Mustelid Adventures

Help two baby fuzzes get a great, new home?

2012-01-07T13:00:00.002-05:00

paranoia like flat soda

2011-12-05T14:07:00.003-05:00

I really need to get some new pictures in. What's a ferret blog if there's no pictures? ETA: WAIT! Here are some I took exactly a month ago. BAAAAAAAAAAAABIES! ;D

Anyway, updates on Pixie! She had her surgery. Dr. P found some cysts attached to her stomach. He removed two (one about the size of a nickel, one about the size of a dime), and there was a third, but the location made it impossible to remove so he drained it and left it to where, he says, it shouldn't be able to abscess again. He did NOT have to remove her spleen, but he did find a tumor on her pancreas. She has adrenal, and also the earliest possible stage of pancreatic cancer (insulinoma). She's going in the 23rd to have another minor surgery (to remove the basal skin tumor on her shoulder), and she'll be implanted with the des. implant, get her bg tested, and get her belly ultrasounded again to see if any cysts/problems have reemerged or if she's steadily improving.

She was amazing for the staple removal (I got to hold her during it), and she gained 190g in the two weeks since that first surgery, so now she's getting back to her old size (right now she's a smidge of 2 lbs. If I can get her to 2.5 lbs we'll be good!).

For this next visit, I've got to call ahead and see if I can bring in Yogi, Sian and Hiko. I want them to get vaxed, and I want Hiko to get a bit of a more thorough check over. I don't have much of a history on him (being a rescue), but his belly is feeling a bit tight (so I'm wondering if something is enlarged in there :\ ). He's also the other one, besides Pixie, who often has bacterial issues (rememberrrrrrrrrrr?), so gotta keep an eye out.

wave the white flag, bad news comes in droves

2011-11-14T22:41:00.002-05:00

School and practicum have been bummers lately (i.e. I'm experiencing ... conflict with others that's not doing me any favors in the evaluation department). So of course, bright and early, I find two voice mails on my phone (it's been acting up lately and not holding a charge). It's Pixie's vet. Apparently some of her bloodwork came in, and there were abnormalities in it that he had not expected, and needed to talk to me.

I called as soon as I got the messages, but the vet was busy with another client. Since I was on the clock for practicum, I couldn't take a long drawn out call, or wait around for when the vet was free in the morning to consult. I told them to call my mom and talk with her.

Long story short? There's reason to believe Miss Pix may have kidney disease. That's right, on top of adrenal, tumors and cancer, she could possibly have kidney issues. Now, Wednesday morning, instead of the exploratory surgery we had planned, Pixie will start the morning by having a needle inserted into her urethra and up into her bladder to extract urine "from the source," and have that compared to her blood work. If the same issues are seen, the surgery's off, and we're left with trying to nudge the suspicious mass in her intestines into a better position to view on ultrasound (rather than getting direct observation via surgery).

Problems don't end, do they? Add on top of that, this vet's anti-raw views, and he's making noises about high protein raw diet and renal issues ... which all evidence points to the fact that high protein diets are only truly antagonistic when the ferret is on KIBBLE, without protein readily available in the food (even high protein kibble has fillers that the body must first process and dispose of).

Still, I'm getting my big guys on a natural diet versus a raw diet (where the babies are still going to be on a predominantly raw diet, with some whole prey thrown in). This way the phosphorous-calcium ratio stays in balance, and the vet should breathe easier (he'd prefer whole prey to frankenprey, if I'm going to be "stubborn" about diets).

So far they're eating mice and quail, and by "eating" I mean Hiko LOVES the mice, and it's anyone's guess which of the others will eat them on any given day. But it's still progress compared to years before.

I know they'll eat chicks (but those are like candy, and not meals). I'm left with rats, gp's, and rabbits as my third source. I'm really not looking forward to THAT decision. The mice kill me as it is. I want them so badly not to be dead OR food, no matter it's doing my babies a world of good. It's still heartbreaking.

We'll see, we'll see, we'll see. I'm ready for some good news. I NEED some good news.

Please.

what is YOUR worth, if you don't see any in others?*

2011-11-11T06:54:00.004-05:00

So. Pixie.

It almost seems like "everything" is the answer to any questions. Especially, "what's wrong with her." Especially that.

Every. Thing.

Bacteria overload? Check. Colitis (either the cause of, or the symptom of, the bacteria). Check. Enlarged spleen with a shadowy growth-like shape attached? Check. Enlarged adrenals (both!)? Check. Enlarged gallbladder? Check. Atypical lymphnodes in her GI tract? Check. Other atypical masses in her bowels? Check! Apparently, guys, what's been going on with that prolapsed rectum for a month and half? It was the masses pushing her anal tissue outward. Already, on the 2nd day of med.s and that seems to be getting better. The area is still swollen, but it's not so far out there and it's not bloody.

She's on metro, pepcid and amoxi. She's on a restricted diet of mice and quail. She's gotten her first lupron shot (she'll get another on the 14th and then the 30th day, and then we'll switch to the des. implant), she's gotten a melatonin implant.

She's going in for exploratory surgery on Wednesday.

She's grumpy, that's for sure. But she seems to feel better, and I've been stressed and crying and generally a snotty, weepy mess about this. When I'm not with her. When I am? She's ... normal. She's not wanting or thinking about leaving us. This, right now, isn't too much for her. I can tell she hasn't even thought about it. She's a bit uncomfortable, but she's already feeling better. So I'll keep doing everything I need to keep her with me. No questions asked.

(*one of my cohort, after she found out about Pixie and the money it was costing me to care for her, looked at me and said, "I might sound like a bitch, but you should just get rid of her." That ^ was my response.)

gosh, long time no see :\

2011-11-08T22:53:00.002-05:00

Life's been hectic, that's for sure, and when that happens the one thing ferrets want to do is make it twice as hard.

Or, that's the conclusion I'm finally reaching these days.

Miss Pix is giving me a run for my money. We've been dealing with a chronic prolapsed rectum (I mean swollen and bloody, guys. So not fun). The thing with that is every time I get her in, it vanishes, so the vets are looking at me like I'm crazy. For example, this time Pix has had the prolapse for a few weeks, getting worse and worse. I find a vet in Roanoke on Monday and run in and make an appointment for tomorrow. By the time I get home? Her rump is just fine.

WHAT.

However, having this as a chronic issue, it's still worth getting a look-see in my book. Also, Pixie really seems to be picking up the adrenal symptoms. Ultrasound showed an abnormal right gland, fine left gland, and no elevated hormones (a few months ago). I'm wondering if thing have started to shift since that examination, as well. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

The babies have gotten in their winter floofs. Neera has turned into such a little hoover with food! She takes it very seriously. My big guys haven't made the shed yet, though. They're all still slick and gangly looking. I WANT THE WINTER FLOOFS EVERYWEHRE.

I also got the babies their very own bedding set. And since it's "the girls'" cage, I went full out girly - pick and light purple and BUTTERFLIES all over the place. UGH I LOVE IT SO.

Aaaaand, I managed to snatch up a FN141 for $50 - BRAND NEW! I wanted to get one ever since I heard about the switch they're doing to the 181/182 models (:C), and next thing you know ferret.com was having a sale for a day on the one-stories. I really couldn't pass that up (it's now squirreled away for future use :D ).

.... um ... in other news: no pictures because my shiny, green laptop's wireless broke today, so I'm having to usurp another computer. That's right, I managed to break my internet today. Still words are pretty and so that's what you're getting :)

Or got. Seeing as how this is the end.

let's try a little maiming first

2011-08-28T20:10:00.004-04:00

BOO. YEAH.

Yep, that's the babies eating bone. Neera was, can you believe it, the first one to go after it. Basically, as soon as I put it on the ground, she was eating it. Apparently this is what she's been waiting for (and RMBs are the only thing she's interested in eating, right now).

Also, ahahahahaha, we picked up some split pork feet, and I can't wait to try the business on those. Next? Beef tongue! >:DDDD I can't believe my Wally World's carrying a bit more diversity. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on their inventory. The most annoying thing, though, about my local stores is the scarcity of wings that don't contain added chicken broth. I can get drummettes that don't have additives, just not wings (and I want them for the babies).

In other news: everyone but Hiko has gotten their second dose of ivermectin (earmites), and I've clipped Neera's nails. She was well behaved, except for her tendency to stick her paws in her mouth so that I couldn't get at them, d'awwwwww.

I've got to clean their room and their bedding, and give their 3rd dose of iver on the ... 31st. Yep. Day after classes start in the fall (yay! I'm a second-year now!).

the light of day is bright bright bright

2011-08-22T23:17:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the slightly crappy camera phone quality, but well. I took these with a camera phone, ;D

But oh! How adorable! Rula actually settled down nicely and slept on my dad for about 30-45 minutes while he watched TV. My dad was even giving her kisses on the sly! THESE BABIES ARE SO BEAUTIFULLY SOCIABLE. It kills me (although we can add 7) NEWSPAPER to the list of what the girls [Rula, in this case] have eaten).

TV doesn't faze them; my dad's voice (loud because he's hearing impaired) doesn't faze them; dogs getting in their faces doesn't faze them; dogs barking and howling doesn't faze them; killer cats don't faze them; they don't even shake uncontrollably when I bring them out (my big guys all do this; they just aren't comfortable, even though they're curious, outside of their room. Which is sad).

That being said, my family has let me know that they want these girls to be more involved in daily life, so we're looking at playpens that I can set up in the living room for quality time :)

I found this:

Which has a few downsides (the mesh, the soft sides), but I've been working with Neera and Rula to refrain from digging at these things, in the hope that they will learn to leave it be and just enjoy the change of scenery. It's major plus is the size (for the large). It'd give them romping room, plus room for essentials (litterbox, food, water), and has a removable and washable floor. BIRTHDAY PRESENT, WHAT.

Other than that, I've changed up their soup in a bid to get Neera to broaden her horizons, or i.e. get used to variety. So I've made a batch with pureed ground turkey and chicken thigh, with chunked chicken mixed in. They're sleeping, so they haven't tried it yet, but I'm hoping for good things, or else I'll have to try to syringe a bit into her to get her a taste.

We'll see, we'll see.

they are literally insane.

2011-08-21T13:45:00.005-04:00

So far, Rula and Neera have managed to eat
1) some of my shrug (Neera)
2) the tips of of my stay-in-place earbuds (Bose brand. ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. - Rula)
3) pieces of a toy (Rula)
4) pieces of a blanket (Neera)
5) scotch tape (Rula. To be fair, I got all the pieces out, and she didn't really seem to want to eat them, she just wanted to chew them and then couldn't get the slobbery, sticky mess out of her own mouth. Apparently.)
6) the rubbery/pleathery handle cover of my cute lil umbrella (one or both of them. I didn't get to see who.)

I know this seems like the moment to say, "well, sunny, you seem to be asking for it. leaving all these things just laying around where inquisitive ferrets can get into them."

First of all, SCREW YOU, hypothetical audience. I don't need that kind of back talk.

Second (of all?), Neera's finally eating chunks, so I still win!

(not my original second point, but I can't remember what that is now) --- Oh! Something about ferret proofed, which is why they only find little things to eat. Because with a judicious application of pumpkin (meaning a cc's worth every time they pass by me, ahahahahha C:< ) they've been able to pass everything successfully.

I think mainly they're like this, 'cause they're not eating bone, just relatively soft stuff for now. Yogi and Sian started on bone just a few days after getting them, and they never had this issue of eating random stuff. Sure, Yogi got hairballs (when he stopped eating bone for a few days during shedding season), but never anything else.

Hmm ... see? A complete, balanced raw diet. Good for what ails ya.

mmm ... what's for dinner

2011-08-19T13:13:00.005-04:00

*Rula eating diced chicken thigh drizzled with EVOO and eggshell powder*

*Neera eating baby food and diced duck hearts mixed with pureed chicken breast/thigh, squash, pedialyte, eggshell and water. She's now off of the baby food part, NO THANKS TO HER, THE SPOILED BRAT.*

Hiko's doing so much better, now. Today's his last day for the amoxi, and we've only got to worry about the metro. I've gotten pretty good, though, at syringing that stuff down his throat before he even REALIZES. Cuts the gagging, pawing at the mouth, squeaking fits down from a minute+ to about 15 seconds, and then he's back to being himself.

I have noticed that since he's feeling better that Yogi's resuming his little attacks. Three nights ago, Yogi and Hiko got into it before I had even tried putting them up for the night. I could tell by Yogi's small, pissy-attitude shrunken eyes that he was just MAD for no reason. That night I decided not to even try caging them together, because they could not settle even for a bit.

The other night, I did cage them, and they did fine until about 5 or 6 in the morning, when I was awoken by Hiko's screams of alarm. I waited it out (it was brief), but Hiko was very pace-y afterwards, so I decided that I'd let him out and keep the Triad caged. It was fine.

Last night, I had tilapia for their dinner, and everyone was excited. I put the bowl in the Triad's cage, and the girls and Hiko immediately get to eating. Yogi takes this time to sniff at Hiko. He doesn't eat with them, but goes upstairs to wait. After a while, he heads back down. Hiko's on the shelf with Sian and so Yogi finishes the food with Pixie. Then he gets onto the shelf with Hiko and Sian. At this point, Hiko's laying stretched out, staring at me like, "WHY am I locked in here again?" and Sian's sitting directly behind him. When she sees Yogi approaching with that, "hahahahahaha, I'll get HIM" look, she stretches over Hiko's back, and covers his neck so Yogi can't roll him. She stays that way until Yogi loses interest. I think it was her fert-y way of saying, "hey, okay, we're all supposed to just SLEEP in here. No funny business allowed."

It worked. They made it through the night with no screeching or upsets. I woke up to find Hiko in the first floor hammock, and the other three in the pillowcases (which they had dragged down from upstairs) on the shelf right next to him.

Other than that, I'm left o_O and wondering why babies can't understand that a piddle pad WITH POO ON is not a damn wrestling mat. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT, BBS. IT'S REALLY NOT.

You can't convince them of that, though. And you can't actually STOP them, either. I just watched a five minute match, where they made sure to roll EVERYWHERE.

Awesome.

sleeping baaaaaaaaaaabies mini picspam

2011-08-18T12:18:00.003-04:00

I have acclimated to the cuteness overload. Sleeping babies are the only things that elicit the "oh my jeebus, AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW," response now ;D ;D ;D

Introducing ... NEERA!

2011-08-17T19:20:00.005-04:00

(... because I haven't done so formally yet, ;D ).

So. Neera.

I'm guessing her birthday is the same, or close to, Rula's birthday of June 5, so that makes her 10 weeks and 3 days old. She's a unique looking champagne girl, with more of a possum-look about her. She also appears to have micropthalmia, or tiny eyeballs, and her vision is pretty bad. I can tell she can see some but I'm guessing only shadows, so she's a bit clumsier, tends to fall off things a LOT and startle more.

She also LOVES FABRIC, YAY. I've never had a fabric chewer but she is definitely giving me a run for my money in that department as well as in the food department. She's surprisingly stubborn for a baby, and currently has me running around trying to figure out a way to keep her 1) flushed out and 2) with a full belly. So far she's not impressed with any of my efforts.

BUT she's great, and I love her to death, and Rula's now a happy, bouncy kit once more, so I can't complain (I mean, look at that face. Who'd even want to?).

Welcome, newest baby! PLEASE GOD stop running me ragged :-\

a series of (un)fortunate events

2011-08-14T20:02:00.009-04:00

I guess we'll start with Hiko, then.

Thursday night he got sick. Vomiting, diarrhea, pawing at the mouth, tender belly ... the list goes on. It took me forever to find an after hours vet that would see ferrets. Finally I'm referred to one that will, and it takes us an hour to get there, and when we do, I realize the vet is kind of just ... clueless. About diets, about ferrets, and I'm just about to give up. Because you would not know that ferrets are the THIRD MOST POPULAR PET IN THE US by the way people don't really know anything about them.

Basically, they xray him and take a fecal smear (because it HAS to be salmonella and/or bacteria overload. I mean, raw meat.). Nothing's wrong. They give him sub-q fluids, a motility drug injection, and send us home with a can of a/d (since I clearly don't know what I'm doing with my guys' diet) and a bottle of amoxicillin. That was about $300, and we get home around 2:30 in the morning. I'm thinking, "well, If I can just get him through 'til the vets open at 8, I'll get him in to the Blacksburg vet." Well, when we get home he's perked up. He's drinking and eating cgh like it's going out of style, and his poo even firms up. Friday's the same, and I'm thinking, "maybe it was all the stress, and we're in the clear."

But then Saturday comes. He starts off good, and I'm watching like a hawk because our vets close at 1 pm on Saturdays, but he holds strong ... until about 5:30. Of course. At first it's just explosive diarrhea, and I'm thinking if I can keep him hydrated through Sunday, then we can get him in on Monday. It's a plan. Kind of. But around 9 pm he starts vomiting again, and I know there's no way I can combat diarrhea and vomiting. So we call in to the after hours clinic then head down there (with three little girls in tow).

This time we see a different vet, Dr. W. She knows about ferrets and about raw diets (feeding it herself). I tell her about the a/d, and she's shaking her head and saying ... "that's only a step up if you feed kibble! You don't want to go to that if you're feeding raw, it's full of carbs :C " When we let her know that the other vet's attitude was, Dr. W was really sheepish. So we talked diets, she told me that Hiko's lymphnodes seemed enlarged, so she poked one, and it was fine, so it was just a response to his illness and NOT due to lymphoma. We got his bg tested, and he was at 130, so that was fine (and he had been not really eating for much of the day).

Basically, it seemed like a gastric illness, so we're now treating him for helicobacter. That means he's on the amoxi (still) as well as famotidine and metro, and on a bland, raw diet consisting of pureed chicken breast, a tsp of squash baby food, 1/4 tsp of eggshell powder, a bit of unflavored pedialyte and water to blend. It makes a nice, yellowish custardy slush. He seems to not mind it (Pixie loves it), but he HATES the metro, which is not surprising, poor guy. That stuff is horrid (Pixie was on it for HER helicobacter infection + ulcers).

We'll see how he does with this, now. Hopefully this is the last time we'll have to rush out late at night for this (oh! but I did learn how to administer sub-q fluids, so that's one good thing).

Now, on to a mix of Sian and new baby issues.

Thursday morning Sian got into Rula's cage. Which, she had acted promising about the new baby, so I wasn't really worried. Rula ... fell in love, and she was romping and playing, and Sian was doing well. I'm standing by the cage, with the doors open, and the girls move up to the shelf. Next thing I know, Sian loses it, without any hint of anything going awry, grabs the baby by the scruff and starts shaking Rula. Every hair on Sian's body is standing on point, but I'm following the rule - "no blood, no poo, no foul," and so far there's eee-eee-eee'ing on Rula's part but that's it.

Until Sian starts picking Rula up and slamming her into the bars of the cage. Pee and poo start flying, Rula's screaming, and I'm trying to get them separated. Which I do, thank god, and I see that no skin is broken (not even red. But Rula was covered in spit).

At this point I'm just o_O all over the place. But Rula had a vet appointment at 11:20, and as a last ditch effort to get them to have a positive experience with each other, I decide to take Hiko (ahahaha, this was before he got sick) and Sian with us in a separate cat carrier. We do, and OFF WE GO.

It's fine, they're all great at the vet's, and we just decide to treat EVERYONE for earmites, because they had been exposed that day, and Tuesday when we brought Rula home. We get home, and I decide to set Rula's cat carrier on the ground in the room and let the others smell at her from a distance. It goes well, and Rula sleeps through it.

I open the cage up to get Rula out, and Yogi sneaks in. At first he's good, just smelling and laying with her. Then he scruffs her and starts dragging her (this is from her being in a dead sleep) out of the carrier. She wakes screeching but I don't want to interfere too much since he's not being extremely aggressive, just dominant. But then Sian hears, and she rushes over. SOMEHOW Yogi shifts to where he's got Rula by the underside of her throat, and Sian's got her by the side of her neck and they are PULLING IN TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

Needless to say, I get THEM separated, and I realize it is going to be a good long while before Rula can handle introductions.

So Hiko's sick, Rula's separated and needing playtime, so I'm racing everywhere trying to do everything. I'm stressed, Sian's stressed, everyone's just kind of BLAH, and there's tension in the room and it just doesn't feel that great.

So, yeah. That explains this:

It's not ferret math! Sort of! I have never successfully kept singlets, and that's what Rula would have been for a LONG time as we get this situation sorted. Not feasible, especially with my upcoming schedule of classes and work. So, another baby.

Her name is Neera, which has both Spanish and Greek origins apparently, and means, and I quote, "devastating, capable of great destruction."

AWESOME.

They're getting along famously. In the beginning, Rula was showing some fear response (from her previous experiences with my guys), but we got that sorted in short order and she is just so happy, I KNOW I made the right choice.

Which just goes to show - nothing goes according to plan (which I had, believe it or not. No, just believe it. REALLY.). Rula was going to get along with my guys. She'd give Hiko, who was the odd one out, a companion, and then in a year I was going to get a PRIVATE BRED FERT, and name her Meela, and it'd be perfection for years and years and years.

Instead, Hiko's sick but now is accepted as part of a cohesive business with the Triad, Sian's been pissed off and stressed out and jealous, and I have two new kits and two separate playgroups.

Now, with Neera here, though, Rula's occupied when I can't be with her; I'm able to focus on Sian, Pixie, Yogi and Hiko during their playtime instead of worrying about if Rula's bored and depressed, so Sian's calming down, and Hiko's med.s seem to be helping and the atmosphere is really turning around and getting lighter.

It's not what I expected, but it just might work.

***
(now have some gratuitous Rula shots from last night)

*syringe training. Not to be scoffed at.*

awkward days, awkward hours

2011-08-10T13:35:00.003-04:00

So far this morning I've fed Rula a meal of chunked boneless chicken thighs (the last bit of it), which she promptly threw up when she was let out to play.

Awwww babies and their hoover-like eating habits. What came up wasn't even chewed, so it's no surprise that it made another appearance during playtime :D

She wasn't fazed, though, and she played solo for a good hour or so before the awkward hours (i.e. afternoon naptime) got everybody woozy and grumpy. I think she enjoyed having the room to herself, although the Tetrad was a bit disgruntled at being caged while I was IN THE ROOM, MOM, JEEZ WHAT'S GOING ON.

After everyone wakes up, I think I'll cage the boys, and let the girls visit. Rula really seems to like them. Hiko she's not so sure on (I even lifted Hiko up to sniff each other through the bars, and she turned nippy at him; I did the same with Sian, and she was fine), and with Yogi she's indifferent.

Already, though, she's turning to me. She has to "check in" when she's playing - either nosing at me, mouthing or coming to sit with me, before going off to play again. She tries to follow when I leave the room and it takes her a bit to settle down again. YAY BONDING.

As for her menu, she's going to be trying chicken breast chunks today when she wakes up. Not much excitment, but hey :) , we've got time!

I've noticed, though, that the Tetrad has lost interest in the heavier meats now that it's turning warm. Duck, goose, even the ground bone in turkey (which is surprisingly fatty) doesn't interest them, but it's tough, because I'm still trying to get the chest freezer cleaned out of the old stuff so I can stock up with fresh for another 6 months, so they don't have much of a choice. We're down to ground bone-in turkey, ditto duck, goat RMBs, ground beef, tilapia, turkey hearts, pork trim, beef/pork heart, whole quail, quail feet, goose head/feet, ground boneless turkey, quartered rabbit, and cgh ( ... I think that's it).

It might sound like a lot, but it's not really, considering that the Triad don't eat rabbit; no one gets fish consistently, ditto beef; whole quail make a mess if you don't defeather (so they don't get them often, nor do I have many of them left) and it takes quite a few feet to make a meal (these are more like "snacks" for my guys), and the turkey and duck are what they're REALLY not wanting to eat, argh.

UGH UGH UGH. I just want to use this stuff up - I mean, these meals are pretty expensive, so I don't want them to sit and sit and lose ALL of their nutrients. COME ON, BABES. The sooner we get through this the sooner I can get a bunch of goodies in!

Introducing ... RULA!

2011-08-09T22:06:00.006-04:00

*Rula: Latin, meaning "Commander" or "Ruler"*

So, Rula is the new addition. She is a 9 week, 2 day old sprite. Her coat's "sable" by a broad standard (more chocolatey cinnamon than anything), and she rode in my lap for the almost 2 hour trip home.

Introductions are going well. I brought them in one at a time into my bedroom to meet her, and the boys were more interested - sniffing, licking, following. Sian and Pixie smelled her than trundled off. After that, I got all of them in there and it was fine (though I could tell Hiko was building up frustration). I then moved them into their room. Rula loved it (so much stuff!), and she absolutely loved Yogi's ping pong balls, she's great at soccer and catch :D But then Hiko caught her out at the water cage, and scruffed her and started to drag her, which is fine, except her legs were caught in the bars, so I had to break it off ( ... uh, Hiko's scruff, not Rula's legs :\ You know, just to clarify). Then, he did it again out in the room, which I kind of ... didn't handle well? Hiko's gotten me trained with all his screaming, I guess, so I really have to calm down and let him get his dominance issues out before it becomes a problem.

Anyway, they've had enough socializing for the day, and she's up in the 2nd floor of Hiko's cage (ramp's latched into place), with her ping pong balls, a tunnel, litterbox, food (she's already eating chicken thigh chunks!) and water and a bunch of sleeping spots, so she's good to go 'til tomorrow. We'll get her a vet visit, treat her and the Tetrad for earmites, and work on integrating everyone before my classes start up again.

TOTALLY DOABLE.

really, the outcome's not what you'd expect

2011-07-31T12:31:00.007-04:00

*Hahahahaha, Yogi, WHAT. Is this a new dance, hon?*

So, in the process of discussing probiotic benefits over at The Holistic Ferret Forum, I realized that I had not, in fact given Hiko his benebac after finishing his antibiotics. Oops. Must do.

In other Hiko news: he's doing really well, now, so I don't think another course of med.s is necessary. \o/

I did have a little bit of a scare the other day. I walked into the Tetrad's room, and as usual Sian's the first one there, waiting at my feet. As I pick her up, though, I notice something really odd about one of her feet. Part of her middle nail on her front left foot is dangling to the side, split from the main nail. I tentatively start moving the splintered piece, and she doesn't act like it's painful (and at this point, there's no blood anywhere, but I didn't really process that, hahahaha); I'm still freaking out thinking about having to trim this thing, and then like MAGIC! picturing blood spurting, Sian whimpering and fighting, possibly convulsing ... It's bad, is what I'm saying.

Yeah.

None of that happened. I trimmed it down, filed the nail smooth, and she was fine. I then, in self defense, clipped all the rest of her nails (which weren't long! So WHAT WAS SHE DOING TO CAUSE HER NAIL TO SPLIT LIKE THAT?).

And then in Pixie news: it's early days yet, with her Lupron, except I am seeing some behavioral changes already. I had told the doc that she had been getting overly friendly (cleaning everyone CONSTANTLY, etc), and he kinda scoffed at that, saying usually even females get MORE aggressive, not nicer. But whatever. He told me, "well, if she starts getting meaner, maybe the lupron's working. Ha. Ha. Ha."

The funny thing? She actually IS getting more assertive; for sure, she makes the boys screech fairly readily, and Sian's taken to avoiding her when she gets that glint in her eye. She had been kind of sliding down the hierarchy before that, where even Sian would alligator roll her and make her scream, and the only thing Pixie would do was run away. Highly unlike her.

>:DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD NOT ANYMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE. Which, when it comes to Pixie, I'm all for. I mean, it'd just be weird if she wasn't alpha of the business, not to mention a crapshoot - 'cause no matter how much I love my guys, no one's as smart and willing to be the eternal teacher like my Pixie is.

Pixie's trip to the vet

2011-07-27T20:50:00.005-04:00

Well, so Miss Pix had her appointment today at 5.30. I took Yogs with us and left Sian with Hiko, because I long ago learned that where Pixie goes, Yogi must follow :D

We got there in record time (long drive but not hectic, \o/). And because we thought it'd be longer or harder to find, we - of course - left way early, so we had a long wait. We finally get seen, and let's just say that everyone loved Yogi, the ham. The vet thought he was just the handsomest "dark sable," while Pixie was just "the same old boring pattern." I kind of GRRRRRRRRRRR-faced at him at that. Also, on one memorable occasion, the vet tech, who was examining her and palpitating various soft spots on her body, stands Pix up on her hind legs, so that she's braced against the tech's chest. Next thing I know, the tech says, "oh yeah, you got some boobies on you."

AHAHAHAHAHAHA, WHAT.

But anyway, the tech does her stuff (takes my comments and Pix's weight) and then the vet comes in.

Our first convo:

The vet: "Pixie's a big ferret."

Me, since both ferts were still out: "Oh no, that's YOGI."

Vet: "No, generally females I see are 800 g, get one over 1000 g, that's a big ferret." (Pixie was 1050 g).

Me, thinking: No, that's kinda small for her - she averages 2.5 lbs, with a lot of muscle, especially in her shoulders. Pix was a bit under that (2.3 lbs).

Our next convo:

Vet: "So what's wrong with her?"

Me, o_O : "What?"

Vet: "What's wrong with her? I assume you're on some ferret forum."

Me, >:C : "I was thinking she's possibly adrenal?"

So, yeah, there were some spots throughout where I wasn't sure I liked the vet. However, he DID know ferrets, so I just brushed it off.

Overall, the vet wasn't positive Miss Pix is adrenal. He said that while she has some hair loss, yes, that occurs at her tail tip and thinned hair at the base of her tail, that she doesn't show any other pattern of hair loss, nor any other symptoms of adrenal or the other big cancers. Basically, she's a healthy, healthy girl or we caught the signs really, really early.

However, he was comfortable with giving her a Lupron shot just in case. He said that since her hair loss is so subtle that it might be hard to see any new growth, if there is any, from the shot. I just looked at him, and said, "you don't know me. I keep an eagle eye out on her. I'll notice any change." He said we could schedule an ultrasound to check her glands (this would also let him see any ovarian remnants, if there were any), and possibly a blood panel. That way, we'd know for absolute certainty what is, or is not, going on (and I can finally relax ;D). So we'll do that for sometime after the 8th :)

As for Pixie, she was amazing like always. She put up with everything, and you can tell she's calming down as she gets older - she was content to stay by me, stretching out in front of me, so she could turn her head and rub against my shirt and play in the towel they gave her without leaving my vicinity. Pixie's bright, though. She know they were having some fun at her expense (both verbally and kind of playfully manhandling her). She kept looking at me like, "WHAT are they doing?" Pixie isn't used to that kind of behavior in people. Around here, we're slightly more reverent, because come on. She's PIXIE.

I'm satisfied with what we're doing, and our experiences today. WE HAVE A VET (also cheaply priced - Pixie's lupron was only $36. When I went, "ZOMG," the vet looked at me and said, "yeahhhh, we're not as expensive as the 'big' exotics vets."

AHAHAHAHAHHA. NO. NO THEY ARE NOT.)

so they, like, cost money or something

2011-07-25T08:13:00.007-04:00

Any good ferret will tell you that when a ferrent starts "planning" it's necessary to quickly and thoroughly upset said plans.

So that's just what Pixie (and Hiko, somewhat) has done! It's an inescapable fact that she's, at the very least, exhibiting signs of adrenal (which, you know, basically means she IS adrenal). I wanted her to go in today, but the ferret vet is out all day, so we're moving it to Wednesday (I've got work all Tuesday, and anyway it'll take us ~ 2 hours to get to the vet). I think we are on the brink of starting lifelong Lupron shots, here, people. At least I got her to almost 6 before she got a serious health issue; that feels like an accomplishment.

Beyond that, it's looking like, while Hiko's not worsening, he's going to need another round of antibiotics. I'm going to talk to the ferret vet in Blacksburg about it when I take Pixie, though I'm hoping the local vets here could fill the prescription if he says that's a good idea to keep Hiko on them. Maybe he could call Healing Springs about it? Do they do that kind of stuff, you know, ask another vet to fill a prescription?

Overall, I've been doing some hesitant math, and if Pixie's monthly costs stay around $150 (after this first time, which I know is probably going to be up there), I can afford to, of course, pay THAT, as well as sock away $150 each month to add to their nest egg, afford their food and have some left to pay my way, as well (I'm working a graduate assistantship). That way I can afford everyone else's preventative Lupron shots at the end of the year without touching the emergency fund. I CAN TOTALLY DO THIS, GUYS.

vet trip vet trip vet trip

2011-07-20T23:08:00.006-04:00

So, Hiko went to the vet's today. He'd started a hacking cough about two days ago, and at the time I just figured it to be a stray hair or something, since they're still shedding intermittently. I started giving them olive oil and didn't think much about it (after a general check over didn't show any discharge/cloudiness).

Yesterday night, though, I noticed yellow discharge coming from his left eye. This morning there wasn't any new discharge but his breathing was off and he was coughing/sneezing more. I decided SCREW IT, and got him in to our dog/cat vet (who, sweethearts all, don't know much about ferts, let's be honest).

Temperature was normal; heart/lungs clear; eye stain negative for ulcerations; ears DIRTY but clear of mites. He was so, so, so good, I couldn't believe it. Part of it was not feeling good, I know, but part of it was just him being his AMAZING LITTLE SELF, UGH.

Anyway, I walked out with a bottle of amoxicillin and a yorker bottle that I can put ear cleaning solution in so I can actually get their ears CLEAN.

We'll see how he does with it. This incident did jog me, though, because I've been HORRIBLY lax in finding them a suitable ferret vet. I have no excuse, and I'm taking a big risk not having someone I can take them to that KNOWS about them. The guys we saw today could work for emergencies (getting them stabilized, etc), and routine exams (maybe, they're willing to do research and learn at least), but I need more now, especially with Pix getting older.

PLANS, I HAS THEM.

mini picspam: ping pong balls!

2011-07-02T12:56:00.004-04:00

So, part of Yogi's birthday gifts came today. 144 gaming ping pong balls :D Apparently it was a wise choice on my part, because the boy absolutely loves them (he's always liked kicking stuff around but the toys are generally too heavy/unwieldy for him to actually get into it).

No vid.s (unfortunately) but have some stills of the Tetrad checking it out:

it's food, if you didn't know

2011-07-01T18:16:00.005-04:00

Another pork day. Don't know why these always make it into the blog, but this time Sian decided pork was omg so bad and preferred to just lick the olive oil off of all the pieces. Everyone else enjoyed them though ;D.

I've been giving them some pumpkin and olive oil lately, because Yogi's been a bit ... hacky again, and since he's prone to hairballs we gotta cut that crap down. Luckily, I've finally managed to convince the Lovebirds that no, they DON'T need carnivore care to tolerate pumpkin, and that a ratio of two jars o' baby food and two teaspoons of pumpkin were JUST FINE, THANKS. So, \o/ yay.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd, ever since that big ruckus Hiko and Yogi got into, they've been great. Not just playing together, but cuddling up and sleeping all curled around each other. Awwwwwww. I guess they were finally able to put most of their issues away after that. I know I probably didn't help these past 7 months, because Hiko freakin screams whenever he's nervous, and I just wasn't able to not interfere somewhat with that. I NEED TO BE TRAINED.

Overall, though, Hiko says

life's not too bad.

PICSPAM: Yogi's three years old!

2011-06-29T19:59:00.009-04:00

From then ...

... to now, happy birthday, baby.

****

My first boy to reach three years. It's special, to me, and bittersweet. Coming from the pain and grief of Yew's death a couple of days before his third birthday to Yogi's celebration is ... like a breath of air after going without for a long time - a huge relief, but with pain still around the edges.

I'm so grateful to Yogi. It takes a unique and strong personality like him to come into a home slowed by grief and return life and joy to it, but that's exactly what he did. He gave me another little boy to love when I was missing mine so much; he gave me back my Pixie, who was overcome by and dying from loneliness, and he hasn't left her side for even a day since.

I love you, my sweet ol' man, and I am so lucky to have you in my business.

ferrets do neuroses with FLAIR

2011-06-29T00:12:00.004-04:00

my girls show you how to imitate a speed bump. If you don't look like this, YOU'RE DOING EET WRONG.

You can really tell when summer hits the fuzzbutts. They go from ravenous, food seeking missiles of winter to dainty little things with the caloric intake of an anorexic supermodel on a diet.

This means I've been wasting a butt-load of food, since I conveniently forget what delicate little flowers I'm housing now :C

It's fine, it's fine, I just always miss the chubbas (I'm WEIRD, OKAY. I KNOW that >;D ).

AnyWAY, guess what ~~tomorrow~~ (well, holy crap, it's late) I MEAN TODAY is? YOGI'S THIRD BIRTHDAY. Already, jeez. Which means I've got to do a photo sweep and get pics spanning his time with me, as per tradition. Sadly, his presents are going to be delayed (some more than others. Ugh for bad timing). But he'll (they'll) get them. E-ven-tually. 'Cause I'm mean like that.

Oh, and the Tetrad was uber-cute today, too, playing and rough housing all over the place, so why is it that when I go to snap pictures for proof, I get a bunch of NOTHING (cute, sweet-faced nothing, but come on how many pics of the Tetrad lazing around do you want to see. Really, go ahead. Be honest, internet ether.)

It's what you're getting, though. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I HAVE. 58 PICTURES OF BASICALLY NOT MUCH.

Have them. See if I care.

>:|

there is something fundamentally wrong with you

2011-06-27T15:25:00.005-04:00

So ANOTHER fun-filled day in Tetrad-land, except for INCIDENT NUMBER ONE: Sian got it into her head to terrorize Pixie. The girls were wrestling and apparently Pixie landed a good bite on Sian's ear, enough to make her half-screech/half-whimper (and dragging noises out of the Triad is hard going). She was understandably upset and wanted to reciprocate.

Apparently, though, she does not know when enough's enough, and I finally had to drag Sian off of Pixie, who at this point just wanted the hell away from her. After that, Pixie wouldn't let Sian anywhere near Her Esteemed Self, even when Sian was trying to apologize (curling up with her, trying to groom her, etc). Ah, well. She'll learn.

The boys were great together, though. Even played in the crackle tunnels together without mishap >>>:DDDDDD Hiko was war dancing and just all around goofing off, and Yogi got caught up in the excitement, too. So so cute.

Then there was INCIDENT NUMBER TWO (ha, literally, in this case). Yogi decided that the corner formed by the watercage jutting against the wall was the PERFECT POTTY SPOT, and decided to go. Needless to say, he got in trouble (hey, half the ROOM is basically a designated toilet. There's no excuse at this point). He moped and sulked and dragged himself around like he was mortally wounded. No toy could cheer him up. No food could alight his gaze. No snuggle would EVER BE WARM ENOUGH TO SPARK HIS SOUL AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN.

Basically, I had to coddle and "oh, you're still my good boy, yes yes. :DDDD *whisper* just don't ever do it again! D:D" at him until he was able to recover from the trauma. The funny part of it was, after that (when I knew he didn't really need to go), he made his way to the piddle pads and fake pottied, like, "see, I'll be ready next time!" And lo, HE WAS. ;DDDDDDD

familiar territory

2011-06-26T18:17:00.005-04:00

Pictures of my lover-ly girls this time!

Smooth sailing today ;) Tried giving my dog a goose head and foot - he bypassed the head. He was actually kind of horrified at it (as I told my mom, it seemed like Ben was saying, "Oh, god, no. This only happens as an end result of some horrible accident. I'M SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY." So, yeah. Won't be doing that again, LOL).

I didn't want it to go to waste, so I gave it to the ferrets, even though they still had ground bone-in goose left over from last night. A few minutes later, I walk by the Tetrad room, and Hiko's up and crunching away on the beak, bang bang banging the head against the bottom of the water cage.

Aw (?).

My ferts. THEY KNOW WHAT'S UP.

In other news: the Tetrad is digging all the new tunnels. Apparently, you get a long enough one going and their little hunting instincts come out. They get really very sneaky and crawly-creepy and bendy in the damn things.

\o/

I'm also using up my store of ferret food, these next few months. I want to use up everything before fall comes on, that way I can restock before winter gets here. So that's fun. I'm still trying to rotate meats, but as things start running out the selection is going downhill. It'll be fun, though - I LOVE picking and getting the Tetrad's food. Lame, maybe, but there's something awesome about it, too. I guess it's having such a hand in what they eat, how they eat it (bone in, ground, chunked, etc), when they eat it. SO MANY LOVELY POSSIBILITIES.

patience patience patience

2011-06-25T12:26:00.006-04:00

Okay. WOW. It's been a while, yeah? Grad school is very busy-making, apparently.

Anyway, the Tetrad, you wonder, how ARE they?

Happy. Healthy. Yogi, the other day, lost his mind and decided to try to maim Hiko (and yet they can snuggle so prettily). It appears that if you factor in 1) Yogi's crankiness, 2) over-stimulation during playtime, 3)my involvement in said playtime 4) Hiko's (sometimes) desire for solitude, and 5) a confined space (i.e. box) you get GONNA-MURDER-YOUR-A**!Yogi.

Prior to yesterday, I DID NOT KNOW THIS. Neither did Hiko - it surprised us all.

He calmed down though, and these shots were taken about an hour after the incident.

Hiko's neuro problems have also resurfaced. He had a rough night a few days ago, after a quail foot meal went bad (he swallowed one wrong). The resulting regurgitation attempt seemed to set off a bout of imbalance and behavioral issues (namely biting me). The behaviors seemed to kick in, though, when he wobbled his way to me for comfort and I wasn't able to ... stop ... the issue for him like he thought I'd be able to. Into the next day he was tense and snappy, but he did refrain from actually latching on to me. He didn't try anything hinky with the Triad, though. Smart boy.

In food news: they're currently in love with goat RMBs. Everyone's now eating fully-feathered ADULT whole quail. YAY! And I tried them out on venison and bison, but hey. Not such big hits. I'm going to get them all whole sardines next and see if they like those, just for a change.

Last, I leave you all with -

- CLEAN TETRAD ROOM. GORGEOUS.

FINALLY

2011-01-15T14:43:00.007-05:00

No, still no new pics, because I AM JUST THAT LAZY (I actually have a pic folder called "unused" where I paste every fert pic I haven't used so I have "stock" for times like these when charging a camera is too much for my delicate psyche to handle, wtf).

This one fits, though, because the Tetrad did get pork yesterday. This time, Yogi was all over it (stealing it from Hiko really charged up his appetite, apparently). It was Sian who was running around like "?"

Ferrets. They don't make sense.

But the major thing about the pork? When they taste it, they love it, and yet, AND YET, it beats them up. What do I mean? I mean that every time I give it to them, they choke on it or get it stuck. Hiko wasn't so bad, he just pawed his mouth and shook his head until he could dislodge it and attack it again, but Pixie? Ye god, she ran around puking because she ate it so fast. But she didn't even wait out the dry heaves before she was ... re-eating it, again. So I could hear CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP interspersed with these high pitched EEEEE whimpers ... it was disconcerting, to say the least.

Anyway, they also got chicken necks, so she (and by "she" I mean "Sian") was happy. It also means that I really do have to clean their laundry. There's little vertebrate pieces all over it :\

AND! The meaning of the title! I finally tried them all with the salmon oil. I put it in syringes, because if they liked it, it's a good way to get Hiko used to the syringes in case he gets sick and I need to feed/hydrate him, and 2) well, I didn't feel like lugging the bottle down there and having to pump out half teaspoons for everybody and then lug the bottle back up in the fridge (we've talked about this. I AM LAZY).

I tried Hiko first, in his cage, before the Triad came out. He loved it. Next was Yogi, and he actually wagged his tail while he was lapping his up. Sian and Pixie gobbled it up (and tried to eat the syringe, of course). Hiko, after everyone had theirs, came and sat on my foot, so I picked him up and he gave me KISSES.

It was almost like he was saying, "I've been here two months already, and not only are you NOT getting rid of me, you're STILL giving me treats x_X I LOVE YOU"

It was so cute :D

synchronized "swimming"

2011-01-09T19:41:00.004-05:00

Tetrad being cute at the waterpark (as I call their .... water cage):

It's been a few days since my last post, but everyone's doing fine :D Pixie actually got in her winter coat, and she's now blacker than she's been all year, thank god. I know she's getting older but turning completely white at five? o_O So there'll be pix of that when I can convince my lazy butt to get up and charge the camera

In other news: I bought the salmon oil from hare-today (supposed to be great stuff), and yet I refuse to actually give it to the Tetrad, wtf. Also, I NEED TO CLEAN >:3 !

... and yeah. That's all I've got :DDDDDDDD

first day of the new year, same as the old year

2011-01-01T16:44:00.007-05:00

2011.

And what do we begin the year with?

EGG EATERS:

Here's to 365 (364, now, really) days of new beginnings. Let's resolve to make the most of them, hmm?

TTFN

eta: ewwwww, guess what I just saw in Hiko's cage? Freakin duck piece from oh, what? 3 or 4 days ago? Ew.

It didn't smell and it was that oh so lovely jerky ferts seem to enjoy, but still. Got rid of it, much to Hiko's dismay. 8\

PORK MONSTERS

2010-12-31T14:33:00.005-05:00

So the Tetrad tried the pork. It was a hit with Hiko, and Sian and Pixie came on board with just a bit of coaxing. Yogi was being a diva, though, and wouldn't eat any (he did try it), but that's not unusual for him with a new meal. The second or third meal is when he decides yes/no, and NOT ONE MINUTE BEFORE, MOM, JEEZ. I TOLD YOU >:|

Also, Kai loved it. I was chopping it into meals (and here I thought it was already "trimmed" into chunks, but no, it was "trimmed" off into a big frozen pig-filled slab, yay) and she kept stealing it, so today I gave the cats it for a meal. They devoured it and wanted more, FTW!

open for business

2010-12-30T16:50:00.007-05:00

So, I decided to open up Hiko's cage during the day. I figured his scent was well established by now and it wouldn't hurt. Of course, the Triad acted like they'd never seen a cage before, and when Yogi caught sight of Hiko's pillow case, he freaked out and had to stuff it into the floor sack. Apparently that's the only place a pillow case belongs:

And in food news: I did give Hiko the ground rabbit. He ate most of it, but he was pretty full from the duck (and I accidently left it in the room overnight, so I think he went back to it, ha). Ben got a bit of a smorgasbord this morning (left over duck piece, ground duck and ground rabbit. Yum).

We were able to get the car up this evening, so I'm going to try my guys on the pork trim (but I have the duck and rabbit as back up ;D). Oh! And I have two of our cats (Asai and Kai) starting the switch. So I bought them the 10 lb sampler and some meat meals from hare-today, as well. Talk about expensive, LOL, but it'll be worth it if they enjoy it. I also picked up fish oil from them, as well, and the cats and dogs enjoyed it. Hopefully the Tetrad will, too.

tetrad v. duck

2010-12-29T20:05:00.004-05:00

... I wonder who won? ;D

I found a left over duck piece in the freezer when I was sorting through and seeing what was almost gone, and decided wth, why not? So they got that + 1 duck neck. I think they were pretty happy. And look, rabid eater Sian is already learning to share (only with Hiko, though, but I'll take what I can get).

The 60 lbs of food I ordered came tonight. Sadly, it's sitting in our car at the bottom of our driveway, awaiting tomorrow, where we will get a sled and haul the food in pounds at a time. Hurray.

:\

I was going to give them a bit of pork trim tonight (although today was a bone in/bone in day), but since I can't, I switched it up. The Triad's getting ground bone-in duck, and I'm going to try Hiko with bone in ground rabbit (he likes the chunks, so I'm hoping the ground's a hit, too). We'll see, we'll see :)

Other than that, Hiko has gotten heavy. He doesn't look much bigger, but you need two hands to pick him up, he's like a stone. Ha, he's loving his new diet <3 Every time he hears me open the freezer or fridge, he's in the ferret room popping and dooking, it's so cute

(oh, and yes, I switched up the blog. What can I say? I got bored, and well. It's a new year soon, anyway!)

random is as random does

2010-12-28T19:51:00.004-05:00

QUAIL DAY!

And because my guys can be stubborn brats, they still haven't graduated beyond the day-old babies :\

BUT

Hiko actually ate one today. Picked the biggest, too, and just went to town :D I was surprised, because this is the first time he's shown interest, and two, he fought Sian off (who was busy trying to hoard all SIX quail. The glutton).

Yogi still prefers to play "scavenger" and wait for someone to get half way done with one and then swoop in and steal it. And Pixie? Still doesn't recognize it as food until I show her the feet. Then, it's all "OMG, QUAIL FEET YUM NOM" and the actual body just ... happens. God, I love her ♥

That's about it - oh! except my hare-today shipment should be here tomorrow, and I get to try everyone on the pork trim.

Fun times ;D

merry Christmas eve!

2010-12-24T12:29:00.005-05:00

So, my bedding finally arrived (had to go to the post office to get it, they couldn't deliver) a few days ago, and last night I got over my laziness and washed th Triad's and Hiko's stuff and put the cages together:

I also mixed up some bone-in ground turkey and turkey livers last night. Ahahahaha, it took forever :\

(the cgh was from last night. Hiko loved the change ;D )

Last but not least, merry Christmas, guys; I hope your holidays are full of family and laughter and good food.

Be safe.

TTFN

food bowl digest

2010-12-18T17:54:00.004-05:00

These past two days have been different, foodwise. My guys got combos for their meals, which I generally don't do. I decided to switch it up because the day before I had given the Triad a whole dressed quail in the morning and had given Hiko rabbit chunks(they had gotten chicken gizzards and duck hearts that night), so I still had some chunks plus duck necks from a previous meal, as well, unthawed and wanted to use them up.

So they had that in the morning:

Yesterday evening I took out a turkey breast (small) and was worried it wouldn't be enough. I know the Triad's been awhile without fish (and they love it), so I also unthawed a tilapia filet, and gave them all a few cubes of the breast and a bit of the tilapia. The Triad loved it and settled right down to eat.

Hiko threw a tantrum when he smelled the fish, went on a rampage and destroyed his FN. He waited hours (not even touching the turkey breast, which I know he loves, because it was CONTAMINATED by the fish) before eating both the turkey and the fish.

But, ahahahahaha, he did, is the thing.

I WIN. So yeah. Something different for them that didn't necessarily end in OMGHORROR (only almost). Oh! Also, I got Hiko's tail wagging last night. I was spinning and twirling him in one of the soft, oversized tunnels and then when he was facing away from me, I'd tickle his tail, and it'd just wag and wag. We had a blast.

The moral of this post?

Pixie's cute.

Also...

... she's judging you.

>;D

random post - i haz brayns

2010-12-16T00:17:00.007-05:00

Decided to post some random pics of the other day, since I'm sitting here waiting for duck necks to unthaw (blargh, bad timing).

And since I'm here posting pics, I thought I'd ramble on half coherently while they're loading.

That first pic is what I like to call Sian's "hey, mom, mom, see me, mom? Love me, mom? Hey, hey, mom? I wanna give kisses, mom. MOM!" I love how much she's always loved me, but sometimes WHY THE CLING, SIAN? No one's good enough for her, but that I'm constantly having to carry, pet, and kiss on her (or get kissed by her, and it's sweet but sometimes I can't *move* but she's right there in my face o_O). I wouldn't trade it for any *independent* fert-y attitude, believe me, but sometimes I just gotta shake my head at my sweet lil baby.

CHECK OUT MY PLANS: I gotta clean the fridge, 'cause some meat leaked, and now there's blood all in the meat drawer (yay, fun. At least this is a fridge pretty much dedicated to fert-y things, ha). I'm also going to take out a dressed quail and some rabbit chunks for the Tetrad's breakfast, and some hearts for supper (gosh, I'm plotting things out ahead of time, how ingenuous ;D).

And I've really gotta get some ground meat infused with rabbit organs mixed up. I wanna start feeding the "enhanced" meals once a week, just to cover my bases (note to self: laaazzzzzzzyyyyyyyyy)

Also, the Triad's shelves should be coming soon, and I gotta get the rest of their bedding washed so everything's nice and pretty smelling (still gotta wait for Hiko's to arrive ... next week?)

OH! Did anyone else watch Pets 101 featuring ferrets? Was anyone else kinda disappointed with how they handled them? I kinda got the feeling they were a bit more abrupt than they were with any of the other animals. Plus, you know, baths once a week? Really, Animal Planet?

Also, I was a bit :\ about the whole altering before nine months thing. Granted, you don't want to leave a female in heat, but the idea is to try to keep altering til as late as possible, which can sometimes be adjusted by kinda doing what mass breeders do, but opposite: adjust lighting so that the light cycles reflect winter's cycle (less light, more darkness).

Anything to help ward off the dreaded adrenal, right? AND, the chewing on toes thing? The way they handled that made it seem like they were implying that ferrets tend to chew off baby feet every other day or something.

And they didn't even talk about diets or anything. I think *that* would have made an interesting segment (and they did for almost every other animal. DO NOT THINK I DIDN'T NOTICE, A-P).

I don't know. I'm tired and *braiiiiiiiiiiiins* from finals and papers (and I'm not even *done* gdi), but I was seriously not impressed.

PLAY TIME PICSPAM (but first a few words from our sponsor)

2010-12-14T18:31:00.009-05:00

... I think the Tetrad's room looks pretty fun, personally. (of course, there's always room for more toys ;D). And yeah, Pixie's in the little cage, splashing water every where.

Anyway, onto the picspam:

IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!

2010-12-13T07:46:00.002-05:00

So, I was studying for my final, which is today (and which I can't take today because I CAN'T GET OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY), when I decided to take a break. Do you know what I did on that break?

I ASSEMBLED HIKO'S CAGE.

That's right. Just me. And I know others have done it alone, too, but you know what?

:P

;D

I decided to do it, because it's been laying around in pieces for a week or two, and Hiko's been dying to sleep in the FN already in the room, but he can't really sleep, because he has to keep an ear out for Yogi moving in to strike (or you know, something less lethal sounding, ha).

But without further ado, here it is:

Yeah, he loves it. He was playing in it for a long time last night, and when I showed my mom this morning, we went in there and he looked relaxed and happy, and he loved curling up in the queen-sized sheet that's on the second floor.

\o/

erm ... I'm slightly horrified at this point

2010-12-12T14:18:00.002-05:00

So, last night I was on the holistic ferret forum (like always), when I saw something ... something intriguing. Something hypnotic. Something irrefutable.

An ad for Rose's bedding.

I thought "Hiko needs some! He'll have a big ole cage to fill."

So I ordered this:

And then today I showed my mom, and she loved it. Then I saw on the LFFR ebay site that Rose was offering premade shelf covers, and I gasped and my mom heard and she wanted to know why. I told her, and she said, "MERRY CHRISTMAS, AHAHAHA. GET THEM. IN ROYAL BLUE." And then - because my mom loves her unconventional grandbabies, she added, "Also get Hiko some ramp covers that match his set. BRIGHT GREEN."

So I did. It's like we cannot stop.

Also in spending news: I ran out of CareFresh for litter, and so we had to stop at this small mom-and-pop pet store (thank god no ferrets, but we saw kittens and puppies (mills :C) and 1 rabbit, who was black but reminded us of Cinder the Rabbit). I love these small independent stores, and giving money to smaller places versus chainstores.

That's true, but I don't want to be robbed blind at the same time. A small bag of CareFresh? ALMOST $20. I can get a huge bag that lasts months from PetSmart for $17.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

In cute news, though, we got more snow today, and I took Sian out again for about 15 minutes. My god, she had a blast, and she dragged me all the way to the end of the "pen" and the beginning of the pasture area. SO ADORABLE, but Pixie thew a hissy fit, and I promised her a jaunt a bit later.

trufax, my feet unite warring countries ...

2010-12-10T16:38:00.005-05:00

.... or, they are communal property on which any ferret has the right to sit, lean against, or curl up and go to sleep on.

Yeah, the second one. Definitely :D

I have another picture that I saved back because that will be the new blog header, whenever I get tired of the on on here now :D

But it was cute, all four were curled up sleeping on my feet as soon as I got into the room (I guess they do that to make sure I don't leave again). By the time I shifted them off me to get my dog back inside and get the camera to get stills, they refused to cooperate so *shrugs* got these ones, instead. And for all the cuteness and togetherness somewhat implied by them, Yogi made sure to later go after Hiko just to balance things out.

Also, the food and the litterbox came (UPS returned to the facility Wed.s, and we had to meet them down at the end of our driveway Thurs., which is about a half-mile of hill, in the dark, so we could put the stuff in the trunk of our car that we couldn't get up the driveway. Then, with a road covered in ice, we had to make our back up.

Let's not forget we (and that includes a little kindergartener, too) were making the trek multiple times a day for days now. Fun.

Luckily, today we were able to get enough icemelt to do some damage and we got the car up. YAY! Funnily, the food was still COMPLETELY frozen, :D

And now that the litterbox is here, we'll be sitting up Hiko's FN soon \o/ Also, for my xmas pressie, we are ripping up the carpet in the ferret room and putting down either laminate or vinyl flooring, because, god. They are set on making a disgusting *mess* out of that carpet.

Oh! I signed up for Secret Santa at the Holistic Ferret Forum, and I got my pressies ordered and shipped out today! ahahahahahaha, awesome. But I'm just terrified. WHAT IF THEY DON'T LIKE IT OR ARE LIKE :\ WHY'D YOU PICK THAT? SERIOUSLY?

Ugh.

TTFN

I can already tell you, this isn't going to end well

2010-12-08T07:46:00.004-05:00

AHAHAHAHAHA, you know WHAT? I have 48 lbs of food coming today (as well as Hiko's litterbox from crafty creatures), and we can't get up or down our driveway.

WHAT.

We've been having to walk it for the past few days, and it's a steep 1/2 mile stretch of pathetic, iced-over gravel dust road. Not fun, but doable.

Today? Well, we got more snow last night (so, yay, more ice), and even walking it is impossible. Not that I'd want to try lugging 48 lbs uphill or anything, because HA NO. My totebag's bad enough when packed for classes.

Basically, it's like that "ice rink" Sian's playing in up there. Except, you know, bigger and more dangerous.

YAY WINTER

(no, really, I do like winter, but this stuff was supposed to WAIT KTHNX).

SNOW DAY '10 - PICSPAM

2010-12-06T21:54:00.004-05:00

No particular order :D

Sian loved it, Pixie went out twice - once unharnessed and once with. She didn't have so much fun that second time. Both boys hated it, but Yogi stayed calmer with it (Hiko actually backed out of his harness and headed straight for the door to get back inside!). I plopped Yogi in the middle of the pen to get a pic as he was racing back toward me (ha!), he then crawled from the ground all the way up into my arms (where we got the one pic) by himself. Yeah, he wasn't impressed.

Also! HIKO LOVES RABBIT! I was giving Ben some of the stored rabbit chunks when (without hope) I just decided to offer Hiko one. He (never having tried it before) did not hesitate to snatch it from my hands and go to town on it. \o/

TTFN

look, it's new and pretty

2010-11-30T21:06:00.005-05:00

So, Hiko's very own FN arrived today (just a bit ago, actually). What's great about it (besides the awesomeness that is FN) is that I ordered it off of Ferret.com, and they have the new models in stock! Also ramp covers FOR FREE, DEWDS!

It's wonderful, especially as Hiko has some difficulty moving around (old injuries/damage to his hind legs).

Here, have a pic of the shelf (SOLID PLASTIC that can still detach, but from underneath and not with the weird system the old models have!). It looks so much nicer, not to mention safer:

Also, ramp covers! They're pretty! They're well-made! They are two-toned (not shown is the purple underside)! They match Hiko's blanket and cuddly cup already!:

Granted, I'm not looking forward to putting it together (oh my sweet jeebus, NO), but I can't wait for it to be up ;D I still have to wait, though, because I need to order and *get* the custom commode from ~~ferret.com~~ WHAT craftycreatures.com before Hiko/everyone gets access to the cage (I don't want any accidents! It's too pretty to get stained!). ~~My paycheck better hurry up >:|~~. Well, it's ordered, now it just has to get here!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE - I'm so thrilled, I think Hiko's going to love having his own set up. Also I must rope my dad into building another ramp in and out of the cage, heehee.

TTFN

funny how these things work out

2010-11-27T13:21:00.012-05:00

I finally saw Nona's comment on my other post (thanks Yahoo for eating my comments before I even know they're there. It's great), and it's weird 'cause I was just about to do a post on how everyone's getting along.

So, to answer your question, Nona, I bring pictures. And a story:

These are my [sweet, beautiful] girls, Pixie and Sian ...

Not even Hiko can [nor does he really *want* to] resist the potential for a snuggly cuddle with them ...

Hiko starts getting comfy ... *dun dun dun* ... and then the Yogi Terror enters the scene ...

Yogi acts like a bully and knocks Hiko out of the way. He then plops himself in front of my [sweet, beautiful] girls (the THEY ARE MINE; BACK OFF couldn't be anymore clearer at this point) ...

Hiko *really* wants that snuggle, so he steels himself and jumps in, regardless of Yogi's pissy attitude (and Sian's in the back, like "okay, let's not get into it; keep it friendly, guys," since they're, you know, laying *on* her at this point) ...

Needless to say, Yogi Terror is not pleased with this development. Yogi proceeds to vent his frustration, culminating in Hiko screeching and fighting to get out of there as quickly as he can ...

And this is the way it works out. Yogi gets the girl[s] ...

And Hiko potters off by himself ...

That's a pretty typical situation. Yogi tolerates Hiko's presence, mostly, but I don't think Yogi really likes him. At all. The girls do. They'll play and sleep with Hiko (when Yogi doesn't interfere, and sometimes even if he does. They'll get up and leave him, if he's being a particular ass, and hang out with Hiko).

It's not ideal, maybe, but it works. The guys don't really seem to hold a grudge about it. The tiff happens, they move on until the next time. They'll eat together, but Yogi WILL NOT play with him. He just absolutely refuses every invitation Hiko extends.

But I did order the FN142, so Hiko will have his very own cage whenever it's needed and at night, so he doesn't have to find somewhere out in the room, if he doesn't want to. It never feels very "homey" like that at night. It's too big and open, and I don't think Hiko enjoys not having a choice. So, we'll get him set up with that, plus a few more sleep cubes for options for *everyone*.

But with all the ~not getting along that's been going on, I do enjoy Hiko. I'm so glad I answered that ad on CL and brought him home. He's shaping up into a wonderful, loving, well behaved boy, and I can't imagine not having him here. *smushes*

ooo, look. 200th post!

2010-11-21T18:58:00.006-05:00

In honor of this momentous event, have another Triad eating ground turkey PICSPAM:

Weird observation #391: Hiko smells like Razzles.
Weird observation #392: Sian look ginormous next to ... well, everyone, ahahaha, I ♥ winter so :D
And just one plain old observation: my babies are just the cutest. things. EVER.

In other news: Yogi and Hiko got into a pretty loud tiff earlier today in one of the hammocks in the cage (got some great Hiko cuddle!time out of that one). Yet, I go in there this evening to feed them, and all four are snuggling together in a sheet.

*facepalm*

mini quail eating picspam and WORDS

2010-11-19T17:32:00.003-05:00

God, doesn't she look just like a kit? *draws hearts*

If you couldn't tell, I gave the Tetrad day old quail again. Sian scarfed hers down in seconds (she ate the head, ate the chest, got down to the stomach and then went a bit lower, and then squirted all the insides out into her mouth like some really bloody jelly doughnut or something :\ ). Pixie ate the head off of hers and then Yogi actually stole it and ate it.

Go figure on that score. I had only unthawed three because I figured only Pixie and Sian would eat them. Well, Kai (our kitten) got the third one. Had fun throwing it around and smacking it into things before eating it. Still, I figured one for each of my girls. Except NOW Yogi's decided they're delicious.

Of course, it's Yogi, so I don't know why I'm surprised.

Hiko didn't have any (at least I predicted that right), so I had a back up, a bowl full of hearts (and my last "meal". I've got two pounds of turkey hearts unthawing as we speak). He absolutely adores them!

In other news: this morning, when I went to go put Hiko in the cage before leaving for work, I saw that all 4 of them were in the cage (Hiko upstairs on the main floor in the floorsack, and the Triad upstairs on the shelf in a cuddly cup). I was torn, but I ultimately decided that since it was just a workday and not a work-and-classes-day, that I'd leave the cage open for everyone.

Well, there's no blood, and they were all back in the cage when I checked on them (Hiko in the hammock that's by the cuddly cup that the Triad were in. Ahahaha, he's getting closer). I've also noticed that Yogi's toning his obssession down a bit (no jinxing!).

Other than that, I was just floored by how excited everyone is to see me when I get home (or in the mornings, or whenver, really ;D). Granted it takes my guys about 30 minutes to actually WAKE UP and get with it, but they're always just snuggly and kissy and "ooo, mom, yay!" Even Hiko.

AWWWW.

misc ... PICSPAM

2010-11-18T19:37:00.006-05:00

More assorted pics from today:

So this was Hiko's second day being caged during the day while I'm at school. He scratches a bit in the beginning, but he settles down before I'm even out of the house.

I think it's by far the best solution. By the time I get home, Hiko's ready to come out, Yogi and Pixie are jonesing to get in the cage, and Sian's willing to spend some time playing/exploring with Hiko (and Hiko really works to get her attention, too, it's sweet. I almost think he has a little crush on my baby girl, ha).

Yogi's getting a bit better with Hiko. They got into one tiff last night (they were sleeping together in the floor sack when it started, so IDEK). He's done a little face smushing, but I was able to distract him from it, and it was a pleasant evening (so far, anyway), until the Lovebirds went up into the cage for a nap.

I don't know. I hate to see Yogi so ... unsettled. People on the Holistic Ferret forum brought up a good point - that it could be an early sign of adrenal (hormones making him aggressive). The thing is - I don't see Yogi as being "aggressive" even when he's making Hiko shriek (and, for the record, that boy is LOUD, regardless. He chuckles constantly when he's out and about. He'll even scream when he's playing in the crackle tunnels by himself). It seems to be a bit more like confusion, and trying to figure things out.

We'll see, though. December's looking like the month of vet visits (I found a promising vet in Blacksburg, ahahaha), really. I want to get Pixie and Yogi a 4 month Lupron depot to see how they respond to them and I want to get Hiko a general exam and a blood-glucose test.

As for food, Hiko's still firmly attached to turkey and duck ground food (well, and hearts). He's really refusing anything else. Still, though, that's pretty darn good, I must say ;D

meh

2010-11-16T12:21:00.005-05:00

Here, have a pic of Sian squishing everybody:

Well, so, I should be at work, and then I should be going to class. Instead, I'm home.

Why am I home?

I'll tell you: during one of the many scuffles that took place yesterday between Yogi and Hiko, I raced downstairs to hear a bunch of screams and shrieks. In my hand was my MP3 player. I tossed the player onto the top of the pony wall, got into the ferret room and started checking ferrets over. Not until much, much later did I realize where my MP3 player was.

I went, got it and looked it over, and thought everything was fine. I get to the college today, get into the bathroom so I can put in my earbuds for the walk to the Library (where I work), when I see that what I took to be the soft rubber part of the earbuds (and why I thought everything was copasetic) was in fact the hard plastic part of the earbuds.

So what happened to the soft rubber?

Well, IT'S GONE. G-O-N-E. I'm assuming in this instance "gone" = "in someone's stomach."

Yeah. So screech to a stop right there. I turned my butt around, headed home and now I've dosed everyone with pumpkin (because everyone has passed stool, although someone has some worryingly small poos), and now am waiting for everyone to go to the bathroom.

Pray that the buds are passed. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

And that brings us to the other point of this post. Hiko and Yogi. Things are getting a bit rougher in that department. So much so, that I've decided (until my holiday breaks) to cage Hiko in the Triad's cage during the day when I'm gone, and let him back out in the evening and all night (when the Triad is caged). I've also put Yogi back on the rescue remedy (he's been off of it since a day or two after Hiko came).

My plan would have worked beautifully, if this emergency hadn't cropped up. GDI.

ETA: Yay! So far, someone has passed one whole ear bud and half of the other. Now, I'm just waiting on the last piece and we'll be in the clear. I'm still not sure who, since they seem extra shy about pottying when I'm around, but I KNOW it's one of the boys. They were the only two up when I saw it, and they *both* were scurrying away from the piddle pad >:| One pile was the earbud pile and one was a healthy, regular poo, so *shrugs*

DEAR GOD, GUYS, I LOVE PUMPKIN. Anyone reading this who doesn't have at least one can needs to go and get one. There's no way laxatone or vaseline or olive oil would have worked *this* time or for Yogi's Great Hairball Incident of '08.

\o/ /o/ \o/ \o\ \o/

ETA II: and the last piece made its way out, and everybody (Hiko. IT WAS HIKO) is in the clear. That's quite enough drama for today, ugh.

some Triad pics and assorted info

2010-11-15T15:02:00.002-05:00

Sleepy Triad ...

... morphs into in-your-face!Triad ...

Pixie was being a bit camera on this particular day, so no real good shots of her :C

I tried giving everyone pheasant for supper last night. Hiko was a hard sell - I actually had to dust it with some left over kibble crumbs :C to get him to try it. So far he seems pretty hard-set on the turkey and duck and nothing else.

So turkey and duck is what he's getting (... unless I can hide some goose in either one of those and get him used to that meat. At least it'll be three protein sources! *snerk*).

Today's been a pretty good day, so far (Yogi's protest poos aside, ;D ). Hopefully the trend will keep up!

TTFN

oh ... did I say that?

2010-11-14T14:23:00.006-05:00

Here have one of my favorite - ahem - Tetrad pics (except for how my girls are painfully oblivious). I debated using this as the new header, but thought the final one was more suitable:

And in that lovely, contrary fert-y way, Yogi made certain to turn me into a liar.

First thing after letting them out, he went and got into a scuffle with Hiko. I'm aware that I probably shouldn't have broken it up, since no one had puffed tails during it, but Hiko is just SO FREAKIN LOUD. So I got them out of the cube they were in and Yogi didn't try it again, although he kept with the Pepe le Pew act until he went to go lie down with Pixie.

It was just kind of out of the blue. I think it might be a mixture of built up tension and hunger (they still refuse to eat in the cage at night) - since I didn't immediately handfeed everyone when they got out, like I usually try to do.

Also, the only other "different" thing was that Hiko and I got into a little ... argument, about the piddle pads last night when the Triad was put up for the night. He thought he should rip at the duct tape holding them to the corners. I thought he shouldn't. So there was hissing and stuff.

Yogi really doesn't like it when I'm hissed at (Pixie only did it when Yew was alive. When he died and Yogi and Sian came, she stopped). I don't know if that aggravated him so much that he remembered into the next day and took it out on Hiko when he had a chance or what (my mom thinks that's more likely. When I scoffed a bit at that, she did bring up a good point. Ferrets do tend to have intense, lingering emotions. Witness their grief and shelter shock, and how they bond, so *shrugs* Maybe).

The good thing about that? Hiko wanted cuddles after the spat was over! I picked him up and held him for a bit, and then put him down and he climbed back in my lap until Yogi was completely settled again.

After that, I fed them all (boneless duck breast and bowl of hearts) and they wandered off to sleep (again. and still.).

And you guys get front row seats to the spectacle that is me trying to figure this whole thing out. Talking about it, I was advised to cage Hiko with the Triad tonight and see how that goes. It was brought to my attention that I might be making things worse, and that for the Triad, they might not understand why Hiko gets treated so differently, and it might be putting them off of him.

So, since I have tomorrow off (and can therefore stay up later and keep an ear out for any problems) I'm going to try it and see how that goes o_O It'll be interesting to see if they actually eat their food during the night. Hmmm

Yeah, so I didn't, ultimately, cage Hiko with them. I just didn't get a good vibe, and I really don't want to make the situation worse by butting in where they're trying to handle it. However, after putting the Triad up and getting Hiko set up, I didn't linger in the room. Yogi was fine this morning (I also managed to handfeed everyone first thing, too).

update central

2010-11-13T13:47:00.004-05:00

Just some assorted pics from yesterday:

So Yogi still balks at eating anything different from Hiko. Even going so far as to - this morning - turn away the whole dressed quail I got out for the Triad and instead eat CGH chunks with Hiko. WHAT, YOGI, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?

ASIDE: I can't tell if it's an overture of bonding, or if it's some way of being dominant without being "typically" dominant (Yogi did try alligator rolling Hiko, but Hiko screams like he's dying, and since none of my guys have ever been THAT vocal, it freaks Yogs out like nothing else, so he tries not to really touch Hiko now, except for occasionally licking Hiko where Yogi would typically scruff and roll). /ASIDE

Pixie beheaded the thing, and Hiko decided to run around with the head in his mouth before stashing both *that* and the mangled body. "His" spots, which he will try to defend (and I say "try" because no one really pays attention when he does, ahaha), are the two big crinkle tunnels I joined together. God, does he love those.

He also played around with a day old quail yesterday. Don't know if he ate it, though.

I'm currently over at the Holistic Ferrets forum trying to update my organ ratios for everyone's diet. I have a feeling I've been a bit off (for one, I think I've managed to overfeed on bone, somewhat. Not bad, but a bit too much. And I have to make sure I'm getting the liver amounts right, along with adding in some kidney on a suitable schedule). Work, work, work ;D

Other than that - I pumpkinized them yesterday. It's weird, because although both Sian and Hiko prefer plain pumpkin instead of the soup I make the Lovebirds, Sian likes hers warm-warm, whereas Hiko likes his cool (and, boy, does he enjoy the pumpkin. I think it's because he still misses his sweets that he got with the kibble and the candy treats he was fed. So, it satisfies that as well as does a lot of *good* things for him, too. DOUBLE WIN).

But for today, they still have the dressed quail and a few of the CGH chunks, so *no one* is getting food until all that's gone. I want to see what Hiko's going to do with the quail (and by extension, if Yogi will then eat the quail *with* him. My weird, ickle boy *loffs*).

In other non-food news: Hiko plays a *lot*. He doesn't really play with the Triad or me, but he plays by himself, and I think he likes that (if the amount of dooking and chuckling is anything to go by). But every single toy in that room is carried, nosed, rolled and/or tossed around. It's nice to see, because my guys are so damn spoiled (and right from the outset, too) that they've never really been like that. They played, but nothing of the levels of sheer joy and appreciation that Hiko has.

Although ... I have noticed an increase in tunnel-play and wrestling in the Triad (Pixie and Yogi were having a blast the other night - they wrestled and played for about 30 minutes, which is a lot at one time. For them, anyway - ever since he came. Pixie will once and a while play with Hiko, and Hiko has attempted to play with Yogi, but those episodes don't usually go on for long.

Still, everyone's getting benefits, so I can't complain.

Also, he's been pretty good with the biting thing. He only bit me (third time, total) yesterday. My dad wanted to see my "little white rat" in person, so I took him down for a visit. Towards the end, I could tell that Hiko (trying to be good) was getting a little ... overexposed, and when he bit me (which wasn't a real big surprise, I almost knew it was coming), it was more like a way of telling me "I'm a bit nervous, make the new guy go away now." So I did, and Hiko calmed back down pretty soon after that.

Aaand - I managed to clip some of his nails by myself. He didn't fight the scruff, but he shook so bad that I couldn't do his hind nails. I'll need help doing those. Nails are still long, but they're more manageable than before! Afterward, he was a little pissy, hissing out of the blue (talking smack, I call it) and puffing out his tail, but he didn't bite or anything else, so \o/

Of course, I did my guys' nails, too. Well, Pixie and Sian's (Yogi got lucky - he was sleeping like a baby, and I didn't want to disturb him), and it was a good thing, too. Pixie's nails weren't long, but for some reason she was constantly getting stuck in the carpeting D:

I'm still caging the Triad at night, and still leaving him out. I think that's the best set up, because I can tell everyone starts getting really annoyed around bedtime. So I'm being proactive so I can skip the middle-of-the-night shrieks of anger/irritation that had been the hallmark of Hiko's first two nights with us. I still want to get him his own cage, though, and after weighing my options (the 141 or another 142) I've decided the 142 is a better bargain at $200 rather than just a single story for $150, kthnx.

... yep. TTFN ;D

2010-11-10T18:28:00.006-05:00

Here, have a few pictures of my two boys (god, I'm still getting a kick out of that) eating ground (bone in) duck:

I now have 2 sets of "individual" bowls for my ferrets (bed time, mostly, now), and then I have 4 "communal" bowls for those times when they 1) develop neurotic food issues and/or 2) get the whole prey-type foods to eat. This time? It's the former.*

Aren't they cute?

And this is Hiko's second full day of bone included ground WITHOUT KIBBLE, YA'LL. I couldn't imagine an easier switch for an over 2 guy on the kibble he was on. It was a miracle!

He's eating turkey and duck; I've just got to get him eating RMBs and trying a bit more sources, but ahahahahaha, we're doing good, and more importantly - HE'S ENJOYING IT ;D

In other news: Pixie and Hiko were playing in the tunnels together; Sian just kinda reestablishes her dominance and then ignores him. Yogi's torn between wanting to be friends and uncertainty.

I've started caging the Triad at night, and leaving him out. So far that's been working out fine (keeping the Triad on a schedule they know, avoiding Hiko's cage anxiety, giving everyone a break from each other). Hiko gets really excited come morning and it's time for the Triad to come out. He always tries to get Yogi to play (although it generally doesn't work well, and Yogi just stares at him).

One thing I've noticed is certain food issues cropping up. Yogi had went off eating for a few meals, just eating pumpkin/baby food/Carnivore Care, and then eating raw only if I hand fed him Hiko's. Apparently, getting different meals than what Hiko gets is very, very upsetting (WTF?). Everything's fine if I feed Yogi with Hiko. I just can't do it any other way without Yogs spinning off into sulking.

Also, next month I plan on ordering the 143 FN model for Hiko. I can see Yogi getting along with Hiko during playtime (because, well, they do. Kinda), but I don't really see Yogi sharing the FN with Hiko gladly (he'll let Hiko come in, sometimes, but he has a tendency -when he *knows* Hiko's in there - to screw with him until Hiko decides to leave).

So, yeah, separate spaces for those times I need everyone caged, and after I do *that* I'll be able to fold up the cage in there now (too small for anything but his cuddly cup and blanket) and stash it somewhere.

Ferts. Gotta love 'em.

the pepe le pew and penelope saga continues

2010-11-08T09:41:00.007-05:00

...in which Yogi is Pepe and Hiko is, well, Penelope.

But first! Gratuitous pic of Hiko eating boneless duck breast and crushed eggshell with a kibble crumble on top (*snerk*):

So, he's had turkey and duck without bone, and now I'm adding in the eggshell for 1) texture [to get ready for BONE] and of course 2) calcium.

He's still mainly going by the kibble smell to let him know it's food (although he rarely eats the big pieces of kibble now. He usually pushes those out of the way). He has, however, eaten a bit of the Triad's food (same thing as his, last night, except theirs had a little olive oil and no kibble) this morning, but it was slightly old and he glared to let me know he didn't appreciate having to fall so low so early.

So, food's going as planned. Of course, tomorrow is classes so that's going to complicate things (he eats often), but we'll manage.

As for interactions: he's warming up to me, little by little. He's doing alright with the Triad, too, and some of the affinity is in part due to the help of the rescue remedy stuff (so, so nice to have on hand!). Yogi seems alternately fascinated by him and maybe a little slyly dominating (possibly? Their dynamics are a little adorable, and a lot - this time around, and maybe that's due to the age of the new guy - muddled). But there's only ever a scuffle, really, when Hiko attempts to get into the big FN (especially when he tries crawling into the sweater and dog bed combo on the first floor).

Yogi seems to fidget with him and annoy the ever-loving LIFE out of Hiko until he's screeching and fighting to get back out. I haven't really seen anyone try to bite or anything, but I did catch Yogi trying to chew and lick on Hiko's ears (a la his time as kit. He did the same to Pixie, who would screech and whimper).

There are times, too, when Hiko wants to be alone ... to recupe. But my guys throw such a fit if he's locked away (and I noticed that Hiko had a bit less of a problem with it than they did, ha!), that it's still not really restful for him. I managed to distract them enough that he got to take a nap alone for once, and without anyone doing this:

to him, which he doesn't mind until he does. Yesterday, Yogi crawled on top of him in a cuddly cup and started cleaning himself. He dug his boney little legs and elbows into Hiko's belly. All I could hear was, "heeeh, heeeeeeeh, heeeh." Yogi would stop once and a while, lean down and snitch him like, "calm down. You can obviously breathe, so what's your problem?" and then go right back to cleaning himself

:/

If we can just tone down Yogi's obssession, we'll be golden.

ETA: Well, Hiko's eaten two meals without kibble, and wolfed them very enthusiastically, to boot.

Also, going to cage the Triad tonight, cover the cage, and leave Hiko free access. Yogi's getting a little depressed, so I want to get them back to *their* regular schedule, and caging them at night always makes my guys feel more comfortable than being left open so, *shrugs* we'll see how that does. (also, gave the Triad pumpkin (for Sian) and pumpkin soupies for the Lovebirds. Yogi did eat that very heartily, so \o/)

day 1.5 - ish

2010-11-07T08:52:00.008-05:00

So this *was* going to have two sections, one about Hiko's adjustment, and then some Triad pictures. However, the uploader is being an ass, so Triad pictures are on hold until later.

In the meantime, Hiko stuff!

I decided last night to leave both the FN open and his cage open. The Lovebirds had been snuggling with him in *his* cage, so I knew they'd be okay with him in *their* cage with them. However, Sian won't sleep with him, and she's showing me that she's just not ready to have him locked up in the big cage with her.

So, because I didn't want him completely separated, I left everything open. Everyone was good and the Lovebirds would alternate between the FN and Sian, and the small cage and Hiko, so :D

This morning, I went in to straighten up the room (because he's being stubborn about not using the piddle pads to go potty). I noticed as I was cleaning that he was really, really bitey.

*headdesk* HUNGRY, SUNNY, HE'S HUNGRY.

I hurried up, finished cleaning, and got him some more kibble-dusted boneless turkey thighs (everything from last night was gone \o/!). He even forewent the big pieces of kibble to focus on the meat. He's having a hard time figuring out how to move his head to get at it, but he'll get there soon.

Also, I don't know what's happened to him in his 2 years, really, but I did notice some hind-leg weakness. We'll see if the raw food can strengthen his muscles and get that sorted.

You'll be happy to know that as soon as he ate his fill (which was more than half of a pretty sizeable meatball), he was sweet and I got to scratch his head and neck before he went to take a nap).

Here, have a vid and some stills of his progress so far:

Overall? I think he's pretty happy:

ETA: we're already on the second meal of the day, and I'm decreasing the amount of kibble on the top, since he's actually starting to lose interest in it.

AND! He's actually sleeping with Sian, this time (he did it right, and get in BESIDE her, and not on top of her, which she did not like when he first tried it).

Introducing ... HIKO!

2010-11-06T17:49:00.009-04:00

*Hiko (pronounced "hee-ko") has two meanings, that I could find. First, it's Inuit for "ice"; second, it's Japanese for "boy." So it suits him both ways!*

So, today we have brought Hiko (formerly Gizmo) home. He's a "two-year" (I'm gonna go ahead and say that he's in actuality 3.5 or so) old silver ferret. He's a sweetie, although he can and - did - bite. Hard, too. My upper palm (that fleshy skin right under my fingers) is swollen and I have a puncture mark :C

He's chewed on a heart (duck or turkey, but I don't know which). He wasn't mean or shy when Sian tried to steal it (although ultimately she took off with it). He also had some pumpkin (plain - out of Sian's bowl) so that's great for his tummy and to flush anything out! Right now, he's got kibble dusted boneless turkey thighs.

The Triad are being absolutely amazing with him. Hiko's alligator rolled Yogi twice pretty viciously. I think that's only because Yogi actually scares him, although Yog's isn't being mean, there's just something about him that makes Hiko anxious.

The only time Yogi does anything is to "discipline" him when he bites me. Pixie and Yogi handled it the first time (I was a bit too shocked at the time). Went over there and stood over him and pushed his head to the ground. The next, I dealt with it, but Sian went and twisted his neck skin just enough to feel it, like "don't do that again." And, well, he hasn't :D

He's trying to be good, but he's just a bit overwhelmed right now. The Triad is sleeping in Hiko's cage, and Hiko's sleeping in their cube, so that's fine. Slowly but surely we'll get everyone settled!

I just gotta say, it is a bit more intimidating, dealing with a fully grown fert's issues. I mean, Yogi and Sian had issues as *kits*, but this is a whole different cuppa, I guess is what I'm saying. It's a challenge, though, and it's fun.

Meantime, have some assorted Triad-checking-him-out-in-his-carrier pics:

And have an in-the-flesh pic:

ETA: Yogi decided enough was enough. He's now cuddling Hiko. I <3 my guys something fierce.

ETA II: Hiko ate the majority of the turkey thigh meat, and now Pixie, Yogi and Hiko are sharing the cuddly cup. Sian's still reserving judgment.

WEEK OLD QUAIL cackles

2010-11-06T00:18:00.003-04:00

Sian chows down:

Also it's funny, in the stills I took - Pixie's in the corner of every one of them, sweet faced and looking at the camera, ahaha. Same look and pose, too, I got a kick out of it (but I'm lame that way).

Waiting on their laundry to get done. Ugh. WHY SO LATE, SUNNY, WHY?

Also, big BIG day tomorrow. But more on that next time >;D

... and another - WHOLE PREY PICSPAM

2010-11-04T21:17:00.005-04:00

But first! The new toy is up and ... not being used, except to lay in, like once. Or twice.

Uh. Hurray? :\

Next, my order came last night. First thing I did was take out some day old whole prey quail to unthaw. And then I gave them to the Triad:

What you really can't see here, is that the girls ate them. Sian, especially, chomped down after getting adjusted to OMG! THE FEATHERZ! (and, well, is that a surprise, look at the size of my baby girl!) Yogi was a bit more hesitant, and I don't know if he actually got any of the quail (he seemed pretty hungry when I gave them duck later, and Sian really wasn't - so I'm thinking she ate 2 of the quail-lets).

And here, have a little video of Sian swinging a quail-let around:

sad news

2010-11-03T22:21:00.002-04:00

There won't be a new addition to the Triad. Unfortunately, the ferret I was expecting this Saturday suffered wounds from a dog attack and died sometime Wednesday. I'm heartbroken - I was very much looking forward to Mimi's arrival, and introducing her to the Triad. More than that, I was horror struck at the accident. That's never pleasant to consider. She's at the Bridge, now, though, and not suffering. Thank god.

hanging out with mama - PICSPAM

2010-11-01T16:13:00.016-04:00

So, the Triad heard me cleaning Cinder's room, and they were very adamant that I come in and visit. I did, and boy - I got a *lot* of attention (although most of this is skewed toward the Twins, and mostly toward Sian, 'cause that's how she rolls, ya'll).

Then, of course, you sometimes get:

I guess I'm just *that* boring, haha.

step by painful step

2010-10-31T10:01:00.004-04:00

Okay, well, everyone's getting a maybe-recycled picture of Miss Pix. 'CAUSE I CAN, that's way >:|

I did it - ordered almost everything I need for M - M's arrival. At Hare-Today, I ordered some boneless duck breasts, boneless turkey thighs, and boneless lamb (hey, even the Triad's getting this. It's another uber-great food for Miss Pix's tummy o' doom).

For the Triad I did get a few new things, too. I did get them 1 lb. of goose to try, the white fish, and I got them frozen whole prey quail (so they're fully intact: feathers, organs, all that good stuff). Not only did I do that, but I got them every. single. size. they had available (that's 1 day old, 1 week old, 3 week old and adult). It's kind of horrendous, a bit, to think about, but also very awesome for the Triad's sake.

They better eat them and like it, is all I'm saying.

Then, I stopped by crafty-creatures, ahahahaha. They were having a special on a few of their bedding packages, so I picked up a cuddly cup and a blanket for $25 (in dark jade! or possibly gray! depending!) for M - M. I also picked up some all natural mite treatment and ear soother/cleaner. 'Cause, well, the stress and new ferret and all that jazz. Better safe than sorry.

And, after talking with Angela awhile about it, I decided to try Bach's rescue remedy. It's supposed to help reduce stress/anxiety/fear. She said she had experience using it and it did help in her situation. So I picked up a bottle and as soon as it arrives I'll be dosing the Triad with it, and when M - M gets here I'll start dosing her.

The only thing I forgot, that I really wanted to get, was Hare-Today's probiotics. I wanted a bag for M - M's transition. We'll muddle through without, I guess :C

Going to the store today. Will pick up the TOY, YAY :DDDDDDDD and then I'll be done \o/

look at my awkward segues and MARVEL!

2010-10-30T15:08:00.011-04:00

I am day by day getting things situated for Mimi a.k.a Meela's impending arrival. Amazingly, these things are pretty much Triad-centric. I washed all their bedding last night, clipped their nails today, and plan on cleaning their room tomorrow.

*More unnecessary cage shots because I! Cleaned! Their! Bedding!*

*Pixie! They're eating pheasant, I think? YUM*

*The Twins eating "together" - where "eating together" = inability to successfully complete tug-of-war with GROUND FOOD*

Okay, so maybe, at second glance, that's not related to the new fuzzy's arrival. Oops.

I've got to clean and rearrange my bathroom (where in-the-flesh intros will be done, with the help of a trickling shower head, hahahaha), buy M - M some new bedding (large bed and possibly a pet-throw), a new toy (because I've done that for each new guy, and it really seems to help to have something new and neutral in the room that everyone can climb on and get their scent on. Plus, this is my excuse to buy them something I've been DYING to for a while, now. MULTITASKING ROX), and oh yeah - set up her cage (quick or slow, depending on what it is, which I still don't know).

I still have to wash all the Triad's hard toys with some vinegar water, and I'll probably wash their bedding/really scrub cage before the end of the week, too. Just to cut down some of the established scents (but not enough to upset the Triad, either, haha no).

And - we have can after can of pumpkin and jars of baby food and bags of Carnivore Care to soothe upset tummies (here's looking at you, Pixie). I know M - M hasn't had pumpkin OR Carnivore Care, so I realize it's not going to help the poor girl (yay, another thing to have to expose her to/force feed - AFTER she's settled and all that good stuff. But's it's always something to look forward to ;_;).

I also plan on ordering some boneless ground food from Hare Today, since I always transition with just meat during and for a few days after they are completely switched (my estimated bill for JUST food is looking to be around ~$200-250 w/o shipping charges).

This is especially true since even the fine ground has chunks of sizeable bone in it. You'd be surprised the trouble the adults have learning how to use their mouths and jaws to eat bone safely. So - meatless, to necks, then to all the other good stuff!

I'll do that Monday/Sunday, and it should be here by Wednesday, so that's good. I'll pick up all her other stuff Monday, too, and have it safely stashed away.

All in all, I should be nicely prepared by the time next Saturday rolls around.

so. you know how I said ...

2010-10-28T19:26:00.005-04:00

... I wouldn't "do that" to the Triad? "That" being another ferret?

HAHAHAHA

Yeah, I apparently I will.

Meet:

Mimi (soon to be Meela), a one and a half year old sprite. Her and her cage will be traveling to our house next Saturday. The Triad will eventually become a foursome. Oops.

It all started because my former brother in law, still close friend sent me a text about a friend of a friend of his having to give away her ferret because she's moving to take care of her father.

He also sent a picture. That one. Up there. Yeah.

So I'm hoping the Triad will be lenient. I hope so, because that babe's kibble fed, and she's a year and a half. Her transition is going to be like Pixie's (i.e. hellish) rather than like the Twins' (i.e. a piece of cake). I really would like a pretty calm ferty introduction (although, even if it goes smoothly, she won't be caged with them until she's completely on raw).

Unfortunately, I work the weekend she'll be brought up, but I'm thinking I might work that Friday, but take Sunday off, so I can just kind of get her settled and adjusted before the new week, at least, begins.

Oh my god. Wish me luck.

IT'S HE-ERE

2010-10-20T18:50:00.005-04:00

My shelf cover and ramp covers came today! The camel fabric matches the stripes beautifully, ahahahaha. So, of course, PICTURES:

*How cute are my girls? Almost magazine worthy :DDDD*

They didn't hesitate to hop into the stuff and stash the little toys Rose makes. And the greatest thing? They're getting a complete bedding set plus some sleeping cubes for xmas ;) I know the Triad could really care less, but I'm just happy as a clam!

very mini picspam: TUNNELS

2010-10-19T19:32:00.003-04:00

So, yeah, that's a few shots of the Triad (mainly just Sian and Pixie in those shots) playing with the tunnels. The layout's changed again (hey, that's half the fun and the damn things ARE my bday gifts, after all, ahahaha), and the ferts are getting some good use out of 'em.

Also, Sian's winter coat came in over night, so now she's a fluffy, HUNGRY RAWR mess of really beautifully soft fur. Yogi's working on his (the face fur's thickened, but nothing's caught up yet), and Pixie's just going to hold off until the last minute, apparently.

I wasn't joking, though. Sian's a little terror about food, right now. 3 squares a day and no skipping, I swear :\ Hopefully it'll taper off, but outside of meal times, she's a little lap fert, just like Yogi. It's all cuddles and kisses. I'm sensing another 3 and 4.5-5lb winter ahead, respectively.

And, that's about it for tonight, I think :D

and in this corner, weighing in at 1/4 lbs ...

2010-10-17T18:42:00.007-04:00

So, I thought I'd be posting the picspam of the ferret's playing with my bday gift - their tunnel city. Apparently not. Instead, the Triad enjoyed a whole dressed quail today, and I took a short little video of them in the beginning, so that's what you guys are getting, ahahaha.

But first - I even cleaned (finally, sweet jeebus) the Triad's room for the occasion:

Oooo, pretty. And all so they could do this:

YAY, FOOD FIGHT.

Honestly, though, each time they have the whole quail, they get better and better about eating together. Already this time didn't last as long (and I didn't have to separate anyone) as the previous ones. They'll learn.

Eventually.

Introductory Post: Kai

2010-10-16T09:57:00.010-04:00

No, it's not another ferret. I wouldn't do that to the Triad.

First, though, the name Kai is surprisingly multi-lingual. But some of the best meanings are: strong/unbreakable, victory/triumphant, safe harbor, willow tree, love, and unceasing. In Cornish, it also means "dog," ahaha.

But, I hear you ask, who the frick is Kai? Well, Kai is ...

*It's dark, I know, but if you can - THE FACE. It's such a sweet little face. Also, apologies for the disarray behind the kitten. My sis just recently moved out (this was her room) and between really sick nieces and now the new kitten, we haven't given much thought to straightening up the remnants of the move.*

... a little tailless calimanco (tortoise and calico) or what I prefer - Clouded Tiger cat - she has no tail, guys. NO TAIL, just a tiny little stump that wiggles. It is so cute. My mom found her out in our pasture early this morning. Betty (one of our five dogs) was sitting beside her, rolling her over and licking at her when my mom - who had heard meows and calls - almost stumbled on her.

She's tiny, and bony, but she's sweet, and very human oriented (at least with my mom and me), which is surprising for a stray, IMO. But I was told that when a feral cat "makes up their mind" about seeking help, they're like that. Feral, and then attached quickly and permanently. Which is really what has seemed to have happened here. She also has an affinity for perching on shoulders.

She's eating and drinking, and her eyes a light, soft green (like Asai's). My mom and I are taking shifts in Kai's temporary room, as she gets very, very upset when left alone and she seems to prefer rotating out her two people so that she gets to see everyone she thinks is hers, instead of just one person staying with her constantly.

In the picture she's actually laying on me, since that's the only way I could get a picture since she was in my face (she had been left alone for about 15 or so minutes) and climbing all over me until she relaxed enough to feel sleepy.

Shade and Betty are very interested in her. Bronx stealth sniffs at her, and Dee could care less. ( Ben will only ever meet her when she's bigger and starts roaming outside and gets in the pen with him (probably); but he did sniff out the spot she was found and marked it like mad, apparently. The cats are all in an uproar (except Callie, who's just pretending she doesn't exist for now) and don't know what to do.

She has an appointment Monday at 10, so I'll update this with approximate age and all that stuff as we learn about her (because I can, that's why), but I'll still do a Triad post later, 'cause TOYS :DDDDDDD

[insert baby talk here]

2010-10-15T09:56:00.003-04:00

*HALP, I'm in jail*

So my glee is really GLEE. No accidents, everybody used the litterbox. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I'm still having trouble believing it. After two years, $70 (cause the FN built one was actually $69 + shipping) and a short half day and my ferts are using the litterbox.

So here's my endorsement: if anyone has stubborn poopers, think about getting this commode (they even - if you didn't know - do custom sizes for different cages). It's worth the money 'cause it works.

Unthawing a dressed quail for 'em. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA MY BABIES :DDDDDDDD

fortune says ...

2010-10-14T17:38:00.006-04:00

*Here's my dad holding Sian. For some reason, he got really interested in the Triad last night, even calling them out of the cage to come say hi to him. It was so cute, awww*

I just got home from classes and checked in on the Triad. Now, they get out around 7 in the morning and are free to roam their room until bedtime. But they sleep a lot, and they prefer sleeping in the FN, and they also go potty in it when they wake up from their naps, as well.

Well, guys, an almost full day and there was no accidents on the floor of the cage. There *was* a lot of poo in the box, though. I mean, I don't think Pixie would need to go all that much.

It'll be clearer tonight and tomorrow morning how they behave. But zomg - maybe this litterbox really DOES work for stubborn poopers. I can't even imagine having all three using the litterbox reliably. God, a dream.

:D

It's funny, too, because THIS morning the Twins had pottied on the floor and on the shirt (Pixie fell into the change easily, so C:) I had laid down to try to dissuade them from doing that very thing. So I cleaned up the cage, put their accidents in the box's corners to get their smell in there and not just Miss Pix's, and then - since they hadn't gone to the bathroom yet - I put them in there and gave them lots of attention.

They didn't freak out or anything. They actually stayed in the cage and kept going back and forth into the litterbox, like "okay, what's this MEAN???" It was so cute, and you could just see them all befudddled, but trying SO HARD to connect the dots (meanwhile Pixie was looking toward their antics, like "you guys are the stupidest things I have ever had to interact with.")

But this afternoon I was so pleased that you can believe they were getting a whole bunch of "OMG, MY GOOD BABIES. YOU ARE SO GOOD." KISS KISS KISS They were loving the overwhelming attention, even if they were a little ? about *why* it was happening.

It's just glee right now. That is all.

privy news

2010-10-13T19:05:00.004-04:00

The Triad's litterbox came today! I had to rearrange the cage (take out the tray and switch it around so that the litterbox is under the shelf and not at the end of the ramp. So even Pixie has to adjust.

I'm expecting a few accidents, but I'm hoping that everyone'll adjust and use the damn (expensive, oh my god so expensive) thing. To that effect, I've got some of their bedding and their foodbowls on the empty side of the cage in hopes of dissuading them from going potty all over the place.

We'll see, we'll see. But have some pics:

PICSPAM: hay day

2010-10-12T21:32:00.013-04:00

So we got Cinder the Rabbit a big ole bale of hay for his hayboxes, and we always put it in a big garbage can. There's always a bit left over that keeps the lid from sealing (even after filling up all the hayboxes we have for him), so the Triad got to go digging in a bit of it today.

This is the result.

Pixie, especially, had a blast. She'd dig all the way to the bottom and root around down there (in the last picture, she's still in the box, you can just *barely* see her).

Also, you can kinda see two things: 1) how friggin' light Pixie's getting. She's now known (by my dad who's infamous for not remembering the Triad's names) as "the little white one", so yeah. And 2) how dark Miss Sian's getting along her back. In those areas she's almost as dark as Yogi. It's not as clear on here as Pixie's change, I know, but you can see it (well, for one IRL) a little bit.

In other news: their flexi-funnel arrived, but I'm waiting on the rest of the tunnels before I give it to them. Also, their custom litterbox should arrive tomorrow! TOMORROW, GUYS, AHAHAHAHAHA. I'm so excited. Then, all I have to wait for is their ramp and shelf covers from Rose and I can totally update their cage!

As for tonight, I'm waiting for the duck necks to unthaw for their supper. I got a late start with that :C

here, have a picture of the Twins ...

2010-10-11T18:00:00.004-04:00

... ...

Because this (relatively short) post is basically spamming Cinder's new (ly clean, ahaha) floor!

PICTURES :DDDD

It looks painfully empty now, because it IS, but all the toys and things we ordered haven't come yet, so Cinder will have to suffer a few more days with it like it is. Not like he really cares - he's not sure he even likes the floor. I had to trick him with treats to get him even walking on it. Also, he got a nail clipping today, so he's doubly pissed off. He was throwing and banging baskets around and lunging at everyone that came by.

Hopefully he'll cool down soon (rabbits, at least OUR rabbits, tend to be a bit more aggressive/assertive, even, than any other animal in our house. I love it.)

I, however, love the floor. It's easy to sweep and vacuum up all the hay and rolly-poley poos of his. Also, it does help with the smell (carpet and rabbit pee =/= good times, sweet jeebus).

More pics as soon as toys come and Cinder the Rabbit isn't out for blood >;D

ETA II: Cinder the Rabbit now has his own blog, rabbit tracks. So, for anyone who wants to see more pics/read more gibberish about him, head on over there. For those of you who really don't, this blog now returns to its 24/7 coverage of Triad activities. *g*

so I've been incredibly spendy lately

2010-10-10T02:03:00.006-04:00

First up is Cinder the Rabbit - he's getting his whole old floor ripped up and we're laying down flexi-tiles instead. Then, on my birthday, I found a few cute little bunny sites and I picked out a pretty big house condo; a replacement floor for said condo (for the inevitable chewing and eating of his house; yucca/willow/apple twig/something else toy sampler, 5 lbs of first cut (and no that's not a typo) timothy hay.

Then, my mom got in on the action and got him a large sea grass mat, a pinecone/willow ball/twig sampler IN A BASKET (aw), an herb and flower hay topper mix, and a bundle of apple sticks. Also, I have plans to buy him a few of the mazes they have for rabbits. So lots of rabbity goodness (he's a mature fellow, and this spoiling is long past due, tbh). Also, pictures will be forthcoming, whether you like it or not, bwhahahahaha

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TRIAD, I hear you ask, THIS IS A FERRET BLOG AFTER ALL.

Besides the $100 minimum food bill a month? Weeelllll ... it all started with my birthday. I really like nothing better than using that and the holidays as an excuse to make my family buy my pets gifts. So I roped (and by "roped" I mean sat there while she said "I WANT TO GET THE FERRETS SOMETHING, TELL ME WHAT THEY LIKE") her into getting them a bunch of tunnels and connecting ball, because the only thing I'm sure of is that the Triad loves tunnels, omfg.

Then, a few days later I wander over to LFFR (have you noticed the shiny new link at the top of "Check these out ..."? Hinthint).

Oh, yeah.

You guys, I finally got my guys a bedding set, ahahahahaha. Of course, because of their diet and how/where they eat and how Yogi and Sian like to *not* use litterboxes, I didn't want to get the standard FN sets Rose makes. Instead I got the 8 pc set and special ordered 1 shelf cover and 2 ramp covers. I got the bedding set today (ish. I'm up late) and I ordered the covers today (after seeing in person the color scheme. I wanted to make sure I matched everything up). Here, have a pic:

It's gorgeous and Rose is wonderful to do busines with, and I'm going to get at least one more :DDDDD Also, I have mighty mighty plans on ordering ferret.com's litterbox for the FN - I'm hoping it'll work and get all three of the ferts using it (well, they really won't have a choice, will they?). They say it's made to fit snug so that the renegade pottiers can't chuck it into the middle of the cage or otherwise destroy it. For $50 that better be true. 'Sall I'm saying.

So, spending, spending, spending (I also got my nieces xmas shopping DONE. Oh, yeah, in October. I'm so on the ball, guys, I'm awesome *g*).

In other news: ferts love the coarse ground pheasant, yay. Also, I'm thinking of making static pages (linked in my sidebar) to a how-to guide for switching ferts to raw diet. I've been getting more and more comments here and through email about it, and I know on the comment section I'm not doing it justice, and I think having something I can refer people to that's already plotted out might work better. So if you see that post, remember you were forwarned ;P

ETA: Well, I did it - ordered the damn litterbox. Want to know my motivation? Walked into the Triad's room to let them out this morning, and the piddle pad was askew and everything was ... a mess (politely speaking >:| ).

... yeah, so there are a few things I forgot ...

2010-10-03T23:19:00.002-04:00

Well, more like two.

Two birthdays. Like, Pixie and Sian's September birthdays. *headdesk* That's right - Miss Pix turned 5 YEARS OLD and little miss Sian turned 2 a few days later.

They didn't get their birthday posts, either, and probably won't considering that the majority of my pics were lost in the Great Erasing Incident of '09, and the rest are still on my old laptop.

I can still - and will - change their birthday tickers (yay, omg my life is so exciting, ya'll).

As for food news: they did have another whole dressed quail today. This time, Yogi was ready and willing to eat it (maybe because I fed them light yesterday in preparation for today, ha). Anyway, all three were playing tug-of-war with it. Yogi had the carcass by the feet, Pixie by the wings, and Sian had it by the head and they were friggin' pulling.

Sian and Pixie ended up going head-to-head, because they both wanted the breast area. Sian lost, and so she had to wait while the Lovebirds had their fill. She killed the time by being the center of my attention, and I'd pick up the scraps (part of the wing, or the feet) that the Lovebirds would leave off and give it to Sian, so that kept her busy while she was waiting.

But, yeah, they were like little piranhas or something, and they just demolished the damn thing.

... Annnnd, I ordered another shipment. This time, I added in course ground pheasant and course ground turkey, as well, for different textures. Next month, if they still have it, I'm going to get some ground goose (yay, something new!). That'll up my seven different protein sources to eight. Which, can I just brag? Rules are that ferrets need at least three protein sources (and that's not including organs and hearts, which are also necessary) to have a balanced raw diet. You guys, I have seven (excluding eggs, which the Triad does get, but not frequently) - turkey, duck, pheasant, quail, chicken (just necks, though), fish (salmon and tilapia) and gamehens.

Like I said, I get just as much enjoyment (if not more) from their diet as the ferts do. It's just so much fun.

And, pictures later. I thought I'd uploaded the new ones from my phone, but I guess I didn't 'cause I can't find them. Sorry, I know you all must be bitterly disappointed *g*

(also, it's my birthday tomorrow, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME)

it was cute, you know, before all the mutilation

2010-09-18T15:17:00.005-04:00

So my Hare-Today shipment came in last night. I got whole carcass ground quail, ground pheasant, ground duck, coarse ground duck, quail feet, chicken necks, duck necks, and the capper: dressed whole quail.

The Triad had coarse ground duck last night and loved it (the bones were perfect for them. Although I have noticed that even with a week on ground [bone, organ in] food and their poos are still formed and not loose, like they get on just meat meals and the Aunt Jeni's).

This afternoon (I skipped their breakfast), I laid down paper, then put a plate on it. On that plate? A whole quail. And when I mean whole, I mean feathered head and eyes and organs included.

Even though I love feeding my guys this diet, it does make me pause, when I see it so ... unprocessed, I guess. Quail, apparently, have very, very sweet faces :\

Anyway, it was a hit with Pixie and Sian, who - after the initial WTF? moment - promptly got into a fight over it. They eventually settled down and shared, but it took awhile. Yogi is a bit more apprehensive about it. I saw him licking it, but I haven't seen him actually eat any of it.

And with that, time for pictures. WARNING: QUAIL CARCASS.

So far, they've eaten the legs and wings and ripped the head off. It'll probably last them all day, which is just fine.

Quail. Does a ferret body good.

;D

... it's not a TU-MOR

2010-08-27T15:52:00.004-04:00

*The Triad eating ground quail*

So, like I told my mom: I finally "starved* Sian the right way, and she woke up one morning ready to eat the quail meat, yay!

I always love how they turn their noses up at stuff, and then will all of a sudden decide that it's - OMG the best thing eva!!11!!!!1

In other news: keeping an eye on Sian's little lump. It is getting a bit scabby looking, but the thinned out hair has grown back, so that's good. I really, really want to get that thing checked out (come on, money. You can hop into my bank account any day now. I SWEAR), but it doesn't look like it's giving her any issues, really. I mean, it's either getting banged up because of the location of it or she is snitching it on occasion, but she's not chronically messing with it (I never see her do it, in fact).

Ugh. I don't know - I just hate the fact that if it IS a skin tumor brought on by allergies, these things have a high rate of returning. That really, really sucks.

Kind of a blah post, I know. Sorry.

* - except for how, you know, she wasn't starved at all; she got two other meals (not including what I really WANTED her to eat - the quail). But, *winks*

the rule of the day is ...

2010-08-24T17:30:00.002-04:00

So, The Triad had quail and turkey ground this morning. The Lovebirds were fine; Sian threw a bit of a fit when she could smell the turkey but couldn't get to it (it was underneath the quail). She ended up eating some, although the other two ate more.

Oh! And they DID go crazy for the duck, although I was right - the coarse ground duck is the size I need (about 1 inch bone pieces), instead of the duck PIECES. These pieces leave to big of bones and I don't have the right knife.

Ben got the stuff I couldn't cut. He was a happy boy :DD

So far it's feathers over fur for The Triad. Though how they really *know* I have no idea, but they do. They've veto'd rabbit and mice (oh, god. I'm getting truamatic flashbacks to the mice. That was a horrid, horrid time :3 ).

a dramatic musical score would not go amiss ...

2010-08-23T09:35:00.004-04:00

*Check it out. The Triad's freezer o' food. It's kind of pathetically empty, but we'll get that changed. Eventually. Not pictured: the very bottom shelf of store-bought meats and bone. All that's just Hare-Today. The top is dinners (rmbs); the middle is breakfast (ground); the third shelf is duck/turkey hearts and quail feet (snack). It's like I run a daycare or something :/ *

Aha. Well, it seems The Triad is suffering from ferty laziness. It's not just rabbit bone and meat that they're turning their noses up at. It's any major chunked bone.

Like chicken necks.

It's because of the ground food. I don't feel totally bad, because that has little cubes of whole bone, but it's still easier for them to get at, so they want to laze around and not eat rmbs.

>:DDDDDDD NO BREAKFAST FOR THEM! Seriously, they have their necks. That's it; I'm not wasting expensive, specially ordered food, just because they think they're spoiled enough to throw a big huge tantrum and get away with it.

And they're already trying to make me feel bad.

... yeah, no. This is completely normal.

2010-08-21T23:47:00.002-04:00

A clear shot of Pixie's shaved neck. AWWWWW*

So, I did it. I put The Triad up for the night with rabbit rmbs. The Lovebirds had theirs liberally coated with baby food (and no, it didn't escape me that it gave them a "mini meal" if they just couldn't deal with the trauma of chewing on rabbit chunks). I had to dip my finger in olive oil and offer it to Sian to see if she was interested in that (she gets mortally offended if I add it to meals when she doesn't have a ... taste for olive oil. Even in meals she already despises. God, they rule my life. It's so sad ;_; ) So, yeah, she was in an olive oil mood, I guess, and I added it to hers.

The results so far ... the Lovebirds licked off the baby food, Sian drank the olive oil and then they laid around like I had betrayed them.

Yeah. Worth a shot, though, since - you know - I already ORDERED THE DAMN MEAT, ANYWAY RAWR.

I promise after tomorrow's post, the rabbit stuff? *seals lips* I SOLEMNLY SWEAR. I mean, I've still got quail and pheasant and duck pieces to talk about, ahahahahaha.

of quail feet, skin tumors, and the ongoing rabbit saga

2010-08-20T12:00:00.003-04:00

So, first off - the quail feet. I gave them to The Triad yesterday along with their heart. I wasn't expecting much - we've had a really off time with some of the new foods. I had just gotten done asking, "how am I going to get you guys to eat these?" when I put the bowls down, they scarfed up the hearts and started eating the quail feet.

So, they aren't completely stubborn. Just mostly >:D

And yes, yesterday I did find a small lump on Sian hind foot. It's red, round and raised (oh, heh). So, when my job starts and I get my first paycheck, we'll be getting it looked at (I hate waiting, though, and if it starts looking weird or bleeding or something, I'll get her in sooner, definitely [care credit, ahoy]). I WANT IT OFF, OMG. >:C

I haven't even seen her really mess with it, and I don't know how I missed it, when I've been doing nail clippings every 4 days or so *scratches head*. Anyway.

And the ongoing rabbit meat problem. The baby food yesterday kind of worked for the Lovebirds, not with Sian (who had it plain because she doesn't like baby food, and olive oil [apparently] fell out of favor with her), but they didn't eat all of it. Today, I attacked from a new angle. For the Lovebirds: I made a little ball out of the rabbit meat, and then I covered that with a layer of ground turkey. On top of that I smeared a layer of baby food. For Sian: the first step minus the baby food, of course.

How'd it go? Pixie and Yogi happy licked off the baby food and started eating the turkey layer perfectly okay. Sian took a few nibbles off of her turkey layer before running around and smelling at the Lovebirds' bowls (never a good sign).

The Lovebirds ended up getting to the rabbit layer and taking a few bites, but that's it. By this point, not even finished with the turkey layer, Sian had started stashing hers (out of sight, out of mind. Like I don't know what she did or something. She's so pretty). The Lovebirds ended up stashing theirs, too, but at least they tried a bit more than Sian did.

It was kind of like watching someone eat a tootsie roll pop, if tootsie roll pop = different kinds of bloody raw meat.

Oh, well. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that they just don't want the rabbit. I'm still going to try the rabbit rmbs, but now I'll stick with things with feathers (those, so far, seem Triad approved).

this should be more like "to be continued"

2010-08-19T12:03:00.003-04:00

Ergh. Blergh.

So, no picspam*. The Triad are being singularly obnoxious about their food.

They ate one little third of a duck nuck last night.

Today? Sian ACTUALLY threw up when I popped a piece of rabbit into her mouth. Threw. Up. I am not kidding, guys. [Although the good news on the rabbit front? I got the Lovebirds to eat some of it. Ah, the wonders of baby food]. RABBIT IS NOT ICKY, TRIAD. GET WITH IT.

I finally relented, and gave Sian her turkey heart early. I just don't know what to do :CCCCC and it's making me cranky.

Other good news: Pixie's done with her antibiotics YAY

But that's it >:|

*ETA: still no picspam, but this post is new and improved with SLEEPYTIME!YOGI, FTW

part I

2010-08-18T14:35:00.004-04:00

In that pic, the bowl is empty. Right now? They have bowls full of the best looking rabbit meat I've seen and ... they're refusing to eat it :/ Nothing I've done has worked, and now they're huddling far, far away from the lovely, juicy NUTRITION, ugh.

Though, I have read that a lot of cat owners experienced the same thing after feeding duck (like I have). Apparently cats (and now ferrets can be added to the list) just want DUCK after eating it and don't want anything else.

Like I told The Triad, they aren't getting something else until that's gone. And I mean it :|

They are all out of sorts, anyway, because I slept in, and they didn't get out when they wanted out (oops). The FN paid the price (and, well, me. I had to clean the disaster area up first thing after getting out of bed RAWR)

The Triad are - quirky and spoiled and smart (well, Pixie is. Sian and Yogi tend to blunder around a bit more). They make plans, and they are never GOOD plans for their ferrent. Let me tell you.

*pouts*

~~[also, yes, part 1 because the shipment from HT is coming today, so you KNOW another posts (and probably a ton of pics) will be coming to a blog near you later tonight!]~~

PICSPAM & stuff: life imitates seals

2010-08-17T09:57:00.006-04:00

*The reason Pix's head/neck might look weird, is because that big white patch? Is where the vet shaved her to draw blood*

Almost through with Miss Pix's medicine - not that she really cares. Giving her the amoxidrops, to her, is like a glitch before she gets her food. I had her dooking and wardancing today over the duck, too, and as soon as I sat down she hopped onto my lap and looked around like, "where's my bowl?" so *waves* SPOILED (but that's okay).

Oh! And in other news: I noticed that the piddle-pad inside the cage was clean when I went to let them out this morning, and a little while later (when I was disinfecting it), I saw little miss Sian hop in the litterbox and use it, so apparently The Triad as a whole (?) are using it. Which, no complaints from me, because it makes cleaning even easier than it was before, ahahahaha.

mmmmm, and in random fert-y antics! The Lovebirds were napping in the cage, and Sian was out playing with me, when she decided to start hand wrestling (and ever since I nip-trained her, she's been leary about doing. She took the "control your bite" to mean "don't play-bite at all" which I don't really believe in), and she got a little too carried away *ahem*, and so I did my usual "ow!" and she backed off and adjusted pretty quickly, and so I decided to let her keep playing.

She'd fall back into it, though, and the last one was on my upper arm, right above my bent elbow, so it's pretty fleshy. I screeched, Sian took off, and next thing you know, Yogs's tumbling, still half-asleep, out of the cage. He runs up to where Sian's sulking, smells her face and GIVES HER A KISS. At this point, I'm thinking "awwwwww. But SHE actually hurt ME *pouts*." Yeah, I did kinda pout. I'm so pathetic.

Then Yogi comes up to me, smells my arm where Sian got me (it was red, but no broken skin), smells my face, and then GIVES ME A KISS. After making sure everyone was okay (duty: completed), he turned around and went to go snuggle Pixie (who was waiting with an eye cracked to make sure he came back) once more.

And, see. People wonder why ferrents go googly-eyed over their babies.

FERRETS ARE AWESOMESAUCE, YOU GUYS. TRUFAX.

christmas in july ... or, you know, august

2010-08-16T11:59:00.003-04:00

So, the obvious: I changed up the blog's look. Still green, just - new green, :D

And I changed the "about me" so everyone'd know that I talk a lot about BARF diets. No surprises now! Oh! And the picture in the header? The exact same one that's on my home comp. AWWWW, PIXIE.

In other news: the ground duck was a hit. Sian smelled it right away, puffed out (you know, how they tense every guard hair on their body until the hairs resemble quills) , and started gobbling. Yogi ran around for a bit, his face kind of like "???", until he finally gave in and started eating, and then he did the same thing - puffed out and happy.

Pixie took the longest. She'd run around to all the bowls, then run up to Yogi and smell his mouth as he was eating, like she was saying, "you're eating that? Why are you EATING that?" She'd look over her shoulder at me and her face was completely bewildered like she just *did not* get it. I finally took pity on her and put her in my lap and got some duck on my finger. As soon as I held it close (not putting some on her nose or in her mouth, just putting the food near her), she started eating, and then she puffed out, too, and couldn't get to the bowl fast enough.

I think she's conditioned to eat, in that pose (hindlegs on my thigh, front legs held in my hand), because that's the way I'd hold her when she was first switching over to raw. So now every time I do that, her brain goes, "oh, okay, so we're REALLY eating this."

After that, it was easy peasy, yay. I mean, Pixie still has to eat in on my lap, but I don't have to hand feed her.

And we put in another order at Hare Today. Our receipt reads like this: ground turkey, turkey heart, duck heart, duck neck, duck pieces, ground duck, ground quail, quail feet, ground whole quail carcass (which was a mistake. I MEANT to get the whole dressed quail, oh well. Next time), ground rabbit, rabbit chunks, ground rabbit organs (which will go along with the whole ground carcass to make a complete meal, so that works out) and ground pheasant.

The only things left to try are the quail eggs, the dressed carcasses and the turkey livers, and Hare Today's game hens (their meat seems so much better than ANYTHING at the grocery store, I'll tell you). I mean, later on I might try The Triad on skinned rabbit heads or something, but .... we'll see.

okay, a few Lovebird pictures and then A RANT >:3

2010-08-15T14:03:00.008-04:00

Last warning: RANT BELOW

I always make it a habit to say, "whatever diet suits both you and your ferret is the best one," (as long as it, you know, isn't grossly inappropriate - dog food, vegan diet, poor quality, that kinda stuff.) But it still just amuses me whenever I see people warning potential ferrents away from BARF diets. Now, I didn't always feed raw, but I was never *alarmed* when I heard about those that did. I always realized diets that mimicked nature were always best for *any* animal. Which is why I don't even feed pelleted foods to my rabbit - just hays/grasses and veggies/fruits, and he's what ... ten, now?

Anywho, I came across a certain website the other day. And it said,

Note: Please be aware that a raw meat diet could introduce your ferret to internal parasites or disease. If you do want to feed your ferret raw meat, please check with your veterinarian for advice. It is very difficult to feed your ferret a balanced "all natural" diet. I would recommend feeding your ferret a balanced ferret food in addition to the real meat.
Also, never give your ferret small bones to chew on (especially chicken or turkey bones). These bones could splinter and get lodged in your ferret's digestive system (requiring surgery). Your ferret can eat the soft cartilage at the end of large bones or the bone marrow . Ferrets can chew on larger bones that have been softened by boiling.

Which is just all kinds of wrong, sadly, except the last about the vet - and an owner STILL has to make sure that the vet isn't biased, because a lot are. You see those bags of kibble in the office, even the Wysong? Those are the things vets may push on you, instead of listening to anything else. Even an otherwise awesome vet might not have the knowledge of "alternative diets." But, you know, if your fert has a preexisting condition, extra care has to be taken with any dietary switch.

Besides that, good quality, properly handled raw meat isn't more dangerous. In fact, it's a lot safer. Why? Because kibble is so dry that it actually sits in a ferret belly for a longer period of time than raw meat, waiting for the acids and enzymes to build up enough to break the food down. If there's bacteria in that kibble (and we know there's the odd rancid batch, or moldy or whatever), it sets the ferret up for illness. Meat and rmbs and carcasses are eaten, processed and then crapped out usually within three hours.

And the bones? Really? For size and weight, small bones like chickens and game hens are the most biologically correct. There's the same danger to choking and lodging with kibble (I actually had to take Yew in, once, because I thought he was sick. Here, kibble was scraping his throat bloody, so *waves*). You *can* give big bones for stimulation and getting at the cartilage, but smaller bones are fine, too, WITHOUT THE BOILING.

And as for the difficulty in "balancing" meals ... not really, no. True, with whole prey, as long as you vary prey sizes and sources it's complete there and then. With raw diets, as long as you realize balance will be achieved over time, you're good to go. All you need is three protein sources, organ and heart (usually chicken liver and chicken heart, but you can do what I do and go online to get fancy-schmancy).

Maybe it's me, but if you say, okay, turkey, chicken and gamehens are my 3 protein sources, it's not that hard to get your hands on/do, is it?

And how is a kibble any more balanced? Even the best has preservatives and carbs, and usually sugars and all that great stuff to get a ferret to eat it. Is that balanced? Or is it just convenient? Because sometimes I think those two get interchanged when they're really completely seperate ideas.

Last, but not least, is the mental stimulation. Like more eloquent ferrents have said before me, each raw meal is like a fert-y puzzle. The ferrets have to figure out how to eat it - which teeth to use the most, how to turn the head, if they should bite/chew/shear. Then they're confronted with all the different textures and tastes and smells. All these things give the body all the time and signals it needs to ready the digestive system to produce the right acids and enzymes to break the food down and USE it.

Kibble is not only the same texture and taste and shape all the time, but the ferrets eat it so quickly that their bodies can't even *begin* to create the necessary enzymes to digest most of it *while* they're eating. So, like I said earlier, the kibble sits in the belly until there's enough enzymes and acids to break down what it can, before the carbs are flushed out of the body. And that IS an important difference, gastrically-speaking.

Physically speaking, there's an appreciable difference between a raw/natural fed ferret's jaw and chest muscles compared to kibble fed. They develop muscles that never even get exercised with kibble, and that leads us to -

- the behavioral aspect: rmbs give ferrets a beneficial outlet for behaviors that are usually expressed in negative ways. They can handle wrestling without getting carried away, they obsess less (aimless or repetitive digging at floors, cages, biting bars, that sort of thing) because at least one instinct is being met satisfactorily. There is a difference in that - their play appears more enjoyable and less *completely* frenetic.

So, yeah. I try not to, but I CAN rant with the best of them, especially when I come across something ... so unresearched and willfully ignorant.

But I feel better, after saying my piece, so this is me. Getting off my soapbox. \o/

friday night PICSPAM

2010-08-14T14:29:00.006-04:00

Okay, so we know ferrets are inventive. Apparently Sian's newest toy is ... a beer bottle :\

Before anyone gets alarmed, it's time for a ridiculous amount of DISCLAIMERS, OMG - it was rinsed out really well, and no - I didn't let them have any alcohol at all. Making/offering that kind of stuff to animals is Definitely Not Cool. The bottle was also taken away a little later, when I left The Triad Room. Sian just really thought that bottle should be hers. And I thought her trying to take off with it was adorable C: /ridiculous amount of DISCLAIMERS, OMG

and then there was ...

2010-08-13T13:24:00.003-04:00

So, a few more - at this stage, gratuitous - eating pix. TURKEY HEARTS. I'm holding them because they're surprisingly (or not) slippery and The Twins were chasing theirs around their bowls for a long time before I gave in and held the damn things so they could get a hold of it, ahahaha.

Pixie's still doing really, really great. Eating and pooing and peeing. Not really drinking (my guys don't drink that much water - they rely on the juices from their meals, which is why dehydration is always such a huge factor when they stop eating). And playing - so, all's good.

I did manage to wrangle her, too, finally, for her nail clipping. She always has one super thin, super long nail on her right paw. It's weird.

OH! And I found out why Pix's tail is so gnarly looking! She has wax build-up on the tip of her tail. So I've got some gentle acne cleanser stuff that I can wash the area with, and maybe she'll get some nice tail hair instead of her thin bit. I really don't know why I didn't notice it sooner, but I actually only got to see it at the vet's.

We'll see, we'll see :D

their FACES

2010-08-12T13:17:00.004-04:00

*Sian waiting for her turkey heart*

So, The Triad have had breakfast after Pixie's morning dose - more ground turkey/bone/organ, and they were all happy. Yogi-Terror finished his, then slid over to "help" Pixie finish hers, and then The Lovebirds both sidled over to Sian's bowl to "help" her. Since it was ground, there weren't any fights, but you could tell Sian wasn't so keen - she was trying to nudge them out the way and doing her shaking-like-a-leaf adrenaline thing.

A little bit ago, I snuck into their room with the camcorder, and when Yogi was all "oh, pictures, okay. How boring," I scooped him up and revealed the secret weapon - NAIL CLIPPERS. Yes, that's right - a surprise!nail trim. That's how I roll.
I got Sian, too, and am still waiting on Pix - she's snoozing the afternoon away.

Aaaand - in more ferty-diet news: I've settled on a schedule.
Mornings - ground food (right now, the only one they've tried is the turkey. Once I know what they like and don't like, they'll have more variety) or boneless fish. Afternoons - heart (turkey, duck, chicken). Hearts are GREAT for getting your ferts taurine (dark meat is, really, but hearts are the one of the best). If you can do nothing else, getting your ferts to eat this as a snack (ONCE A DAY!!!) would be great for them. Of course, if you feed beef heart, only give them a small piece, not the whole thing. :D /aside
Bedtime - RMBs (turkey, chicken (mostly neck, because that doesn't bother Pix. The Twins can get more chicken than her though), duck, quail, rabbit, pheasant).

So far, Sian's the biggest fan of this new change, but everyone has an appetite, so no wasted food, yay.

PICSPAM: ... and then they FEASTED

2010-08-11T23:07:00.005-04:00

So my order from Hare Today came in. My mom and I spent the better part of the evening organizing it and getting it divvied up. After that? A night of obscene gorging for The Triad, ahahaha.

First up: after divvying up one 2 lb package of turkey hearts, there was a lot of left over blood and bits of heart. What did we do? Put it all in a bowl and let the ferts at it! Sian loved it, so much so The Lovebirds barely got a chance for more than a taste; when they came around she'd try to cover the bowl up and she'd try to step in it. She drank the WHOLE BOWL and ate all the bits of heart. You guys, when she was done, her nose and ears were pink-pink and she zoomed around the room like she was freakin' on crack, or something. Just nose down and tail poofed and speeding. Maybe pure, undiluted blood is like ferret redbull:

Here is a side profile of her blood ... goatee:

A bit later, I gave Miss Pix her amoxidrops and then gave The Triad ground turkey with bones and organ in. To get them to try it, I put a little bit of baby food on The Lovebirds' food and a bit of olive oil on Sian's. Worked like a charm and they loved it. Here, Sian acts like she didn't just drink her weight in turkey blood:

And in these, The Triad are eating their FINAL supper of chicken neck and turkey heart. Once again, no one acted like they ate just 2 hours earlier. Not pictured: Sian "killing" her turkey heart:

a day in the life

2010-08-10T16:13:00.003-04:00

Well, last night I cleaned The Triad's cage and did laundry (poor Miss Pix had made a mess of it during the worst of not feeling good), and today I did their whole room (it takes awhile - they have a huge room. The only one bigger than it in the house is the living room, and that's only because it's a living room/dining room situation, LOL). Got their toys cleaned, too, so it's a brand new start :D

Miss Pix got her second dose of the amoxidrops, and she didn't throw a fuss, just took it and waited for her baby food, which came just as quick as I could put the bowl down. I fed her in my lap, and Yogi got to clean the container and plastic spoon. I let him finally eat with her when there was like a third left of the food. I tried getting Sian to eat some, but she just runs away.

Miss Pix is sleeping in her freshly vacuumed sleep cube. They had a ton of excitement with the vacuum going and me tossing toys back into the room (and I finally realized that they have a lot of toys, I had a veritable mountain stacked in the hallway. It's just their room makes it look like they barely have anything :C ).

Sian's been pouting since Pixie's getting more attention. She's really not used to not being the center of attention when it comes to me, so this is taking some adjusting for her. I did take her into the bathroom with me when I was washing their toys, so she got to run around there, just her and me.

I'm going to have to work more on that, because Sian's bound to get upset, now that Miss Pix is able to leave the Triad Room. Perks of age *g* Don't get me wrong, Pixie is a handleful when she's excited, but she listens better and I can get the rules through to her, whereas the Twins are just AHHHHHHHHHHH FREEDOM! and go absolutely, no holds barred, insane. Maybe that'll change as the years go on (Yog's is already TWO, you guys).

I'm sure it will with Sian, only because she's a mama's girl, first and foremost :)

So, anyway, that's the news, besides AHAHA, TOMORROW, THE FOOD COMES TOMORROW!!!! Pictures will be taken, I don't even care.

miss pix updates

2010-08-09T15:15:00.003-04:00

I'm going to try do this coherently and hope to god I don't screw that up.

So, found a vet. Not sure we're keeping these guys, but they did know how to do a detailed exam, I'll tell you. And they were pretty good at handling ferrets (they aren't exotics vets or really that experienced with these guys, so *waves*). They said to just head on up and they'd see her as soon as we came in. Of course, by the time I go to load Pix up, she's actually moving around, acting curious and her nose is nice and cold and moist, WHAT. She rode most of the hour long trip loose on my lap. It was sweet.

Anyway, they took her history when we got there and we decided on a CBC panel and stool sample to narrow things down. I weighed her, scruffed her for temp taking and stool samples as well as holding and scruffing while they shaved her neck and then drew blood and she did beautifully.

Stool was negative for parasites (they didn't test for bacteria, because they had to send the sample away to get it tested). Blood panel was pretty good. There were a few things slightly high (creatine and her globulin), but the vets weren't alarmed, because those are normally slightly elevated in dehydrated ferrets (which Pixie was by this time). Her insulin was 105, so that was good, too. And she wasn't anemic, so all clear.

We could have gone for xrays to see if a bone was stuck anywhere, but Hanson was pretty confident there wasn't. She checked mouth, throat, and a very deep stomach palpitation was normal. Her coloring was still good, too. Basically, she was acting 100% normal except for some dehydration issues.

They gave us some amoxicillin -.25ml 2x/day for 10 days, and they injected her with fluids (I have never seen her come back so pissed before, OMG I kid you not. Part of it had to do with the fact that they took her in the back to inject her - I didn't scruff her).

If she acts up again, we actually have another vet lined up in Blacksburg - an actual exotics vet this time, that we'll try (we'll probably end up there, anyway, for Pix's melatonin and The Triad's yearly lupron shots). Back in the car, Miss Pix went to the bathroom in her carrier and then she came back out and rode all the way home curled up on my lap (obvs wasn't driving, guys).

So, we're not sure what the hell's going on, really. Pix's fine right now, and when I told the vet (who TOTALLY approved of the pumpkin and BARF diet, btw) about Pix getting "spoiled" and not wanting to eat chicken wings/legs or CGH pieces (things that require a lot of work to eat), she kind of looked at me, and said, "she's almost five, maybe you should work with her more" and so I came home and bought a minced meat sampler from Hare Today Gone Tomorrow as well as 4 lbs of chicken necks (perfect meat - bone ratio) and turkey hearts.

I'm moving her primarily to softer food. It still has all the bone and organs, it's just ground up and easier to eat. The Twins will still get CGH pieces and the like (although they'll get a bit of minced as well), and they'll get a lot of variety. The sampler contains quail, pheasant, duck, rabbit and chicken, each 1 lb worth. I'll see what they like and what works with Pix's IBD issues.

(aside: taking down the Aunt Jeni's site from the sidebar (their new site is difficult and they've taken down the RMBs :C ) and putting the new site up - you should just check it out and see what they offer. The selection is amazing)

It's going to be so much fun. And hopefully this'll help her get all the goodness without the stress!

Good thoughts *crosses fingers*

bad news bear

2010-08-08T20:39:00.005-04:00

Wow, so I haven't been around a lot lately. Getting ready to go back to school has killed my time on blogging, I guess.

And, now, I come carrying some not so good news. Miss Pix is sick. She was fine last night, but today she's really lethargic and still and wants to be alone. She ate a little bit of Carnivore Care/pumpkin/baby food, but not a lot. I'll try again a bit later. She seems a tish cooler (but she's still active enough not to stay wrapped up whenever I try), too, and has really loose stool even with the pumpkin. She just has to hang on tonight and she'll be going to the vet tomorrow.

I don't know why this happened, and I don't know what's wrong. It seems so sudden, when last night she was all excited and fine. I don't know if it's bone-related or another stomach issue (she's had ulcers before). I got my mom down there to look in her mouth while I scruffed Pixie (in case a bone was lodged or something), and it was clear where mouth/throat were visible (no telling further down or in her gi tract). But my mom petted her throat down to her chest and Pixie burped. My mom said it smelled bad (like indigestion bad, not sour-sweet bad).

I don't know, but kind thoughts are appreciated until we get this figured out.

eta: BEWARE - TMI

she had a heaving/diarrhea spell a few hours ago (around 10); I syringed a few cc's of water into her and she handled the first two doses well. Two hours later, did it again and she gagged a bit, but didn't vomit, so that's good. She's still limp, even though when she does move she doesn't limp and none of her limbs seem weak. There's no drooling, either, but I'm the next set of syringes contain a karo syrup/water solution, and I have one babyfood one, too, because she can can go to the bathroom, even if it is mucousy. Right now, she's sleeping in her cuddly-cup, in a pretty comfy-looking pose, curled around, front feet in the air. Her nose is dry and warm but her regular pink and so are the pads on her feet and her gums (they aren't white or deep red). Her breathing seems even and not too pained.

I'm thinking it's a stomach thing, something like proliferative colitis or more ulcers or something, although insulinoma isn't out of the question, especially at her age. I don't know, and I have three more hours until the vets open

eta II: as of ~6 am I gave Pixie the karo syrup and water by syringe and then halfway through the baby food syringe, I was just resting her on my knees and she ate on her own, plus half of the jar of it. Afterward, she still went around rubbing her face like she felt sick, but it wasn't as desperate and she didn't paw at her mouth and she also went to the bathroom, again, too. Then she just laid on the ground until I picked her up and got her situated in her cuddly cup before putting her in the cage. It's eerie, her being so listless, but at least she ate, and now I'm really wondering if she's insulinomic :C

who's hungry?

2010-05-02T02:27:00.003-04:00

On the food front:

Two big complaints: why is it impossible to find organic chicken wings? I mean, my store hasn't had them for months. Drumsticks, but no wings, and I AM NOT feeding my guys anything not organic or that has that added broth crap in it. JUST NO.

Then, on top of that, there's been no canned pure pumpkin at the stores. I finally had to buy that WHOLE pumpkin bread kit just so I could get the one itty-bitty can of pumpkin that it comes with. GRRR-ARRGH.

General news: my guys are going through their spring/summer shed so they are kind of rough around the edges appearence wise and are voracious, bottomless little pits of RAGING HUNGER RAWR. For the time being I'm buying organic cooker hens, because they are big and can satisfy even Yogi-Terror's fearsome stomach.

So the other night I'm slicing this big chicken up so I can freeze half of it when a slimy plastic baggie comes peeking out.

I had forgotten about the neck and gizzards and livers, because it's been so long since I've had a cooker hen come with it. It was a nice surprise (I'm lame in this regard, as well, but when you feed raw you DO NOT look a gifthorse in the mouth. Ever).

So, that night the girls got the wings and Yogi got a drumstick, and then I divvied up the gizzards between them, and - on a leap of faith - I chopped the liver into bits (because ferts only need a bit of it, like a teaspoon portion, weekly, or they can overdose on the minerals) and added that in. I didn't have much hope of that, because all the times before they've never eaten it.

This time? They slurped that bloody, slimy mess right up. First thing and without any coaxing (ie dousing it in olive oil). THEY LIKE THE CHICKEN LIVER!

What? It was an exciting moment for this ferrent C:

And I have the chicken neck sitting in the freezer. I only need two more chickens (with their respective necks included) and then The Triad can have them as a snack!

Yesterday, I kneeled on Pixie's tail, so it's probably a good thing they had ground turkey for dinner - it just so happens to be her favorite food outside of chicken babyfood. It went far to soothe her pain :D

...and THEN she walked on water

2010-05-01T22:29:00.003-04:00

So The Triad got a new cube bed thing as a pressie. They absolutely adore it. Pixie likes to kickbox the furry pink balltoy that came with it.

In other news, Pixie is seriously the best ferret I have ever had the pleasure to know.

The other day, I was clipping nails, and when Miss Pix sees me start on The Twins, she'll conveniently find somewhere dark and hidden to play in. You know, far away from the evil clippers of doom.

Well, I got done with Yogi and Sian (no thanks to Sian herself, she was jerking all around), and I called Pixie. She popped her head out of where she was hiding and just kind of looked at me. I called her name again, and the expression on her face was reminiscent of someone saying, "good job. That is my name, lady." Finally I got with the program and said, "come on, Pixie, let's get your nails clipped."

You guys, she came walking up to me, crawled into my lap, and sat high on her rear (as animals will sometimes do and it kind of looks like a person would sit). AND SHE WAITED FOR ME TO CLIP HER NAILS.

You see? She is the best behaved and sweetfaced ferret in the UNIVERSE. Now, I love all my guys, but NO ONE comes close to Pixie's level of just sheer, unadulterated intelligence.

Maybe this seems like such a small thing, but the past 4.5 years have been full of just these amazing, considerate and unbelievable actions on her part.

She is seriously a one in a million fert, and I am just so proud she's in my business.

Okay, sickening gushing is over for now :D