Ferrets are like potato chips, you can never have just one! :) I think a post introducing my crazy children is in order.
Kiba is the ferret who started it all. I call him my Little Old Man. He's a very dainty ferret, but what he lacks in size he makes up in attitude. I named him Kiba after the character from Wolf's Rain because his coloring reminds me of a timber wolf. Even if the character Kiba was pure white. I use to own rats but after having them for a few months I found out I was allergic. After rehoming them, someone at the pet store suggested ferrets. I considered it but decided to wait. I'm the kind of person who does a lot of thinking on pros and cons before getting a new pet. Usually. I was in my local feed store, I can't recall what exactly I was getting there at the time. Of course I had to stop and look at the baby ferrets, who doesn't? They're so cute! A young worker there, one I see all the time, approached me and we started talking ferrets. What I love about that place is they educate you before selling you a ferret. If they don't feel a ferret is right for you, they'll decline the sell.
Anyway, among all the bouncing babies was this larger, sleek, silver ferret. Unlike the kits, he was sitting quietly against the glass, observing the world outside with this look of sheer intelligence and curiosity. I asked about him and was told because he wasn't very playful, and lacked the trademark ferret mask, he wasn't very desirable. He was actually six months at the time and was getting close to the point where he would be sent back to Marshalls, his breeder. Where he would then be euthanized because he is neutered and of no use. I knelt down beside the glass to be at his level, he put those tiny paws on the glass and gave me this look and I knew he was waiting there for me.
I was blessed with Kiba, he was always an easy ferret to train. I never had to bite train him or litter train him, he seemed to take to this on his own. He's a silly boy, no fear and no sense of safety. He'll literally throw himself at you when he's playing. His dances are classic. If you're lucky enough to see him showing off his moves, you're going to laugh so hard your sides will hurt. Kiba has been a great role model for his 'siblings'. I've watched him show the kits how to use the ramps in their cage. He is my darling, precious baby boy. I also call him his Highness because he can be a prissy thing. Kiba is the worst when it comes to being picky about what he eats. He refuses any and all treats as well as chews.
While Kobi's life was tragically cut short, he holds a very dear place in my heart. I got him a month after Kiba because I wanted Kiba to have a constant playmate, as a ferret always should. :) I got him from the same place I got Kiba, and Kobi was the exact opposite of my quiet boy. Kobi was rambunctious and naughty. And to date he was the most vocal ferret I had ever met. No matter what he was doing he was making some kind of noise. He'd cackle and shout, chuff and hiss, even snore. My mother was the one who picked him out and chose his name. Kiba and Kobi were two peas in a pod. I was heartbroken when I lost him and now try to educate others so no one else makes the same mistake I did.
After I lost Kobi I was reluctant to get another ferret. However, I knew I had to for Kiba. That first night without his cage-mate was hard on him. He would check the hammocks that they shared and paced his cage. The following day he refused to eat or drink. I've never seen an animal so depressed. I took Kiba out with me that day to cheer him up, since I didn't have to work and I knew he didn't want to be home alone. I went for a walk through town, Kiba laying uncharacteristically still in my arms and showing very little interest in the world around us. We have this small mom and pop pet store downtown, it use to focus on just fish but since it had been bought out they expanded to more. I don't shop there since they sell puppies which I don't agree with. Anyway, I popped in just to look around. Low and behold, they had ferrets. Several ferrets, in a small cage filled with filthy pine bedding, no hammocks, no toys.
Of course the shop owner didn't hesitate to approach me, seeing that I had a ferret myself. The owner knew nothing about ferrets. I actually had to inform them as to why the ferrets had tattoos on their ears. I noticed a young male who looked sickly. When I pointed him out I was told that he had arrived this way, though why he wasn't taken to a vet I'll never know. When I held him, with Kiba in my other hand, he rested his little head on Kiba's shoulder and gave this big sigh, like he knew he was getting out of that hell hole. Despite not wanting to give that store any business, I had to have him. I haven't stepped foot in that establishment since.
Turns out, he had a cold and a broken toe. ): He was a very mouthy baby but grew into a well mannered, and fairly chubby, ferret. Zuko's name came to me easily. He has these distinct markings around his eyes that make him look pissed off, and he was always my little spit fire. If anyone knows the character Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender then you'll make the connection. Zuko attached himself to Kiba right away and you will almost always find those two curled up together.
I fostered three ferrets for about eight months and feel they're worth mentioning because they did teach me a lot. I met the group when I sold my old rat cage. I was helping move the cage into her house when I noticed she had ferrets. As well as four dogs, one of which was pregnant. Hamsters. rats. Large boa snakes being kept in airport style dog crates. Cats. I'm not one to judge but this looked like a bit much, and none of the animals were getting the care they required. The ferrets were in a filthy cage, poop and pee on all the levels of their cage. The litter on the bottom was so filthy that they were pottying on the upper levels. They were being fed a mixture of low quality cat food and dog food. They were skinny, greasy and their claws were horrendously over grown. My heart went out to them. I asked her about them and she even admitted they don't get out of their cage anymore because their toddler was rough with them.
I asked if she'd be interested in rehoming them and offered the rat cage ($150 cage) for them. She agreed and I took them home. They were sweet ferrets, needed some work on potty training but were otherwise a joy. After a good bath, a nail trimming and some good food, they were fluffing back up and starting to play and act like ferrets again. The two females were sisters, about five years old. They were named Bia and Castell. Their teeth were rotting from their poor diet and they were very, very small. A good teeth cleaning did make them more comfortable. Kotka was two years old and a very goofy guy. I would have kept them but Kotka and Kiba did not get along. It's the only time I've seen ferrets not get along, but it does happen. It took time finding the right homes but eventually Bia and Castell found themselves a home with a lovely family that works at our animal shelter.
Kotka went to a coworker where he got full run of the house being the only pet and was spoiled. I learned last month that Kotka was taken to the vet because he wasn't eating and was found to have insulinoma. This is common in ferrets who had a poor diet. Sadly, Kotka did not make it. His last year was full of love and attention, he went with his owner there at his side. This kind of love is what all pets deserve and I'm glad that in his last moments he was someones baby, not a display animal left to sit in a cage.
Needless to say, I spent some extra time in the store, debating with myself. I'd told myself I wanted to get a rescue next if I was going to get another ferret. I had also wanted a girl. Well, something had clicked and I just couldn't leave without that boy. So, he came home with me that day and I haven't regretted my choice once.
Following my theme of character names, I wanted to give him something special. I'm a huge Star Trek fan so I started to look there. It was between Wesley and Riker and it was decided that Riker was more fitting. Like all kits, Riker was full of energy and very playful. He quickly grew out of this and actually became an extremely mellow ferret. When me and the other woozles are playing, Riker watches us like we're out of our minds. He is very chill and unphased by whats going on around him. He is usually the ferret I take out with me because he will actually walk on his leash like a dog. Strangers can handle him and he enjoys the attention. Being held for long periods of time does not bother him, he'll quietly sit in your arms while you're shopping and browse with you. I often joke that he gives people the wrong idea because very few ferrets I've met are this lazy. Like I've said before, all ferrets are different. :)
When I got Riker he only had a dab of white on his muzzle, everything else was a rich black. As he grew older his white mask appeared and he became a very gorgeous and big boy, the biggest of the group.
My mother spotted this little female who was the last of her litter. Kobi had been close to my mother and I know she missed that. I decided to get the kit for her as a Birthday present. She named her Bella, with nothing to do with the Twilight character I swear. x) Bella is the youngest, at about four, maybe five months right now. She is everything that a ferret is said to be. Very playful, very feisty and loves stashing toys and socks. She was the hardest ferret to bite train and has drawn blood on one occasion when she got her teeth on a pen and I went to get it out of her mouth. It was enough to break the skin, nothing serious, but owch! She's a doll now though and has been accompany us with Riker as her guide on outings and is slowly getting comfortable in new settings.
Bella is a very bossy girl and is always pushing her limits with the boys. She is a character and only ever settles down for a short cuddle with my mother. We look forward to watching her grow. I wonder if she'll get a mask or not, I guess we'll see!
If you get one ferret, don't be surprised to find yourself getting another. You truly can't enjoy them to the fullest until you get to watch them interact and play with another of their kind. Their carefree nature is contagious. And their love and devotion for their cage-mates is remarkable.
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