On Valentine's Day 2005 my present was a baby ferret and I couldn't have been more excited! I am such an animal lover and ever since I was little I have wanted one. So Devin and I went to Petco and picked out a cuddly boy and took him home. We chose the one we did because he was more calm than the others and seemed to have a sweet personality. Now we had to come up with a name!
*This is my all time fave pic of him...shortly after we bought him*
Our stories for how we chose the name are different but in the end it was the same name...Flip-Flop. I came to that name because of how clumsy he was, he would run into everything...kinda "flip-flop" around. Dev said he liked it for some electronic reason...a component or something. (I like my story better ;) )
*One of his many fave sleeping positions*
Since I never had a ferret before and had only been around a few for a short period of time...I had no idea what to expect. I was worried about how much he slept and felt like I wasn't giving him enough attention (found out later that they sleep a lot and it's normal!) I bought the Ferrets for Dummies Book and read it cover to cover that night. I'm really impressed with the information on it and it also helped me confirm that Flip was deaf. (Which explains his clumsiness when he was a baby) I had noticed that he wouldn't react to the sound of me walking into the room but would react to the light change. He also didn't show any interest in the toys that had all the bells and whatnot on them like the others in the store had. According to the book, it was the type of ferret that he was. Apparently the "Blaze", named for the markings on their head, was prone to deafness. Not a problem though, just meant I had to work harder at keeping him entertained.
*Christmas 2009...he lightened up a lot over the years*
Over the years, I learned a lot about ferrets and about him in particular. I was kind of surprised about how much of a personality these little animals could have! He was so different from the ferret we got a little while later. He was such a little lover while she on the other hand was all fighter!! and still is! haha Most nights, I would leave his cage door opened and, while she would stay in the cage and sleep, Flip would often crawl up in bed with me and sleep. I would expect that from a dog or cat but was surprised a ferret would develop that kind of attachment. When he wanted my attention or wanted to be held, he would scratch my foot. I think that's the thing I miss about him the most actually.
*This is my all time fave pic of him...shortly after we bought him*
Our stories for how we chose the name are different but in the end it was the same name...Flip-Flop. I came to that name because of how clumsy he was, he would run into everything...kinda "flip-flop" around. Dev said he liked it for some electronic reason...a component or something. (I like my story better ;) )
*One of his many fave sleeping positions*
Since I never had a ferret before and had only been around a few for a short period of time...I had no idea what to expect. I was worried about how much he slept and felt like I wasn't giving him enough attention (found out later that they sleep a lot and it's normal!) I bought the Ferrets for Dummies Book and read it cover to cover that night. I'm really impressed with the information on it and it also helped me confirm that Flip was deaf. (Which explains his clumsiness when he was a baby) I had noticed that he wouldn't react to the sound of me walking into the room but would react to the light change. He also didn't show any interest in the toys that had all the bells and whatnot on them like the others in the store had. According to the book, it was the type of ferret that he was. Apparently the "Blaze", named for the markings on their head, was prone to deafness. Not a problem though, just meant I had to work harder at keeping him entertained.
*Christmas 2009...he lightened up a lot over the years*
Over the years, I learned a lot about ferrets and about him in particular. I was kind of surprised about how much of a personality these little animals could have! He was so different from the ferret we got a little while later. He was such a little lover while she on the other hand was all fighter!! and still is! haha Most nights, I would leave his cage door opened and, while she would stay in the cage and sleep, Flip would often crawl up in bed with me and sleep. I would expect that from a dog or cat but was surprised a ferret would develop that kind of attachment. When he wanted my attention or wanted to be held, he would scratch my foot. I think that's the thing I miss about him the most actually.
*catching some zzzzz's*
When I tell people I have a ferret I always think it's funny how the first thing they say is, "Don't they stink?" That is definitely NOT the main thing I remember about him haha. No, not all ferrets stink. Flip smelled a little musky around his neck but that's it and his litter box never smelled until we bought the other ferret. In my opinion, they do not smell any more than a dog or cat do...if anything...they smell less. It really just comes down to how well you take care of them as with any animal.
*They always yawn a lot when they wake up*
The toys in the above picture never attracted his attention. Until the day I placed them in this pot and put water in it!! He loved dipping his head in the water and retrieving them. I would keep the balls in the pot even when there wasn't any water in it and when I heard them jingling one day I figured it was our other ferret playing with them. I went in there to get a picture and here was my baby boy having a ball! He was so cute to watch. His favorite toy was a tennis ball! It was the only toy that he would hide in his cage. All the others he took under the bed. I would randomly hide it to give him something to do. One day I noticed that if I went and played with him right after handling the tennis ball...he would immediately run to his cage to look for it. If it wasn't there he would go on the hunt until he found it and brought it back to the cage. He smelled the ball on my hands and would immediately know something was wrong in his world! haha
*He really slept like that...no posing necessary! Okay, I put him up there but he stayed long after!*
*The last pic I have with him*
So, if you haven't noticed already, our little Flipper didn't make it from the story in the last blog. I stayed up all night that Sunday night and stayed with him Monday morning while Devin went to work. I tried to keep him hydrated and still tried to get some kind of nutrition in his system. Devin came home at noon and stayed with him while I tried to go see some of my patients. I called shortly after to tell Devin that it was time to try and give him more fluids. He said he would try and hung up. Soon after though, he called to say that Flip didn't fight him when he tried to give him water...not a good sign. He had been fighting it the whole time so now it seemed like he had given up. Devin called the ER vet at his daytime clinic and got an appt. Sadly, Devin called me right after he got there and told me the vet said it was time to let him go. So I drive to the clinic and kissed my baby goodbye. He had been my best friend and companion while I lived alone over the last 4 years. Seemed like a short time to get attached to an animal...be he was special :)
The Vet called awhile later after we had left and said that in the end...it was a hairball that had caused all this. My poor little baby died from a preventable hairball that could have been removed with a $1,000 surgery. Of course, we don't just have an extra grand sitting around but I wish we would have. I had even called the OSU Vet school and asked if they had any kind of discounted surgery prices if a student did the surgery (like with hair stylists haha) but I was told that they do not. :( I wasn't all that impressed with our Vet even though he had been one of the better ones we had been to. But what sealed the deal (on me not liking him as much) was how he told me (after the fact) a mixture I could make in the future that would help eat at a hairball and yet still be safe on the ferret's tummy. hmmmm a lot of good that does me now.
The Vet called awhile later after we had left and said that in the end...it was a hairball that had caused all this. My poor little baby died from a preventable hairball that could have been removed with a $1,000 surgery. Of course, we don't just have an extra grand sitting around but I wish we would have. I had even called the OSU Vet school and asked if they had any kind of discounted surgery prices if a student did the surgery (like with hair stylists haha) but I was told that they do not. :( I wasn't all that impressed with our Vet even though he had been one of the better ones we had been to. But what sealed the deal (on me not liking him as much) was how he told me (after the fact) a mixture I could make in the future that would help eat at a hairball and yet still be safe on the ferret's tummy. hmmmm a lot of good that does me now.
X's and O's,
Brandi Sue
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