Thought I would share some pics of my six fert butts. They are a blast to have, but are high maintenance pets.
This is Meeko. He is the first ferret I've ever owned. We brought him home as an 8 week old kit from a petstore before I knew about shelters and rescue. He will be 2 years old on February 25. I got him the end of April 2007.
Snickers, we rescued Snickers from a bad situation. His previous owner neglected him so badly that his fur was falling out and he was skin and bones and badly dehydrated. We didn't expect he'd survive the first 24 hours with us. He had been fed a diet of potato chips and chocolate with cat food occassionaly. His estimated age is 4-5 years old. He has an enlarged spleen and is showing early signs of adrenal disease. We are treating his holistically with oral melantonin and he has shown some improvement!
Mocha is my chocolate sable. I would love to say she is a doll, but truth is, she's bitey!! She will be 2 years old June 21. She was surrendered to a breeder by her original owners because she bit. The breeder contacted me and asked if I would take her in. Of course I said yes, as I was wanting a girl ferret since I had two boys LOL She's come a long way with her biting, but it's still a work in progress. We suspect she might be a dwarf ferret. She is very highstrung and needs A LOT of stimulating playtime and toys to expend her bundles of energy.
River, she was my birthday present last month from my hubby.
She'll be 2 on June 21.
Kodo, he came with River as cagemates, but DH said he was for Christmas LOL even though I got them at the same time. He will also be 2 June 21.
Tiko, he's only been with us for 2 weeks. He belonged to a neighbor. He had a cagemate who died because their owner kept forgetting to feed them and she starved to death. So, we were contacted by a concerned family member to see if we'd take him if they could get her to give him up. Obviously, we said yes. He's doing really well and has gained a good bit of weight in the two weeks he's been with us. We have a general idea of when his previous owner got him as a kit, so we estimate he will be 2 sometime in March or April.
Arriving soon is NUMBER 7!
Chance, our newest adopted wee. He isn't here with us yet, but will be arriving sometime this weekend. It is estimated that he is 3-4 years of age. He was surrendered to at TN shelter, and we asked to adopt him and were approved. Transport was worked out and my boy will be home with us soon!
Below is Chance's story. I asked permission from his shelter mom to share this with you. He had a different name to start with, but I chose the name Chance because he was getting the chance for a real home with us.
Chances Story
Chance was purchased as a kit from a local pet store. His first owner went to prison and left him in the care of his roommate. Six months later, the roommate also went to prison and left Chance in the care of his sister and her family. He lived with the sister for about a year. The sister, unsure how to care for a ferret, did the best she could but still did not properly care for little Chance. He lived in a cage designed for guinea pigs. When it fell apart, rather than purchase another cage for him, they moved Chance into a rabbit cage outside. We are unsure how long he lived outside. When she contacted Grape Tail Ferret Rescue about surrendering Chance, it was over 100º F (37.77° C) for several days in a row. There were thunderstorms, rain, and just generally no relief from the elements for him. He had no blankets to cuddle into or any protection from the weather. The cage had a wire bottom.
When the sister brought Chance to be surrendered, she and her husband were in a state of shock over the other ferrets having bedding. They kept saying Look at all the soft stuff honey to each other. They had to come in and make sure the shelter would provide the proper care for Chance and treat him correctly. (Dont get me started on that one!) As shelter mom, I bit my tongue and could not wait to get my hands on that boy! I asked her if she brought some of his current food and she walked out to her car. She opened the hatch and there was a 30 lb (13.64 kg) bag of store brand cat food. She picked up a used, dirty soda cup from the floorboard of the car and scooped out a cup of the food. This should last you a week or so. Is it enough?
Once they left, I did a quick assessment of his overall condition. He was somewhat dehydrated but not seriously. I placed him on the floor and he went straight to the water dish and drank. He was yellow and had dark brown patches and some type of sore on his neck. His nails had not been trimmed in a very long time. His ears were black and I knew he probably had ear mites. His teeth were rather yellow but surprisingly had no tartar buildup. I reluctantly offered him some of his regular food (being extremely careful to not get any of the kibble that had touched the cup) and a bowl of Totally Ferret. He sniffed at his regular food and then gorged himself on Totally Ferret. I tossed the cat food out immediately. After a day of grooming his nails and ears, we were off to the vet. The sore on his neck was a mast cell tumor he managed to dig out scratching with his long nails. He did have ear mites -- bad. Overall his general health looked good and the vet believed him to be around 2 to 3 years old. That evening, Chance received a bath which helped remove some of the grime from living outside. We had to change his bath water several times. Eventually we gave up changing the water and just washed him under the faucet. He seemed to enjoy all the attention.
I listed Chance for adoption as a marked white. He had some markings on his tail and face. After a month or so of good food, soupie, comfortable living conditions, and lots of TLC, we realized Chance was a DEW (dark eyed white). He had no clue what a toy was when he came into shelter. He soon discovered rattle toys and loved them. His Santy Paws from the 2008 Giving Tree gave him a box of goodies. Chance knew right away these were for him! He got a small stuffed puppy and kitten that he would not sleep without. He adored his new blue blanket. If anyone or another ferret tried to take his new toys or snuggle into his blanket, he turned into a hissing ball of fluff!
On December 21, 2008 Chance began the first leg of his journey to his forever home. His new family waited on him a long time while receiving updates via email and pms. Lots of pictures were sent to his new Mom. We will miss our little boy but are thrilled to know he will never again endure the previous life he had. Thank you Aly for giving him the love and home he deserves.
This is Meeko. He is the first ferret I've ever owned. We brought him home as an 8 week old kit from a petstore before I knew about shelters and rescue. He will be 2 years old on February 25. I got him the end of April 2007.
Snickers, we rescued Snickers from a bad situation. His previous owner neglected him so badly that his fur was falling out and he was skin and bones and badly dehydrated. We didn't expect he'd survive the first 24 hours with us. He had been fed a diet of potato chips and chocolate with cat food occassionaly. His estimated age is 4-5 years old. He has an enlarged spleen and is showing early signs of adrenal disease. We are treating his holistically with oral melantonin and he has shown some improvement!
Mocha is my chocolate sable. I would love to say she is a doll, but truth is, she's bitey!! She will be 2 years old June 21. She was surrendered to a breeder by her original owners because she bit. The breeder contacted me and asked if I would take her in. Of course I said yes, as I was wanting a girl ferret since I had two boys LOL She's come a long way with her biting, but it's still a work in progress. We suspect she might be a dwarf ferret. She is very highstrung and needs A LOT of stimulating playtime and toys to expend her bundles of energy.
River, she was my birthday present last month from my hubby.
Kodo, he came with River as cagemates, but DH said he was for Christmas LOL even though I got them at the same time. He will also be 2 June 21.
Tiko, he's only been with us for 2 weeks. He belonged to a neighbor. He had a cagemate who died because their owner kept forgetting to feed them and she starved to death. So, we were contacted by a concerned family member to see if we'd take him if they could get her to give him up. Obviously, we said yes. He's doing really well and has gained a good bit of weight in the two weeks he's been with us. We have a general idea of when his previous owner got him as a kit, so we estimate he will be 2 sometime in March or April.
Arriving soon is NUMBER 7!
Chance, our newest adopted wee. He isn't here with us yet, but will be arriving sometime this weekend. It is estimated that he is 3-4 years of age. He was surrendered to at TN shelter, and we asked to adopt him and were approved. Transport was worked out and my boy will be home with us soon!
Below is Chance's story. I asked permission from his shelter mom to share this with you. He had a different name to start with, but I chose the name Chance because he was getting the chance for a real home with us.
Chances Story
Chance was purchased as a kit from a local pet store. His first owner went to prison and left him in the care of his roommate. Six months later, the roommate also went to prison and left Chance in the care of his sister and her family. He lived with the sister for about a year. The sister, unsure how to care for a ferret, did the best she could but still did not properly care for little Chance. He lived in a cage designed for guinea pigs. When it fell apart, rather than purchase another cage for him, they moved Chance into a rabbit cage outside. We are unsure how long he lived outside. When she contacted Grape Tail Ferret Rescue about surrendering Chance, it was over 100º F (37.77° C) for several days in a row. There were thunderstorms, rain, and just generally no relief from the elements for him. He had no blankets to cuddle into or any protection from the weather. The cage had a wire bottom.
When the sister brought Chance to be surrendered, she and her husband were in a state of shock over the other ferrets having bedding. They kept saying Look at all the soft stuff honey to each other. They had to come in and make sure the shelter would provide the proper care for Chance and treat him correctly. (Dont get me started on that one!) As shelter mom, I bit my tongue and could not wait to get my hands on that boy! I asked her if she brought some of his current food and she walked out to her car. She opened the hatch and there was a 30 lb (13.64 kg) bag of store brand cat food. She picked up a used, dirty soda cup from the floorboard of the car and scooped out a cup of the food. This should last you a week or so. Is it enough?
Once they left, I did a quick assessment of his overall condition. He was somewhat dehydrated but not seriously. I placed him on the floor and he went straight to the water dish and drank. He was yellow and had dark brown patches and some type of sore on his neck. His nails had not been trimmed in a very long time. His ears were black and I knew he probably had ear mites. His teeth were rather yellow but surprisingly had no tartar buildup. I reluctantly offered him some of his regular food (being extremely careful to not get any of the kibble that had touched the cup) and a bowl of Totally Ferret. He sniffed at his regular food and then gorged himself on Totally Ferret. I tossed the cat food out immediately. After a day of grooming his nails and ears, we were off to the vet. The sore on his neck was a mast cell tumor he managed to dig out scratching with his long nails. He did have ear mites -- bad. Overall his general health looked good and the vet believed him to be around 2 to 3 years old. That evening, Chance received a bath which helped remove some of the grime from living outside. We had to change his bath water several times. Eventually we gave up changing the water and just washed him under the faucet. He seemed to enjoy all the attention.
I listed Chance for adoption as a marked white. He had some markings on his tail and face. After a month or so of good food, soupie, comfortable living conditions, and lots of TLC, we realized Chance was a DEW (dark eyed white). He had no clue what a toy was when he came into shelter. He soon discovered rattle toys and loved them. His Santy Paws from the 2008 Giving Tree gave him a box of goodies. Chance knew right away these were for him! He got a small stuffed puppy and kitten that he would not sleep without. He adored his new blue blanket. If anyone or another ferret tried to take his new toys or snuggle into his blanket, he turned into a hissing ball of fluff!
On December 21, 2008 Chance began the first leg of his journey to his forever home. His new family waited on him a long time while receiving updates via email and pms. Lots of pictures were sent to his new Mom. We will miss our little boy but are thrilled to know he will never again endure the previous life he had. Thank you Aly for giving him the love and home he deserves.
