PICSPAM: mayhem? why no, it's just a regular friday night

My nieces have been staying with us for the summer.  Every time we start cleaning they always say, "oh, we want to help"  so we generally give them little chores.  Well, yesterday, I started babbling about having to clean ferret rooms that evening, so of course, they all chorused "we want to helllllllpppppppppppppp."  Since I usually do it after they go to bed, I had to get on the ball and do it earlier if they were going to be my "helpers" (the decision to let them help on the this one, was aided and abetted by three sad little faces that moped at me when I casually explained how late I actually clean rooms, hahaha.  Guilt, I has it).

This was, keep in mind, the first time that the ferrets had ever really interacted with the girls for long periods of time.  Yogi and Sian (along with Pixie, before she passed) were introduced off and on to the girls (glancing pets and "hi's!"  Anya only really saw them once, when I first got her, and Rula was the same, really, except for when I carried her upstairs and the girls got to say hello for a few seconds). 

I explained how they move, play, and interact.  That animals have paws, and claws, and teeth.  Nips can happen, scratches can happen, and if you step, squash or kick at Hiko it could make him die, and painfully (my words, because less than the graphic best will get about ZERO responses from them, and he has a really enlarged spleen.  I was taking no chances).  All that done, I brought out the big guys (feeding Hiko, so he wasn't nippy from hunger):

My precious ferrets were on their best behavior, which was awesome, seeing as how I love love love my nieces, but for children raised around a CRAP TON of animals since birth, they can be so very weird around them (though yesterday night was great, tonight they were showing a little of that oddness I've come to know so well).

They got to handle and watch the ferrets roam and play, and then we got down to the business that brought us there.  Cleaning cages:

 

 

And then me, breezing on through while I have my nieces do all the dirty work for me (in all my messy, messy glory.  I have just decided not to g.a.f., hahahaha):

We got the big guys' room done.  And on to Rula and Anya.  Followed the same vein, meet ferrets, play, clean, and then CHILL:

 God, I am just the most gorgeous creature alive.  How does the internet not implode with all this hotness floating around?  I don't even.  But to actually clarify, I'm holding the ramp up, so Reese can vacuum behind it.  She was apparently weirded out by actually moving the hose around.  My precious girl.  Yep.

 

 

And then Rula was taken care of, and she had to go up with her food (her and the big guys got duck necks and gizzards last night and boneless chicken thighs tonight, fyi), and Anya had to come out and get to meet my nieces, and get taken care of:

And then we got her refilled on food, and no, I didn't even do THAT, miss Hailey did:

After, it was time to sit a spell:

The verdict after two days of helping their Iya take care of her ferrets?  Hailey loves to clean, Emma is apparently our very own future ferret whisperer, and wants to have ferrets of her own some day (smush Hailey and Emma together and you get one darn good ferrent, I must say):

... and Reese likes to take pictures (almost all the pics here are hers :D ).

As for me, well.  The rooms got done, though tonight took about .... four hours longer than normal, but hey, it's all good, if they get to know and appreciate my guys, as well as the value of taking care of another living being that depends on you.  Life lessons, and all that, amirite?

Why?

Don't I look happy as a clam?

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

(j/k, they were long, but they were good nights ;D )