Post by xeopse on Jul 18, 2010 13:59:17 GMT -5
Hi, I'm Jackie and I currently live in Worcester, MA for the moment. I'm kind of a gypsy and move around several times a year, but there's occasionally times where I stay for a year or two. I live with my boyfriend Kevin, who is in for a trip because I'm taking in FIVE female ferrets tomorrow (Monday) and he's never had ferrets before. I also live with my Pibble mix girl, Leia, who is 5 years old, spayed, and good with rats and chinchillas, and adores cats and small dogs. She is mellowing out in her years, but she still follows me around everywhere and she will be very interested in ferret smells when the girls get here. I attached a picture of her, she's pretty much my baby. Leia has been rawfeed since July 2008 with GREAT success (wish I took before and after pix) and would like to continue this with the ferretbabies.
So, yesterday I found a double Critter Nation 162 yesterday in Boston for $150, used, and with directions on how to put together. It still smells like their ferrets, so I put the cage on the floor for Leia to smell and get used to the scent of a weird animal. I will be cleaning it with BAC-OUT very well before putting it together.
I work as a vet tech in a research lab at the moment for a Preceptorship at an Ivy League school for me to get an AS in Animal Care and a BS Laboratory Animal Management at a different college. Unfortunately, I really detest animal research but I'm limited to what I can take for veterinary degrees that would give me experience working hands on with the animals, AND management skills because my ultimate goal is to go back into Shelter Management. So, there were 6 ferrets that have been used for surgery practice for the undergrads and other surgeons, and now that their stay is up - if people associated with the university did not adopt them, they would be put to sleep. I told them to find as many homes for them as they could, and whoever of the bunch was leftover I would take home so that they were not "sacrificed" as they call it, for nothing. Apparently no one tried very hard, because only one person wanted one ferret... leaving me 5. Which is fine, but now I'm going to have a full house of weasels and I haven't had ferrets in several years! Its going to be lots of fun for sure!
All girls are 9 months old, spayed, and one is descented. I opted out of the descenting surgery as neither surgeon knew how to do the procedure with any real experience and after reading up on the ferret anatomy/physiology it seemed unnecessary. Everyone has had their Distemper as a kit, as well as Rabies. They have been revaccinated for both again on Friday so they will be officially covered for the next 3 years.
All 5 girls get along fabulously, there hasn't been a bit of fighting or aggression among any of them.
Question though: So I have one Critter Nation, and I'm assuming that isn't going to be big enough for 5 girls even though they are all about .75-.85 kg each so they're pretty small I think. Do the people on here with a large number like that do the cage extensions like I've seen where you put two CN or FN together and take the inner sides off so they have double the room? I don't have the money for the that right now, but I imagine that's an investment I should make again and am still roaming CL again for a deal like that again.
I've been saving up cardboard boxes, heavy weight packing paper, paper bags, and cereal boxes for a couple weeks now. I was wondering how many Hammocks I should get for 5? They ALL sleep together in the same pillowcase at work, so I've got a stack of pillowcases for them to play in and use as a sleeping sack. I am pretty handy with a sewing machine, so I expect to keep myself busy with that now making their toys and hammocks. I put an ad on Freecycle for old sweatshirts to make sacks and hammocks out of, and long sleeved shirts to cut the sleeves off and make snooze tubes. I'm also going to scavenge for drainage tubes and other pipes for them to play in. Still looking for a playgate so they can play outside of their cage while I'm making their food and doing homework.
Was also wondering:
Who lives in the MA/NH/RI/CT area that could have playdates? I don't have a yard as I live in a loft building - we have a waterfall but not much for grass or a lawn to play in.
And I feel really terrible about this, especially since I've worked with these girls for 2 months now. I can't tell the difference between ANY of these ferrets - they're all sable, female, and small!! They all have eartags as well, not ear tattoos like other Marshall Farms ferrets since they were unaltered when our facility received them. They have metal eartags, kind of like earrings. I am scared to remove them because I can't tell the difference between any of them. Is this something you just gradually begin to tell them apart?? I feel really horrible, I'm great with dogs, cats, non-human primates, but you throw some identical ferrets in there I just can't tell the difference =(
Anyways HI! Hopefully that was an okay introduction of myself and my soon-to-be pack and yes I will be posting pictures of the whole gang hopefully soon!! I am going to be scouring this forum for advice on how to feed all FIVE of them at the same time. I won't lie, I am incredibly nervous feeding such tiny mouths when I'm used to a big pittie mouth that eats anything and everything and isn't picky at all. I'm really hoping I get lucky with at least a few of them for the transition from Marshall Crapola to whole prey.
Thanks! See you around!
So, yesterday I found a double Critter Nation 162 yesterday in Boston for $150, used, and with directions on how to put together. It still smells like their ferrets, so I put the cage on the floor for Leia to smell and get used to the scent of a weird animal. I will be cleaning it with BAC-OUT very well before putting it together.
I work as a vet tech in a research lab at the moment for a Preceptorship at an Ivy League school for me to get an AS in Animal Care and a BS Laboratory Animal Management at a different college. Unfortunately, I really detest animal research but I'm limited to what I can take for veterinary degrees that would give me experience working hands on with the animals, AND management skills because my ultimate goal is to go back into Shelter Management. So, there were 6 ferrets that have been used for surgery practice for the undergrads and other surgeons, and now that their stay is up - if people associated with the university did not adopt them, they would be put to sleep. I told them to find as many homes for them as they could, and whoever of the bunch was leftover I would take home so that they were not "sacrificed" as they call it, for nothing. Apparently no one tried very hard, because only one person wanted one ferret... leaving me 5. Which is fine, but now I'm going to have a full house of weasels and I haven't had ferrets in several years! Its going to be lots of fun for sure!
All girls are 9 months old, spayed, and one is descented. I opted out of the descenting surgery as neither surgeon knew how to do the procedure with any real experience and after reading up on the ferret anatomy/physiology it seemed unnecessary. Everyone has had their Distemper as a kit, as well as Rabies. They have been revaccinated for both again on Friday so they will be officially covered for the next 3 years.
All 5 girls get along fabulously, there hasn't been a bit of fighting or aggression among any of them.
Question though: So I have one Critter Nation, and I'm assuming that isn't going to be big enough for 5 girls even though they are all about .75-.85 kg each so they're pretty small I think. Do the people on here with a large number like that do the cage extensions like I've seen where you put two CN or FN together and take the inner sides off so they have double the room? I don't have the money for the that right now, but I imagine that's an investment I should make again and am still roaming CL again for a deal like that again.
I've been saving up cardboard boxes, heavy weight packing paper, paper bags, and cereal boxes for a couple weeks now. I was wondering how many Hammocks I should get for 5? They ALL sleep together in the same pillowcase at work, so I've got a stack of pillowcases for them to play in and use as a sleeping sack. I am pretty handy with a sewing machine, so I expect to keep myself busy with that now making their toys and hammocks. I put an ad on Freecycle for old sweatshirts to make sacks and hammocks out of, and long sleeved shirts to cut the sleeves off and make snooze tubes. I'm also going to scavenge for drainage tubes and other pipes for them to play in. Still looking for a playgate so they can play outside of their cage while I'm making their food and doing homework.
Was also wondering:
Who lives in the MA/NH/RI/CT area that could have playdates? I don't have a yard as I live in a loft building - we have a waterfall but not much for grass or a lawn to play in.
And I feel really terrible about this, especially since I've worked with these girls for 2 months now. I can't tell the difference between ANY of these ferrets - they're all sable, female, and small!! They all have eartags as well, not ear tattoos like other Marshall Farms ferrets since they were unaltered when our facility received them. They have metal eartags, kind of like earrings. I am scared to remove them because I can't tell the difference between any of them. Is this something you just gradually begin to tell them apart?? I feel really horrible, I'm great with dogs, cats, non-human primates, but you throw some identical ferrets in there I just can't tell the difference =(
Anyways HI! Hopefully that was an okay introduction of myself and my soon-to-be pack and yes I will be posting pictures of the whole gang hopefully soon!! I am going to be scouring this forum for advice on how to feed all FIVE of them at the same time. I won't lie, I am incredibly nervous feeding such tiny mouths when I'm used to a big pittie mouth that eats anything and everything and isn't picky at all. I'm really hoping I get lucky with at least a few of them for the transition from Marshall Crapola to whole prey.
Thanks! See you around!
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Gods know- they've earned it! And yes, as you are with them, you'll start to tell the difference very quickly, so no worries there 
Once they are in an area where they can roam and explore, their personalities will start to shine.
I would suggest possibly getting your vet to remove the tags, it wouldn't be something I would be comfortable doing....personally 
