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So,
you've already read Wanizame's story. The other two were brought in by
a roommate, who very soon decided they were too much responsibility (as
I had warned her when she said she wanted a ferret like mine). As it turned
out, she was only supposed to bring one of the two that were available
from a friend, but since they were brothers, she didn't want to split
them up, and eventually, they fell into my care.
Now when
the brothers were introduced to 'Zame, there was a couple minutes of general
sniffing and generally checking the newbies out, and then there was a
sudden flurry of flying fur as the playtime insanity began! 'Zame had
spent a good portion of her young life lost and alone in our neighborhood,
and another year with me in my apartment all by herself; the only ferret
in the house. Suddenly there were playmates to have fun with, and the
madness began very quickly. For two days straight, they would sleep for
short periods, get up, have a quick bite to eat, and then go at it again,
wrestling all over their new huge 3 level cage!
Let me introduce
the fuzzies: |
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Wanizame
Juutan (Literal: Carpet Shark)
'Zame, as we call her, is sneaky, slinky, and all-out playful. She was
pretty skinny when I first got her, but she fattened up a bit once she
started getting some regular meals. By the time her adult fur came in,
she had learned what a leash was for (and now gets very excited just seeing
one), as well as how NOT to leave special magic "gifts" in the
corners of the room. She's very smart, and recognizes her own name very
quickly. I can only estimate her age, since I don't have any sollid official
records on her, but she's roughly 2 1/2 years old. |
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Koneko
no Kizu (Literal: Wounded Kitten)
Okay, this one takes a little explaining. One of my roommates calls anything
not human "kitty", so that he doesn't have to worry about remembering
what a particular species of animal is called. His girfriend and I thought
that was particularly funny, and decided to name him Koneko. What we hadn't
realized was that in Koneko's case, my roommate was naming him after a
name he heard in the movie "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back":
Boo Boo Kitty F*@k. SO, in deference to the laughter and tears that evoked,
I added the Kizu to his name, which translates as "wound". I
took the liberty to interpret wound as "boo boo" rather than
get literal with the Japanese translation. THAT would have been painful
to remember, let alone pronounce.
Koneko is easily the fattest of the crew. I haven't had a chance to weigh
him officially yet, but rest assured, he's a fatty alright. Despite this,
he is the most fearless of the business, and regularly dives to the bottom
of their cage from the second level rather than take the ramp down. Lazy?
I don't think so. I think I would rather slide down the ramp than attempt
to break my neck, myself. He's pretty darned agile despite his weight,
as you can see in his photo, he's about to clear the edge of that stair.
The others cant get that kind of air, or at least aren't interested in
trying. |
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Itachi
no Taku (Literal: House Weasel)
Itachi is the most energetic of the bunch, able to bounce off of solid
objects at full speed and still come boinging back for another pass at
whatever it is he's playing with, be it my hand or another ferret. Itachi
learned to ride my shoulder much more quickly than 'Zame did, but at least
she will stay there calmly until I let her know she can come down, where
Itachi will just start backing his way down, putting his claws to good
use on whatever fabric I happen to be wearing. If I'm not wearing a shirt,
then *shudder* that was my fault for putting him on my shoulder in the
first place! I don't clip their claws, because ferrets rely on them to
be able to get around their big world. Besides, as long as they are trained
properly, their claws are as harmless as a puppy's playful pawing; nowhere
near as sharp as a cat's.
Also, none of my ferts have ever bitten anyone they have ever met. They
are raised with lots of loving and as much attention as I can spare. I
believe the key to them not biting though, is that they are given lots
of time to play with each other, so anytime they come out of the cage,
they are so busy checking things out that they don't get comfortable enough
being handled to attempt to play with you like another ferret. (Which
incidentally would be a bit painful, since their skin is very tough. They
don't pull any punches when playing, and sometimes make play look like
a fight to the death.) |
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There's
Wanizame. Sleeping. Ferrets sleep alot. No, seriously. They sleep a LOT.
Like sixteen hours or more in fact, especially when they're young. One really
neat-o thing about her is that she doesn't smell strongly like some of the
other ferrets I've had. Don't get me wrong, she still has that ferret-y
freshness about her, but it just doesn't come up and kick you in the face
like it will with most others. She's really playful (when awake), and I'll
have some action photos up when I can get her to hold still long enough. |
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I mentioned
that young ferrets sleep alot, right? Good. Just so you know. 'Zame doesn't
care whether or not you know. Because she's asleep. Again. |
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Ferrets like
to sniff anything and everything. Even the places they've been to before
can be entirely new to them another day, especially if you clean the house
now and then. In these next few photos, 'Zame looks a little ruffled, but
that's because ferrets' fur bushes out when they get excited. To the left
is the result immediately after calming somewhat. |
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Wanizame shows
the traits that all ferrets have : curiosity. Man, does she have it in spades!
That little devil will make her way into any crack or crevice available.
You might notice that the speaker just to her right has been taped. That
hole WAS used to allow for some big sound. Now it just looks like a neat
place for her to hole up. |
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A PLASTIC
BAG!! A mundane everyday thing to us humans. A wicked fun playplace for
ferrets! 'Zame will pounce on anything that sounds even remotely like a
plastic shopping bag. She and her buddies enjoy crawling about inside and
playing with a casual finger poking at them from outside. |
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"Hey!
Where's the TV in this place?!" |
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"I
got me a fast food wrapper. STAY BACK! MINE! It smells like... haaaammmmbuurrrrgggeeeeerrrrr....."
'Zame isn't
usually too interested in meat, although ferrets are most definitely carnivorous,
but just about in the same sense that dogs are. Ferrets can be pretty
picky about what they eat, and the only time I have ever seen her show
interest in meat was this moment with a wrapper she found somehwere. |
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Itachi is
the youngest of the group, and even more inquisitive than Wanizame. I hadn't
thought that possible, until I found him climbing their huge 3 level cage
on the outside, just to see what was on top! (He made it safely as I watched
him closely by the way). |
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Itachi says
Hi! Curiosity gets his goat once more, and he stands up to check out the
camera. Right after this shot, he bounced back and started his happy dance
when the camera flashed, then immediately jumped to the side of the playpen
and tried to climb up and get a closer look at the flashy thingy!
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The Business
(that's the proper name for a group of ferrets by the way) takes a break
in the playpen after some of most insane tussling and wrestling I have ever
seen animals do, wolverine deathmatches not included. Itachi thoughtlessly
climbs over the sleeping couple underneath the sheets. Wanizame is curled
up all snug and ferret-like. Koneko sprawls near the opening of their impromptu
and quite temporary Tunnel O' Fun (a common box with both ends opened up).
By the way, the word "couple" isn't exactly the right word, since
all of the ferts are fixed, which in Michigan is required by law unless
one is a licensed breeder of the curtain-climbing little devils. |
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When you spend most of the night bouncing around, wrestling with your friends, eating and generally making a mess of things, you're bound to need some nap time in there. Koneko lounges near the ramp while 'Zame peaks out from her favorite hiding spot under the blankets. Itachi is oblivious to the fact that he looks for all the world like a very dead ferret. |
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'Zame and Koneko are always the first to take notice of an open door! As far as they're concerned, open doors are opportunities for mischief! Itachi remains comatose, uncaring of a missed chance to escape. His friends have no qualms about leaving his lazy Highness behind. |
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It doesn't matter how violent ferret play seems. In the end, they are always good friends and playmates, and more than willing to share the warmth. Nothing captures the heart quite like a fuzzy, snoozing ball of fuzzies! |
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| More
pics coming soon! |