Ferret Love

This morning it was the usual rush . . . Getting my step daughter out of bed, prompting her to

• get dressed,
• brush her hair,
• fix her breakfast,
• make some coffee,
• check for white pearly, freshly-brushed teeth,
• serve myself & my husband a nice cup of coffee . . . lose it in 5 seconds,
• watch the news,
• find my coffee, and refill the cup since it's cold by then
• finally - send the girl to school.

Ugh! Some mornings I just really hate because I don't want to get up!! I am not working right now so this is how I feel productive. I'm sure they can manage perfectly well without me, but I think it's a little unfair they get up early and I'm just sleeping -- which for me it's the ultimate pleasure . . . well, maybe the second best pleasure! ; ) Anyway, the best thing for me in the morning is talking to my husband about the news, about his dreams, and then all the kisses before he is off to work . . . . then it's cleaning time, or working out, or talking to my mother on the phone just listening to her vent; nothing really exciting or truly enjoyable until the ferrets come out to play.

They usually come out by 9:30 am and all hell breaks loose!! There are bites, hops, little barks, barrel rolls, and lots of love running around. It's hard to be depressed or in a bad mood when these little ones are out. I must confess that I do have my favorite and although it may sound unfair, there is a reason for this.

Chango
Chango is a sable ferret who is 7 months old. Chango loves his momma (me) and there is not question about it. He follows me around and likes to be held and get his fat belly rubbed. When I say "Momma wants kisses" he will get really close to my lips and tickle me with his whiskers. We take naps together, we go to the Farmer's Market together and we socialize with everyone who wants to; from children who call him a weasel, or cute puppy, to the local farmers I shop from who notice when I don't have him with me and ask where he is. Chango is not very active and that may be my fault . . . since I hold him so much. He was very playful when he was younger. Then, we got another ferret to give Chango a playmate and because we just love ferrets ever since getting Chango. Well, this was not such a great idea. The ferret we got was just a crack head! We thought he was being crazy because he was re-adjusting but he was awful just by nature. He would fight with Chango, bite us, and was very destructive non-the-less. Within 3 days we figured we had made a mistake and we took him back to the store where we acquired him. It wasn't the same place where we had adopted Chango and obviously these ferrets were not used to humans or other animals. We should have known just by looking at where they had them. They had a huge glass cage that was not clean and inhabited by at least 8 or 9 ferrets. Chango came from another pet store in another city. All the animals in there were treated like pets not merchandise! But it was a little too late and the damaged was done. Chango seemed withdrawn and unhappy. He wouldn't play. He had not played with the other ferret but, now he wouldn't even play with us! Fortunately his good habits did not change. We thought he missed the other ferret. So, we went to the place where we got Chango and found him a sister - Jenna. Jenna is totally different from him. He is potty trained and always behaves well for the most part. We trained him not to bite -- or at least not hard if we are playing with him. But, lately he has been aggressive towards my husband. He will bite him and does not let him pet him, or hold him. He has been very clingy with me and gets in between us when we are really close to each other. Today, he got in between our feet when I was approaching my husband to hug him from behind and I accidentally kicked him! It wasn't hard but he was a little upset. He was laying at a distance from me just watching us. I picked him up and held him on my lap to show him reassurance and he took a 10 minute nap. It's hard to explain the bond we have, but that makes my whole morning so rich.

Jenna

Jenna is a white ferret with black eyes, she is almost 5 months old. She is the oppossite of Chango. She is really hard to train and she still poops where ever she feels like it. She is a free spirit -- her world is the litter box! She makes a mess when she eats, she does not like to be held, or when we pet her. Anyway, she is totally different than Chango but not necessarily in a good way. Now, not all her attributes are bad. She is a little fire cracker and very energetic. Although she doesn't like to be held, she does appreciate other people and is very curious when people come over. She will immediately sniff your feet or calves. She comes out of wherever she is hiding when my husband calls her . . . And she is hilarious to watch as she tackles the dog, Chango, my husband, or my step daughter. Last night we let them out around 6:30pm after their usual afternoon nap. If it wasn't for the cat, we would let them just run around free but we have to have a schedule with them since our cat is a spawn from hell that cannot get along with any of our pets. Anyway . . . We let the ferrets out of their mansion after making sure the cat was outside. We played with them for a while but then it was time for dinner. The last time I saw Jenna, she was in the crackle tent running into her favorite tunnel. I served dinner and after approximately an hour, we realized it was just a little too quiet. I called out Chango's name and he came out and used the litter box. I put him back in his cage and he went right to sleep after a small snack but, no sign of Jenna. My husband and I looked everywhere, the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the exercise room, the living room, the dining room, the den, the sitting area, by the fire place - int the fire place! No signs of Jenna. We even made our little one get up and search her room. Still no sign of Jenna. We were all nervous as we made our 2nd round in the house. I decided to check the laundry/tool room which always remains closed off to the fuzzies because a.) it's the cat's room, b.)dangerous tools in there, c.) too many hiding spots!! So, I entered the room and right away I noticed signs of a fuzzy break in!! I have a small trash can for the dryer sheets, and lent from the dryer's screen, it was knocked down and the trash all spread around. There was a black lawn bag filled with plastic bottles ready to be transported to the recycling center with wholes only sharp and tiny claws could have done . . . As I searched I noticed the dryer's door open. I thought I saw a sock move. There she was a white fuzzy waking up from a nap. I called my husband and my step daughter and we all laughed at the sight!! She was placed back in the fuzzy mansion with her brother Chango and she went right back to her nap.

It is hard to like her as much as my fatty fuzzy, but the fear of losing her made me realize I have been a little unfair to her, and that she adds a lot to my life too. I still think her name should have been Whitney (because crack is whack!) but, I finally accepted her as crazy as she is. She is a major part of my morning . . . I guess you can say she is the caffeine and Chango is the sweet creamer -- I cannot have my morning any other way.

Oh, Lord! I should really get a job!!