New Baby in the House...

[rfath]

I posted back in September about the sudden and heart-breaking loss of our last and favorite ferret, Skittles. It's been lonely the past few months without any furry loves in the house. Hubby and I planned on eventually getting another ferret eventually, but one from a private, reputable breeder. We decided to fly out to visit some breeders at a National competition held in Pennsylvania every year. It was crazy, but it was fun.. and we couldn't walk away without the precious friend we found: SHD Expresso Stout, or just Stout as he's known.

I think we spent most of the first two days we had him wondering what on earth we were thinking. He's nothing like any of our other ferrets - he's literally more than twice their size at 6 months old, can leap 2 feet vertically, and hadn't yet figured out that toes, noses, and fingers weren't acceptable chewtoys. I came home to a ransacked house - trash cans knocked over and contents strewn everywhere, laundry scattered in different rooms, and the television turned on. Apparently Genius figured out how to get out of his cage and have a party... but then put himself back in his cage before I got home. I was freaking out for a few minutes until I realized what had happened!

But... of couse we've fallen in love and think he's absolutely perfect, even when we're sporting a few chew-marks... We still miss Skittles something fierce but hope he'd understand.

Anyway, here's a pic that his breeder shared with us from when he was much smaller (he's the one with his eyes open):

GAH! My apologies for the large picture!

 

[Kaleigh]

Awww he''s so cute rfath, what''s his name?? I well remeber when you lost Skittles. I hope you have lots of fun with your new baby!!!

 

[bstraszheim]

OMG rfath, if kits are not just the cutest! Stout looks like a real charmer, I am sure that you''ll be able to get him out of the biting, usually it''s just a kit stage anyway. I love the fuzzies with the dark points : ) Dooks to you, your hubby and cutie Stout : )

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[VegasAngel]

oh how cute. I like ferrets. I''ve wanted one for awhile but my husband is firm with his no because, well, they are little stinkers

 

[widget]

Aaaah....So CUTE!!

(Hope you don''t mind, but here''s a shrunk version of your picture)

widget

 

[rfath]

Widget, thanks for the resize.. I started to do it, then got distracted at work and never finished!

He''s definitely getting better about biting. He''s a snugglebug when he''s sleepy - will stay curled up in our arms or laps while he''s sleeping.

Pics from the first day we had him:

 

[Angel7]

Ohh Congrats. So cute! Have a happy holiday with your new babies!

 

[Mara]

oh i just love that last picture, what a cutie!!! enjoy the new baby!

 

[njc]

Hes sooooo cute!!! Im sure Skittles is very okay and happy that you are sharing your love with another fur baby!

 

[rfath]

I swear Skittles is giving him ideas for naughtiness! Fortunately, no signs of him stealing socks yet!

I''m paranoid now that something terrible is going to happen to him. I''m pychotic about making sure that he''s not losing weight (he is, but he DID just leave everything he knows), and is it too much? He sneezed funny! Oh my GOODNESS! *sigh*

 

[FireGoddess]

What a cutie pie - I had a friend who had a ferret and they''re like little mischievious kittens their whole lives! So funny and adorable!

 

[Lorelei]

So precious!!!!! I will be getting mine in the spring now and I can''t wait!

Have lots of fun with him!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Adorable! Congratulations.

 

[Blue824]

Aww, he''s cute! Congrats on the new family member

 

[larussel03]

Do they use litter boxes? I''ve thought about getting one but we hvae a hamster that aggrivates our allergies a bit, so I''m not sure how we''d do with a ferret.

 

[cnspotts]

Congratulations on your new additon Stout! He''s adorable and looks to be quite large too!

We just celebrated our 1st anniversary with our little "Silkie the Stray"! My husband literally found him a couple doors down from our home, he came running when he called him. We still go through phases with him "home wrecking" but he''s so worth the entertainment and love he provides.

 

[Kaili]

Oooooooo, what cute little fluffs!!! hee hee

 

[MiniMouse]

Awwww, what a handsome fella. I hope you manage to housetrain him okay. He sounds wild, but most children are!

 

[rfath]

Date: 12/20/2005 5:23:54 PM
Author: *~Sweetpea~*
Do they use litter boxes? I've thought about getting one but we hvae a hamster that aggrivates our allergies a bit, so I'm not sure how we'd do with a ferret.

Yes, ferrets use litterboxes! You can't use regular clumping kitty litter though, as it's been shown to contribute to intestinal blockages. Most people use some form of pine or other wood pellets or corn-type pellets or even newspaper-based litters.

I can't speak for allergies, but remember that ferrets aren't rodents. I've heard statements that allergies to ferrets are much more rare than those to cats or dogs, but that might be a difference in exposure from an early age. I'm allergic to cats and somewhat to dogs, but not to ferrets. Some people end up reacting to the bedding types - pine allergies aren't terribly uncommon.

Stout's getting much better about biting and pooping in the appropriate places, though of course he has his possessed days and everything he knows goes out the window. It's hard to be irritated at him when he looks so darned cute (when he's sleeping!). Still worrying that he's losing a bit of weight, but hopefully he'll stabilize soon if not start gaining it all back.

 

[moremoremore]

hehehehehehehe was a cutie pie! Just wanna get a nose touchie from that cute little nose!

 

[AndyRosse]

Oh he is absolutely adorable!

And I agree, how can you get mad at him when he is just so freaking cute!

 

[rfath]

Date: 12/20/2005 9:06:46 PM
Author: cnspotts
Congratulations on your new additon Stout! He's adorable and looks to be quite large too!


We just celebrated our 1st anniversary with our little 'Silkie the Stray'! My husband literally found him a couple doors down from our home, he came running when he called him. We still go through phases with him 'home wrecking' but he's so worth the entertainment and love he provides.

His last weigh-in (on the kitchen scale, of course!) was 4lbs. We figure after he gains back the weight he's lost and finishes growing, he'll be pushing 4.5ish lbs. A typical pet-store ferret is generally in the 2lb range. Skittles was just under that. Stout will probably be around 3.5-4lbs when he's been neutered... we think.

He's really turning into a love. He loves to curl up with us for his naps, though he's also not descented and, typical for a baby, has little tiny ferret 'poofs', a bit like kitten farts.

That's so COOL that you took Silkie in! I can't imagine life without the smiles that a ferret gives you. We lasted almost four months without a ferret and it was torture to not have a dooking fiend around.

 

[bstraszheim]

Holy smokes : ) 4.5lbs What a great ferret. We have one guy who is that big, but they are few and far between. Our vet, who treats many ferrets, was astonished at his size, especially since he is not overweight, he''s just a big guy : ) Unfortunately, living in Florida, all ferrets that come in must be spayed and neutered, so that''s not an option. But there seems to be research about the spaying and neutering being done so young (at literally just weeks old, because when you see them at 8 weeks in the petstores they are fully healed) contributing to the super high incidence of adrenal cancer.

SanDiegoLady, unfortunately skunks are illegal as pets in California. They do make great pets : ) We have had our Molly for 3.5 years now and you are right, you have to have a lot of time to invest in them in order to have a good pet. But it''s worth it everytime you have a snuggle skunk : )

Again, best wishes with Scout, he looks darling : )

Bridget

 

[njc]

OH YEA!!! Im so happy you posted another picture! So cute with him romping in the snow... love his back feet up in the air!

Out of curiosity, how do you teach a ferret the correct way to do something like using the litter box?. Kinda like a puppy?

 

[Sundial]

What a cutie, thanks for sharing pictures!!!

 

[rfath]

The privately-bred ferrets tend to be much larger - the size difference is linked to the hormones released from the reproductive system. Interestingly, the pet-store females tend to be less feminine than their late-alter counterparts for the same reasons. It's probably illegal to sell an unaltered ferret in Massachusetts, too, but not illegal to own one, so we're good for a few months until we have him neutered (a ferret in rut is not a fun thing. at. all.). It was eye-opening to see the differences between the pet-store ferrets and the late-alter ones at the show we were at. Most of the breeders we talked to don't have as many problems with adrenal cancers or insulinoma, probably because of the late neutering and spaying.

If the kit is weaned naturally, its mother generally leads by example and teaches the kits to use a litterbox if that's what she does herself. With the ferrets that are weaned too early (like the petstore ferrets), some of them don't get that lesson and you have to train them like you would a puppy. They naturally want to poop in corners and like to use the same spots, so putting them in the litterbox when they have to go (like after waking up from a nap, after playing for a while, etc.) is a good way to start the habit. Praise profusely when they go and you soon have a baby ferret leaping into the litterbox for treats (and sometimes leaving his own).

That said, Skittles was a terror with my husband over it. He LOVED to pick on him... he'd run to the corner of the cage away from the 'box and threaten to poop. Husband would leap up, scolding, and put him in the litterbox. Skittles would insist that he didn't have to go, after all. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until hubby decided that Skittles really didn't have to go, at which point the ferret would aim between the bars of his cage and poop.

Some of them have sick senses of humor, you see ...

 

[bstraszheim]

That''s pretty fascinating about the differences in personality with the late-alter ferrets. The difference in illness I would expect. The adrenal glands are linked to reproduction, so to mess with the reproductive/ hormone system before they fully grow into it seems to beg for their to be problems. One lady in our ferret group did buy a pair of unaltered ferrets in GA, then had them spayed and neutered later, but before the female went into heat. From what I understand the female would have to go through the whole, heat, mate and pregnancy cycle for it to really make a difference disease wise, and then what do you do with 5 baby kits??

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[Morticia]

Oh, he is too cute! I just want to squeeze him, he''s so cute. I always wanted a ferret but my mom was terrified of them and wouldn''t let me.

Congrats on your new baby!

 

[Mara]

oh i love that snow picture, too darn cute!!

 

[rfath]

Date: 12/21/2005 3:35:12 PM
Author: Bridget S.
That''s pretty fascinating about the differences in personality with the late-alter ferrets. The difference in illness I would expect. The adrenal glands are linked to reproduction, so to mess with the reproductive/ hormone system before they fully grow into it seems to beg for their to be problems. One lady in our ferret group did buy a pair of unaltered ferrets in GA, then had them spayed and neutered later, but before the female went into heat. From what I understand the female would have to go through the whole, heat, mate and pregnancy cycle for it to really make a difference disease wise, and then what do you do with 5 baby kits??


I wish you well,


Bridget

I''m interested to see the health differences between Stout and our previous ferrets (I know, it''s a limited example!). Some people (my vet included) don''t think there''s that much difference between early and late-alter ferrets and that food and light cycle would make an equal difference in the instances of cancer. I don''t know.. but there''s so much going on in the endocrine system that I can''t imagine that removing key hormones would be *better* for a ferret.

Huge advances have been made in feeding of pet ferrets, fortunately, even within the last 5 years. Though I''ll admit that it gives me a giggle to give Stout a piece of poached chicken or beef and watch him ''killing'' it - he''s been imprinted on meat as well as kibble. Some think that a more ''natural'' diet could help prevent some cancers.

.. he stole my pillow last night