by debferret

New Hiding Spot

I had my three old ladies out playing on Sunday morning. I was changing some litter boxes in the shelter room and these scrawny ferts can fill a litter box quicker than any other cage so I was doing their cage! Mariko, Finni and Rosie will tootle about for about 45 minutes before finding a nest box to crash in. It had been an hour and I knew it was time for them to go back to bed.

Rosie – you can’t see me!

Finni- I smell something!

Mariko-This is my best smile!

My nine year old grandson, Holden arrived early for his bi-weekly Sunday visit with me. I normally have all the ferrets back to bed before he arrives. This is not a safety issue from me but from the “powers that be”. Of all the ferrets in the house, these three, if given the chance might “gum” you to death! I follow the rules and the ferrets are locked up.

I needed to put the girls to bed because it was time for their duck soup and because my grandson is not used to watching where he walks (has not learnt the ferret shuffle). Of course also for the above stated reason.

Rosie and Mariko were curled up in the nest box behind the TV and I put them back in their cage. I couldn’t find Finni! I knew that she hadn’t gotten out when Holden came in the front door, but, where the heck had she gotten to? Holden was told to play in his bedroom with the door closed while I looked. I checked all the usual sleepy spots without any luck. Then, I went by the front door to check the bed in the closet. Holden’s boots lay where he had taken them off – in the way – right in front of the front door! I bent down to move the boots to the boot rack and I little face peeked out. I ran for the camera but by the time I came back, she was almost out of the boot.

I called Holden to come see. We both laughed and I grabbed the opportunity as a “teaching moment” . Now Holden understands even more why the furries have to be back in their cages because they can choose the silliest places to sleep and might get hurt!

Finni in Holden’s boot

Finni woken up from sleeping in Holden’s boot

02.09.15

by debferret

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CHECKED THE TOYS?

A huge thank you to Dan and Melissa for allowing me to share their heartbreak loss of Sara.

Sara passed away at home from what we feel was an undiagnosed blockage. You see sometimes when a ferret eats something they shouldn’t it causes a partial blockage. The ferret is still eating “sort of” and pooping but not a normal poop, kind of stringy. When they have the start and stop eating and pooping you can be thrown off thinking it is a flu or tummy upset and not a blockage.

Could we have saved Sara? She was seven years old and getting frail. Would she have survived surgery? This blog is not about the blockage. It is about checking your ferret’s toys on a WEEKLY basis.

The chewed tennis ball was found the night Sara passed. Now this tennis ball had been part of her toys for the last six years and she had never chewed on it. What made her decide to chew on it this time? We will never know. It wasn’t chewed like the picture below, but enough of the fuzz was pulled away from the tennis ball that Dan & Melissa realized that she had been chewing on it.

even the fuzz off the tennis ball can cause a blockage

I know I am on my soap box but if my nagging can help just one family put this safety protocol in place, then Sara has not died in vain.

You see, I have seen this in the shelter over and over. A stuffy that everyone loves and is carried around but never chewed until it is. A blankie that is dragged into the nest box behind the TV suddenly has chew holes in it!

I have had the stomach churning panic of discovering a chewed stuffie, blanket, even a broken jingle ball without the ball!!! Years ago after having to hairball 20 ferrets because I did not know which ferret had chewed the stuffie. All the toys were checked and any toy that might cause a blockage was thrown out. Out went all the tennis balls. Out went all the stuffies with foam inside. My ferrets were not happy but I had peace of mind.

I have a dedicated play room now for the fuzzies and after each play time I check the toys and floor for any bits of material. I admit to being paranoid about blockages and yet I still get the occasional scare when I find that blanket with a chew hole in it! grrrrrr

Every Saturday, I throw all the washable toys in the washing machine. I check each item closely and if I see any signs of seams wearing or signs of chewing; the toy is discarded. The toys are washed with soap and vinegar so that they are clean and sterilized! The same goes for all those blankies in all those extra nest boxes all over the house.

The message here is don’t assume that the safe toys will always be safe. Check them weekly for any signs of chewing and of course the toys have to be washed at least every month or every second week.

02.07.15

by debferret

Scrappy crosses the Rainbow Bridge

Enough time has passed that I can now share with you that Scrappy took a turn for the worse and crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Scrappy had dislocated her shoulder when her front paw was caught in the shelf of her Ferret Nation cage.

She did so well at first. She received four laser treatments and they really helped. I don’t know what happened. She turned her nose up at her duck soup one night. She had a bit of blood in her urine, so I made an appointment to see the vet thinking she had a bladder infection. I started her on amoxi for the weekend till the Monday appointment.

On the Saturday, while doing water therapy she had an episode of trouble breathing but recovered. Later on I did her massage therapy and again she had an episode of struggling to breath and before I could do anything, she stopped breathing. I could not bring her back. She died in my arms.

I blamed myself. I thought my massage therapy must of pinched a nerve and stopped her breathing. My vet has spoken with me and feels that she had a sudden brain bleed. I have to trust he is right because the alternative that I did this is more than I can bear.

She is whole again, chasing her stuffies with her friends at the Rainbow Bridge. Bee, another very precious old gal passed only a few days before Scrappy, so I know they are together.

All the cages now have the updated SAFE shelving. No other furry will get hurt. That is her legacy.

Scrappy just days before she got her wings

Scrappy just a week or so before she got her wings

01.09.15

by debferret

STILL HOPE FOR SCRAPPY, CAGE MODIFICATION

It has been an emotional roller coaster with Scrappy! At the beginning of the week I was sure that I would have to let her go. Which ever position I put her in her hospital cage is where she stayed. She didn’t even move away from her bowel movement. She wouldn’t lift her head to look at me. I made the vet appointment for Thursday.

Until then, I continued with water therapy, stretching exercises and lots of cuddles. Her right shoulder remains dislocated. On Thursday morning, Scrappy would lift her head and her eyes would follow me. She could support her head while eating her duck soup. During the stretching exercises it became very evident that the whole right side of the body was compromised. The dislocated shoulder and the nerve compression all the way down to her right back leg. She cannot weight bear, but if you stroke the back of the leg she will move it forward.

Scrappy, 3 weeks after the accident

My vet took the x-rays on Thursday. She didn’t have a broken back. Nerve compression does not show on an x-ray,however her toe curling indicated nerve damage. Dr. Singh is not one to give up and so we went to plan C. We would do 6 deep tissue laser treatments. The MFA just couldn’t afford this but he kindly offered the treatments at 50% off. This is still a $150.00 touch which is a big bite out of our limited finances. Dr. Singh also suggested that we try giving her 4 drops a day of the children’s B complex formula. The B complex is a nerve tonic and will help with the necessary healing of the nerves. The gentleman at Sangsters didn’t bat an eye when I told him the B complex was for a ferret. Apparently years ago, his son owned a ferret! What a small world!

B complex to help with the nerve damage

So 2 laser treatments a week, daily B complex drops, water therapy, stretching exercises, prayers galore and just maybe this sweetie will pull through.

Meanwhile, I have 4 or 5 Ferret Nation cages with the second version shelving just like what Scrappy hurt herself on. It’s not like I have empty cages to move the ferrets into until the new plastic pans for the Ferret Nation cages arrive. I have been fretting like crazy. These cages were in use for several years before the injury and yet I am holding my breath praying no one else gets hurt before the shelves get here.

Now anyone who knows me well, knows that I can fix just about anything with 2 items. I am never without these items. Don’t laugh once you find out because by god they have saved many a day! If DUCT TAPE won’t hold it together, then bring on the drill and ZIP TIES. I have zip ties in black, green and white!

I have zip tied a castor back onto the base of a cage turning a useless donated cage into one that I am still using. I have zip tied J food hoppers to the cage so that ferrets don’t knock them over. I have zip tied shelving to the cage bars to keep them in place. I even zip tied the catch trays for all the litter boxes.

So, duct tape won’t work on the shelf edges as too many of the ferrets will chew on the tape and give themselves a blockage. So…… on to zip ties. How can I make the shelf safer for now. Well I could see the gap where the plastic insert the the metal cross piece left enough room for a paw to get trapped under. Drill a few holes for the zip ties and voila, no more gap! At least any ferret wanting to jump off the shelf into a hammock won’t catch their paws. There is still a small gap from the edge of the plastic to the frame but I can’t close that gap and not sure a paw would fit in the space.

plastic insert zip tied to the metal cross piece and closing the gap

I am hoping the new shelving arrives at Pembina, North Dakota in the next 7 to 10 days. Then I just have to pray the weather cooperates so I can drive down and pick them up!

I hope by next Friday, the 16th, I will have even better news!

01.04.15

by debferret

Update on Ferret Nation Shelving and Scrappy

First off I should mention that Scrappy is still eating and drinking but will not move around at all. The shoulder is still useless. Our vet told us it could take up to a month for the nerves to heal so I have my fingers crossed. We may have to consider amputation if things don’t change. I am just so grateful this little girl hasn’t given up.

This is Scrappy before her injury

Now, about the shelf. I want to say that the company has been very helpful. From the information I gleaned on line, I assumed that the shelf and plastic insert was the shelf that I was reading about. My shelf as posted is the company’s 2nd design in response to the injuries. They were very surprised and upset to hear that my ferret had injured herself with the 2nd designed shelf. So, all those injuries and deaths were NOT related to the shelf/plastic insert I posted. They immediately offered shelf covers at no cost. I know the covers are not expensive and I could have tried to make my own, but I have ferrets to care for and that is where my time and focus needs to be. The shelf covers will help and come in handy until we can purchase the more efficient(in my personal opinion) third design shelf pan.

Ferret Nation shelf with plastic insert- 2nd design

Now, they have a 3rd design which is the plastic pan with a lip. This design came about because of concerns for food and litter spilling off the shelf. Now I personally really like the idea of a plastic pan with a lip that fits over the shelf. Much easier to clean for someone with 5 Ferret Nation cages in the house. The soft shelf covers is a nice touch, but I have lots of bedding to wash every week as is and having to strip, wash and put the covers back on immediately is too labor intensive for a shelter long term. We were able to get a good price for the plastic pan with the lip, so we have ordered them. Ferret.com has them on sale right now.

3rd shelf design with a lip to catch crumbs and litter

So, I apologize for not having the full picture when I posted. I was so upset about my little girl and worrying about having to maybe put her down that I put 2 and 2 together and came up with 5! So in summary, if you have the pan with the plastic insert and it fits snugly to the edge of the frame, it is the second design not the original design.

3rd shelf design with a lip to catch crumbs and litter

So, I hope I have made things a little more clear. The second design should not have caused any issues and I hope Scrappy’s injury was a fluke. Please keep her in your prayers. There are 2 short videos on U-Tube of ferrets with a shoulder amputation; running around playing so that keeps me hopeful!