his intestine. We were quoted about $700 for the emergency surgery.

Today, during surgery, the vet called me and informed me that not only was there a hairball, there were also multiple insulinomas, a VERY large, black right adrenal gland and a very enlarged left adrenal gland. I was told to take care of all his immediate needs, surgery would exceed $1,000 and the vet wasn't sure he would survive well after surgery. She suggested I euthanize.

Tony has now crossed the rainbow bridge. In all honesty, it wasn't because I was fearful he wouldn't do well after surgery. We have no money. We have 6 or 7 other ferrets needing surgery now. 2 of which are urgent. I hate having to make these choices because we have no fucking money. I need a break too but it will never come.

I'm sorry for Inge who must now be left alone. I'm sorry for Nancy who took these kids in until ADV tests could be done. I'm sorry I don't have all the money in the world for these kids but mostly I'm sorry that I failed this kid, who was found abandon outside a school and didn't ever find real love. I'm just really fucking sorry.

Miss Randy Melanie Belair

President

The Ferret Aid Society

www.ferretaid.org

Join the IFC Ferret Aid list! Get the info FIRST!

IFC_FerretAid-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Ferret Aid 2006 photos

http://www.ferretaid.org/events/ferret_aid_2006.html

Sunday at the shelter

2007-10-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

It was a busy Sunday at the shelter. We had someone come in to check us out and possibly volunteer, two adoption appointments and a cage dropped off to the shelter. We certainly need the extra cage, we are busting at the seams. We have 3 ferrets waiting to come in, two are at Nancy’s and a young girl I named Juniper is at the animal control in Toronto. Poor thing is in the same room as two chickens, one pigeon and one very yappy young dog. I don’t know how she is going to manage for another two weeks until her ADV results come back.

Bailey and Tommy were their usual crazy selves but very well behaved for our new volunteer. Bailey trashed his cage after I put him in so at the end he won and got a second run. Tommy has turned out to be quite the cuddle bunny and just sat in people’s arms as they pet him.

Gloria and Laura were out next. Laura does not like the sound of squeaky toys and got all freaked out when our new volunteer used it and jumped up and bit his face.

Sophie’s poop was really slimy and green. She was really quiet and I was told that she threw up the day before. I think she is losing weight so keep a close eye on her. Her buddy Hercules was doing well and was his goofy cute self.

Dora is growing some fur on her back and I hope she keeps it up. However her funny sneeze is still there so I took Nancy’s advice and put a bowl of water in her cage. I wonder how long the water will stay in the bowl. She went to the vet last Monday and her heart and lungs sound good and the blood work came back normal so I am hoping the sneeze will go away. She was quite bouncy and playful today and impressed the couple that came to hopefully adopt.

Gizmo was not as needy today as he usually is. He explored both rooms and seemed quite interested in the new cage. He is going in for his distemper booster on Tuesday and some blood work and the following Tuesday he is going into High Park for adrenal surgery.

I thought Freckles was in good spirits today, she seemed less agitated and more interested in exploring. She started out in the second ferret room and decided to bring all the toys from one corner to the other, which kept her busy for 30 minutes as she was slowing down I changed the rooms and she perked up again. I am happy to see that she is growing a bit of fur on her body and maybe with a Lupron shot we will see more fur. Her blood work was not so positive so now she is on antibiotics to see if they help her. Poor Randy has to give her meds twice a day.

Chubby and Logan are such sweet gentle boys and they are so soft. Today they got a bigger hammock since they love sleeping together in it. I let them run back and forth between the two ferret rooms since they were the last out and they enjoyed it. They went to sleep after a while and so I woke them up and tried to motivate them but I think they are still trying to understand why they are at the shelter.

Supplies – We need litter and paper towels

Laundry – the laundry container is full of dirty laundry

Tools – all the tools, screws, drills and the rest of the stuff on the counter was placed in a bin. The clear bin is the space below the stairs where all the left over flooring is.

Last Sunday I picked up a little girl I named Drew from Oakville Humane. She was adopted the same day by a wonderful family with a big blond beautiful male ferret named Gizmo. She doing great and I have also attached a few very cute pictures of her.

Lucky girl!

News

2007-10-23T10:58:00.001-07:00

Have a few things to tell everyone! Aggie is BACK. Nothing makes me happier, you all know how much I have missed her since she has been in SK. Aggie is back and has taken over Shannan's Tuesday shifts for now. WELCOME BACK Aggie!!! :)

We also have a new volunteer who is taking every other Saturday so Bonnie & Nigel can get the much needed break they deserve. Ali has ferrets and came in last week for training. Ali did very well and you can see how much she enjoys the kids :) Welcome Ali and we hope you enjoy your stay with us!!!

I've received a few private e-mails from some of you in regards to Olympia's needing some time off. Yes, it's true and it's been a long time coming. Olympia has been doing most of the out-of-shelter tasks for a few years now and we all know how overwhelming that can be. She is not leaving the Board of Directors and will still be at the shelter every other Sunday but she is needing some time for herself which she isn't getting by doing all the vet runs, checking phone messages and going out to Animal Controls to ADV test and pick up ferrets PLUS helping me with adoptions. She isn't sure how long she will be on break but we all know she deserves it and all of us support her in her efforts to have a more normal life :)

This is where I need you all to come in. I don't drive and can not afford to taxi to and from the vet or various animal control shelters. I'll begin posting when ferrets need picking up etc very soon and I hope some of you will be able to help. Many thanks to Nancy for offering help with vet runs already.

As of today, I am very nervous. There are 2 ferrets in Brampton that NEED to be picked up by Saturday or they will be killed. They are not ADV tested and I'm at a loss of what to do. Do ANY of you know someone who may be able to hold onto these ferrets until the ADV test results come in? It would have to be a ferret free home. If they end up at our shelter they will have to be fully caged until the results come back. I also need someone to pick them up and bring them here from Brampton. If anyone is available for that, please let me know too. There is also a man with 7 ferrets and a ferret at Toronto animal control and another at Hamilton needing to come in. We have no room and no funds for these kids. High Park may be able to do a few adrenal surgeries at cost for us (about $300) which may be of help.

On another note, Tina, our London shelter mom is thinking of having a get together nearer to Christmas. She'll be in touch with us about it when she firms up a date. I think we could all use a party and some 'lighter' times. I sure know I could.

Miss Randy Belair

Saturday, Oct. 20th report

2007-10-21T07:41:00.001-07:00

First let me introduce you to a small friend from my past, his name is Chico, but because he was so small, we called him Chicinho, or little Chico. His previous owner had tied a cord around his waist and then had him climb the mango trees and then they would yank him back when he had a mango in his hands. As he grew from a youngster, they never adjusted the cord and he had it grow into his skin around his waist. This was my first rescue. He cost me about $5 as I had to buy him to help him.

This is Chico.

He stands 15” high.

Now to the shelter and today.

Gloria and Laura were first out in the main room and then Tommy and Bailey were out with Bonnie in the garage room. Both these two G & L love to play and try to drag hands and fingers in to the tubes, and guess what, to do that they have to nip and pull. They are still very gentle even in play. Sorry, no pictures of the girls this week nor of Tommy and Bailey.

The two boys were as rambunctious as always, Bonnie and I think they are the first cousins of our Higgins & Burke. Only not quite so rambunctious. Higgins is becoming a holy terror as he recovers from his illness. Tommy and Bailey love to rough and tumble, especially if you leave them alone for a bit. Anti-boredom activity.

In the cage Tommy’s poops looked Ok but he did a really soft diarrhea like poop while out. Bailey on the other hand had a very soft (runny) poop in his litter which could be smelled from across the room. Seems like we may have poop issues in the shelter.

Gizmo came out next in the garage room and Dora was out in the main room. Gizmo had visitors, prospects, but unfortunately, they were very un-ferret savvy and had to be asked to learn a bit more before trying again. It was pointed out how expensive these little guys can be. So Gizmo stays for awhile. He will have his surgery and then grow his gorgeous coat again and be a real winner in the glamour stakes.

Dora stayed with me in the main room with me. She really is such a sweetie and so gentle and needs such a deal of attention. I did notice that she had only one very very small poop in her litter. She was also coughing quite a bit. This in no way affected her activity level which is high when she has someone to interact with. She did at one point vomit, projectile vomit, clear to very slightly brownish, no hair in it. It shot 2 feet from her mouth. Please keep and eye on her. I find she loves pick-ups but not for long which seems about par for the course for ferrets. If she doesn’t get put down when she wants, she can really squirm and will try to wiggle her way down.

Here is a couple of shots of Dora.

Could anyone resist this little girl.

Two ferrets came back into the shelter today, they were Chubby and Logan. Chubby and Logan first came to the Shelter in March 2004 and stayed with us till Aug. 2004. They were two very special little guys. Gentle but playful. Chubby used to lick out our yogurt containers. Well they arrived back and we were stunned at the condition of these two. They are gorgeous, the softest, richest coats you could imagine. They looked great. Can’t understand how someone could give them up. They are now about 4 ½ years old. Chubby plays with balls, and will take liberties if you hold him too near your face when he wants down, that hasn’t changed if I remember correctly. Logan just doesn’t know how to nip. Logan has beautiful red eyes, unusual for a sable. Chubby used to be a silver, but many of this ilk he has lightened up to be a slightly streaky looking DEW. Just Gorgeous. Here they are.

Hercules and Sophie out next, or rather at same time, other room with Bonnie. Both very playful with good activity levels. Sorry again no photos. Wrong room.

Lastly out came Freckles.

Her litter was very wet again, far more pee than normal for a single ferret. Poops soft as well. And a bit seedy. She is reported to be drinking huge amounts of water. I think she is going in next week for checks.

Freckles seems to like the samba stuffed toy on top of her cage. She dragged it into the cube and curled up with it. She seems agitated all the time, can’t seem to slow down.

That’s all for now. There will not be Saturday report next week as after 6 ½ years some has volunteered to do every other Saturday. So we two have to now wrack our brains for something to do on every other Saturday. I am sure that will evoke some comments.

I do have a request for Olympia if you can, the guys will still needs weighing each week so if you shift is on our off week then could you take the weights and mark on the sheets, also could you compare with the previous weeks weights to see if we have problems.

That’s really it, or I will be accused of rambling on.

Bonnie and Nigel

Saturday, Oct. 6th report

2007-10-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

First out were Gizmo and Dora, each in different rooms. Bonnie and I split our time with each of then so we both got to play with both Gizmo and Dora. Gizmo is a very attentive little guy, he keeps climbing into my lap and asking for hugs, such a pity he is so adrenal, he is naked on his chest and most of his belly even though he has fur on his back. Patchy but it’s there. He stood up and checked out Hercules through the bars and both seemed very curious. No squabbles or threatening postures. Has any one else noticed he has a little hook at the end of his tail. Looks like it may be a small growth right on the side of the tip of the tail. Giz can be very friendly and very chatty when he gets the attention he wants. I think some of the chest fur loss could be through scratching as he seems to scratch there a lot. A great find for someone once the adrenal is sorted out.

WATCH GIZMO’S POOPS, they look very thin and small. Well formed and solid but small and thin. We gave him lots of hairball tonic and maybe he should get more from each volunteer. Then we gave to all the rest too.

Dora was in the other room for the first half period then switched to my room, the lower one. She is also suffering from hair loss even though we think she may be only four months old. She is very gentle and is a toy stasher, especially in the tubes. She also chews the toys a bit, so please watch out for that. She likes the toys as seen her with the handcuffs.

Tommy and Bailey. These two fight when they get bored and one leaves them alone to amuse themselves. They seem to need constant attention. Tommy stood up on his hind legs and begged for a pick up several times. Then he likes to nuzzle. When Bailey sees Tommy do this he follows suit and waits for his turn. Both boys love the TD treats. Bonnie bought some special biscuit like treats that all of them really liked.

Laura and Gloria out next. Laura loves pick-ups but will nip soft under arm tissues if given the chance, like if she wants down. Gloria climbs over the barricade someone put up in the 2nd room to stop them going where some contraction stuff is stored, but this barricade does not apply to Gloria, she hops over in a trice. Climb the air cleaner and is over. Laura, unfortunately cannot follow, her figure will not allow it. I put her over one time so she wouldn’t feel left out and she had a ball, especially when I gave her a treat as well. Gloria can also get under that baby door if the bottom is not closed properly, it seems it is out of alignment a bit. Gloria also stole my weights book, fake ostrich hide, she must like the taste of leather. Neither of these two ladies likes to play very rough and will stay away if you try. Both will keep coming back if offered hugs. Neither liked ferret bowling either. They look like some undignified action has been perpetrated on them when you attempt to bowl them. Laura will stash TD’s if offered more than two or three. Laura also stashes squeaky toys when they are squeaked.

Sophie and Hercules out next. Sophie never stops. Never seems to get tired. She uses a climbing technique we used to see with our Poppy, she runs her back up the wall while climbing the cage bars. We removed her stitches using the small black nail clippers, saw Dr. mike do it and thought it would work here. She is now stitch free.

Both got playing in the toy hamper, while it was on it’s side and mostly zipped up. Every now and again Hercules would emerge, look around and charge back inside and the whole hamper would “rock and roll.” Ever wonder what ferrets do when you can’t see them!.

Watching these two I have come to the conclusion that Hercules is very dependent on Sophie but Sophie is quite dependent on people. But when he gets too pushy for attention, she lets fly and pounces all over him.

All have stable weights so nothing immediate is happening.

And that Folks is the Saturday report.

Nigel and Bonnie.

New ferrets

2007-09-30T19:10:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

We have two new kids at the shelter.

Gizmo is a 3-4 year old dark eyed white boy that came from Animal services Toronto South. He is super sweet and is adjusting to the shelter very nicely but he is adrenal and until we can take care of that I doubt he will get along with anyone. I tried with out any success.

Dora (the name for “gift” in Greek) is a 4 month old sable baby girl. She came from a home and brought FLEAS with her. I did not notice until she run for 10 minutes in the other ferret room and was in her cage for another 15 minutes. So I removed 4 fleas from the poor girl, gave her two flea baths and treated her with Advantage. Unfortunately her first night at the shelter was not very good and she is very stressed. Please give her extra hugs and kisses until she finds some friends to play with.

I also treated everyone else with Advantage just in case. Please do not have anyone run in the other ferret room until we spray, better to be extra safe.

Bailey and Tommy were their usual goofy selves. They have been squabbling a great deal so please make sure they each go in their OWN cages. Bailey likes to knock off his water bottle so I reinforced it with a twist tie.

Gloria and Laura are surprising still very sweet and gentle. I was hoping that they would be adopted by now but the family that was interested is taking their time.

Hercules has moved cages, he is now below Sophie. He and Sophie are still getting along really well, he has certainly become a Ladies Man! Sophie is becoming sweeter and more every time I see her. I guess the adrenal surgery really helped her.

Have a good week everyone!

Olympia

Saturday September 15th report

2007-09-18T19:58:00.001-07:00

A brief report this time. Lot’s of things happened this week or are about to happen, so we are a bit distracted.

However……………………………….

We started out letting Bailey and Tommy out first and immediately discovered that Bailey loves having toys thrown at him or past him, he really likes to chase things or fight them. He really gets excited. On the other hand, Tommy can have his quiet moments and loves to be held and lick ears. He can however be very playful and will bounce all over the floor when he gets excited. His bounces are some of the highest I have seen, they are very much like our Fabien’s, in fact if Fabien did not have his black mark on his head they would be almost indistinguishable. Sorry of the long words, happens once in a while. Another analogy, Bailey apart from being a darker ringer for our Burke, he behaves very similarly, he thinks he is a puppy (the dog sort) and will follow you everywhere and be interested in all you do. Bailey is also a bit heavier this week. I found that Bailey loves to fight the hand in the end of the tube, but funny thing, he is so gentle and wont bite. Outside the tube he can be provoked to grab and hold but very hard. He was actually pulling away from my ginger when I put it in his mouth in the tube. You know how they open their mouth’s as a sign of play, well he will pull away if he feels a finger between his teeth.

Gloria loves balls, she will play and chase balls for quite a while. Laura just watches her. Laura quite playful but she is more subdued than Gloria and doesn’t climb cages the way Gloria does. Gloria gets into one-track-mind mode once she has climbed one height, looking for more excitement and another climb. She is a real powerhouse of an explorer. Up and down, up and down, that’s me just up after just getting settled on the floor to play with the other one and I have to get up to pull Gloria off a cage. It’s hard on the “old” back. There! I am looking for sympathy. Both gained a couple of grams this week so they are doing well.

Next out came Hercules and Sophie. These guys play so well together, Herc actually bounces almost as much as Tommy when he tries to pounce on Sophie, but she is quick, and most times he misses. But once or twice he landed and held on and it was funny to see Sophie dragging Herc across the floor on her back. And No, I think this is just play. Sophie also plays back, it is a two way street here folks. Sophie lost 20 grs. this week, may be time for a new coat. She is still very active. She actually nailed Gloria once, Gloria had climbed to the top of the cages and then decided to go down between hers and Sophie’s, well that left her exposed and Sophie grabbed her.

Sophie went into the blue clothes hamper (garbage can) in the corner then flips the lid and peers out at the world.

And finally, thanks from Hercules to who ever brought in the Dingo Beef treats. And don’t leave the packet on the floor, I think he would finish it in one session, he loves them. Sophie likes them but he loves them, back for more and more. Don’t take them well from your hands but will pick up off the floor very well , thank you.

As I mentioned earlier, SH……. Happened this week, our cat Willow came down with what the vet cautiously suspected is a major bladder infection, she was peeing bloody urine. Dribbling actually. The other thought was a rare chance of cancer. She is on A/B’s and we’ll see what happens. A side effect of this is, we wont be having guests for awhile as Willow pee has scented our house.

As some of you know our wonder boy Higgins came down with something a few weeks ago and he has never fully recovered, a suspected bile duct infection/blockage, he is up for an exploratory this week, there could be adrenal in the mix as well.

So keep him in your thoughts.

So that was Saturday.

Nigel and Bonnie

PS. The floor surface in both the ferret rooms is veeerrrryyy good for ferret bowling.

Saturday September 8th report

2007-09-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday……………………………… how time flies Well, it's going to be a shorter than usual report as my camera ran out of batteries and the newly charged lot flunked out as well after only three pics. Seems like they may not have been charged at all. 'nough said. Here is the gallery of rogues as we saw them today. Out first was the indomitable pair of Hercules and Sophie. Yes they do get along wonderfully well. And will play together. Hercules just took to Sophie and at first she ignored him. She tried desperately to find Pup. Eventually she found Hercules, who was following her around a little doughy eyed, but determined to have this little cutie for a friend.

The following is their Bio pics.

When I first saw the picture above of Herc, I thought it was our dearly remembered George, they look so much alike. The one above our little Sophe. Next, a cutie of Sophie and a great one of Herc.

Sophie tried to bite off more than she could handle.

Hercules looks so adoptable here, anyone up to the challenge, although you may have to take his new girlfriend too!!! Sophie got me a really good one today, it bled too. I was holding her and stopped paying her the attention she thinks she deserves, so she twisted gently round and nailed me on the nose, the sensitive part too, it took a minute but it bled!!! Silly me, I took her for granted. And now, my "pièce de resistance" for the day…………………..Bailey

And now I would like to turn it over to Bonnie to finish as she spent the rest of the session with the two lovable little girls, Laura and Gloria. The girls behaved as they usually do, both were quite bouncy. Not near as chatty as they have been in the past but still a little dook here and a little dook there. Laura seemed to bounce the most when she was taking after Gloria. I did find that a couple of times when I picked Laura up to give her snuggles, that Gloria was right there almost as if to say, "hey, what're you doing with my girl??" And do not lie down on the floor or you will have Gloria gnawing on your bare arms. After they had been out their allotment of time, I opened their cage and placed the ball box under the door so they could use it to get in and out. While I was picking up toys and sweeping, Gloria crawled right in the cage and went to sleep. Laura was still oot and aboot till I picked her up to put Tone on her belly and when I reached in the cage to put her in, up pops Gloria for her bellyful of Tone. So folks, that was the Saturday report, hope all enjoyed it as much as we did in writing it. Sometimes one can lay on the BS thick and deep and get away with it, I await your comments and verdict. Do not aim any flack at Bonnie, she's left the room , this is all me. Nigel

Pup's good-bye

2007-09-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm only posting this because so many of you were super attached to this little guy and I know many of you contacted me wishing you could be there with me today. I was lucky I had someone to go with me and Pup had us both today. I will tell you all how the day went so you will feel comforted in knowing how peaceful it was for both him and for me.

When I got to the clinic, Pup was very bright and active. He leapt to the side of his cage when he saw me and looked so healthy even after just having surgery. He sat up on his hind legs to say hello to me and I reached in and gave him some treats. That cute, pudgy face was so bright and adorable, I couldn't believe I was there to let him cross the bridge. I looked at my friend and began to cry wondering if I was making the right choice.

The doc came in. I cried harder. I asked him if I was doing the right thing. Then Pup lost all energy and flopped down. The answer was clearer. I held Pup for a while and then put him back in his cage with more treats. Sophie, who was in another cage began to bang on the bars. I was told by the doc that "she was trouble". That made me smile. I gently lifted Sophie out of her cage and placed her with Pup so that they could see each other one last time. Not that it mattered to Sophie, she didn't know it would be the last time she would ever see Pup but I know it mattered to him. He groomed her for a while in happiness to see her. She couldn't care less and just licked up the extra 'tone that had dripped on the side of the cage.

The doc then took me and Pup into a private room. Pup lay on the table, not really interested in moving much. I gave him the 'tone, as much as he wanted. It couldn't hurt him now, and he just loved it so much. The doc gave him a sedative. As the sedative began to take effect, I bent down to kiss him from each one of you and for me too. I kissed his cheek a few times and he began to kiss me back. This brought me to hysterical tears and he enjoyed licking my face more. He kissed away my tears and even kissed my nose. I gave him more tone and more kisses as the doc gave Pup the final needle.

Pup gently fell into sleep at some point between kissing me and licking tone. He went quietly and very peacefully but most importantly, he went with dignity.

Please give extra attention to Sophie, she seems a little lost back at the shelter now without Pup.

Miss Randy Melanie Belair

Saturday Report (by Nigel)

2007-09-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday done with and all is well.

What, did you expect more?

Oh all right here goes.

Bailey and Tommy came out first and they played hard

Not sure who was getting the best of this, Bailey whines a lot and Tommy pounces a lot, on Bailey. Tommy reminds us a lot of our Fabian.

Tommy also knows how to beg and get your attention, notice the perfect poise, using his paws for balance.

While the boys were out I decided to see if one of the girls would work with them, so I brought out Gloria. Why Gloria, well I figured she could best handle it.

She ignored both boys, except for a cursory sniff at Tommy’s butt then she headed for the tubes. Poor Bailey couldn’t handle this; she drove him from the tubes each and every time he tried to get into them. He did jump her once but she shrugged him off and ignored him although he tried to jump on her. We put her back to save some stress on both sides. She really did not want to go back in the cage. Laura stayed put, I don’t think she could have handled it. With Bailey trying to jump on Gloria we thought she might be putting off an adrenal smell he was picking up.

As Pup and Sophie, had been picked up so Pup could get some constant TLC as he is not doing well, that left us with only Laura and Gloria to come out.

Sophie in all her glory. Playful Pup, let’s hope he get’s back to this.

Laura and Gloria came out and both got a really good hug from me. I have found that if you do that, neither will nip me. But it has to be a really slow gentle hug and a couple of kisses to the top of the head. No nips yet. Sorry no pics. I had to go out for awhile from the ferret room so I left them at the mercy of BONNIE.

They survived, but you should see Bonnie. (just Kidding). Laura really is so dependent on Gloria, the bond on her part is very strong. When I put her back in her cage she desperately tried not to go until Gloria was put in as well. Then they curled up together and went to sleep. They are now in the same cage together. A lovely pair. Oh, and did I tell that Gloria sometimes can’t keep her feet on the ground, ….boy, can she climb.!!!!

That appears to all for now, Oh unless you want a bit of an update on Higgins.

Well, our crowd stick together, in thick and thin, in sickness and in …………………………….oh bull, well,… see for yourselves.

Our little Dew decided Higgins needed caring for, so……

Dew made sure he stayed warm. Higgins is still quite weak but has managed to get up stairs, (3 steps) by himself. Vet has suggested his problems could be adrenal related so he will probably get unzipped soon. Send him your best wishes.

And that, folks, was Saturday.

TTFN

Nigel & Bonnie

For the un-initiated, Ta-Ta For Now

Garage Sale

2007-06-12T18:15:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. FAS is having our annual garage sale on July 7 & 8 this year. If ANYONE has anything they would like to donate for the sale, please let me know. This year's sale is very important to help pay some very urgent bills coming up in July and the funds are much needed in order for the shelter to keep going.

We may be able to pick up some items but the majority will have to be dropped off at the shelter. Any and all items are welcome!

Anyone in the neighborhood on July 7 & 8? The sale will be at 135 Fifth St in Toronto. For Mapquest, look for 5th Street

- Randy

Run Groups 11-JUN-2007

2007-06-12T18:04:00.001-07:00

Amanda and I ran 3 groups, total of 4 ferrets. Hercules, Tommy, Sophie and the Nameless One (we don't know his name and Randy couldn'tremember).

Hercules: is an albino hob with a funny looking eye. He was a great deal of fun to play with. He is very gentle. He dooked the entire time he was out. He loved the tunnel especially when one of my hands was inside tickling him. The only time he bites is when playing the tunnel and even then his bites are not hard. I like this guy alot...really, really like this guy.

Tommy: sable hob and most certainly a juvenile. He also was a great deal of fun to play with. Again very gentle and only bit when being tickled in the tunnel. He was less sure of himself at first. He needs time to get to know you. Once he does though he will lick your face if you let him. Dooked a lot, ran around a lot, and loved to be played with. This is another ferret I really, really like.

Sophie and the Nameless One: Sophie has friggin sharp teeth! She definitely doesn't like males. She nipped at Amanda as well but nearly as much as she did on me. The Nameless One keeps Sophie in her place - when he can catch her. The door between the rooms wasn't attached last
night so Sophie gave it a push and nearly crushed herself last night. Do be careful with this little missy as she's trouble. The Nameless One is totally harmless by contrast and a great kisser (just ask my wife).

That's what happened last night.

Cheers, Robert and Amanda

PS. Can someone please email the group with the "Nameless One's" name.

Elvis and Hardy's Bath Day

2007-06-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

Elvis and Hardy had a bath on Sunday. Elvis was first and was a very good boy. After he was dried off and combed he pranced around the house with that “don’t I like totally gorgeous” look on this face. We all proceeded to tell him how handsome he looked and he just strutted like a peacock. He was also feeling very playful. Elvis and my Dad had a great time playing tag – very cute. Hardy was not at all thrilled about his bath time. He was good while having his bath but after we dried him off and combed him he just slumped about the house looking like “Ewww – I smell nice – I don’t smell like a ferret!!!” It took him a few hours to forgive us and decide that it wasn’t so awful. Poor little guy.

- Tanya

Photo contest

2007-05-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

For all you Proud Fuzzy Lovers, the Mississauga News is looking for pet photos for National Pet Week. There are great prizes, and submitted photos will be featured in the newspaper and online at mississauga.com.

Photos can be sent by email to jimerson@mississauga.net. They can also be dropped off at The News 3145 Wolfedale Rd Mississauga (south of Burnhamthorpe)

Deadline is Monday May 7 at 5 pm.

Maybe the more people that see our little darlings, there will be more interest in new ferret owners.

Good Luck to all who send them in.
Deb

Roxie

2007-05-03T08:41:00.001-07:00

Hi, all!

You've all heard Nigel and I speak of our little Roxie (he thinks of her as Roxanne, I think and to me she is always Roxette). She is the last remaining member of our "White" family.

In March of 2001, when Randy let us adopt Roxie, Rosie and their Papa George, we still had our original three ferrets though two were ill. When dealing with both groups, the originals were called that and the new ones were referred to as the newbies.

In 2002, when we lost all of our original ferrets, and started fostering Aquila, Arlo and Monte Bear, we had a problem. Roxie, Rosie and George were no longer the Newbies so we had to come up with a name for them and they became the White family.

Roxie, Rosie and George were always a little different from other ferrets. They were quieter and though they played well together they were never as rambunctious as other kids we have had. They would stay upstairs only as long as good manners called for then they went downstairs to the basement only coming up occasionally to check things out. Perhaps because they were/are albinos - maybe the lack of light was easier on them, maybe it was just that being underground feeling.

George loved playing with his girls. And they loved tormenting him. They would gang up on him and bite his butt. George had that club foot and was never a fast mover, so they could get in a few good nips as he tried in vain to reach round and grab them.

We lost Rosie to liver cancer at age 4, George to kidney problems and who knows what else as he neared 7 last year. Roxie has soldiered on alone since last May. She has always had some kind of neurological problem that made it hard for her to walk in a straight line - she tends to move in circles (smaller ones when she is upset). She has nystagmus - her eyes are always twitching - she must always feel dizzy, poor thing. As she approaches her 7th birthday, we have found that she now has lymphoma and is adrenal as well as having an enlarged heart. She's been on heart meds since last July, just had a lupron shot and has just started pred. I think I'll also hang another small water bottle in her cage with a bit of Timmy's in the water (will just have to make sure Keiko doesn't sneakin and steal it all!)

She's always been a tough little thing. If he's not paying attention, she can totter up behind Dew, grab him by the scruff and flip him. Ticks him right off!
But Higgins and Fabien harass her and we have started taking her down into the basement again where she has many places to nap and lots of concrete to poop on and no one bothers her. I wish there was someone she would sleep with but she does not seem to want anyone. If Burke would ever lay still, he might keep her company but he is too young yet, though of all the kids in the house, he is the only one she will allow near and she will snuffle though his fur. Everyone else gets a screech and a snap of teeth (actually tooth and gum since she broke her upper fangs off on Keiko trying to teach that girl the pecking order).

She's my princess Roxie and she'll be with us for as long as she wants to be here.

Robbie

2007-05-01T04:21:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Robbie finally found a fantastic new family. He is having the time of his life with his new friends Jamal (the cat) and Cozumel (the dog). His new mom Debra has also told me that Robbie has even put on some weight, I guess that means he is really happy to in his new home. Robbie was a few days shy of being euthanized when we picked him up from animal services back in October. He was so thin and so scared and now he lives like a king. I remember the day I took him over for a visit to see Debra I was so worried he was going to be afraid of everyone and hide but once we there he walked around like he knew he was finally home. Thank you so much Debra for taking sweet Robbie into you family.

Olympia

Noka

2007-04-30T08:05:00.001-07:00

Yay Hardy!

Okay, well in thanks for all the kind thoughts and words, I'll have to share my funny Noka story.

So saturday night I went to bed, feeling quite happy with the world. Then I woke up with a start! I heard little whining and winging noises-the type that Noka usually makes when he's having a sezure! So I fumble for the lights and start asking Noka where he is, frantically searching.

Well.....as it turns out, Noka wasn't seizuring. Noka had eaten too much grilled chicken, and was in the corner of my room......pooping!

He was having the BIGGEST poop of his life and he was having such a tough time with it, he was winging!

When he was done, he looked at me with a look that said: "What? did you see the SIZE of that thing?"

I almost took a picture to share with the group, seeing as I know how much you all like ferret poop pics!

So at this point, I went back to bed, laughing my ass off about the non seizure/poop crisis. He really needs to come up with a new noise for those non-seizure moments!!!!

I swear this ferret is going to send me to an early grave!

Jennifer

A Cute Hardy Story

2007-04-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

Ok Jenny I am using the “blog” e-mail address as well. I have a cute Hardy story that I just had to share. Last week my Mom had gone around the house vacuuming and unfortunately when she was finished she realized she was missing one of the vacuum attachments. Her and my Dad spent about an hour trying to find this attachment but to no avail. I got home that night and she told me about the missing vacuum attachment and if I found it to let her know. I advised her that I would just let Hardy out and made her a bet that by bedtime he would have found it.

I went downstairs and called him and Elvis to let them know that it was “upstairs” time. They both came tearing up the stairs and tore around the house having their playtime. At bedtime I went upstairs to my room and over to the dresser where they have their naptime. Well guess what I found sitting right beside the dresser? The vacuum attachment. I picked it up and took it down to my Mom. Needless to say Hardy was the hero of the day! Ferrets definitely come in handy!

Have a great weekend everyone!