The Biggest Little Ferret Shelter & Northern Nevada Ferret Network Monthly Newsletter
Members of the Biggest Little
Ferret Shelter and the Northern Nevada Ferret Network write this newsletter.
The
NNFN, Northern Nevada Ferret Network is a group of ferret enthusiasts
who get together and talk ferret talk, how to raise money, how to
spend money, ideas, how to get the needed education about ferrets
out there, etc.
The BLFS, Biggest Little Ferret Shelter is a
no-kill ferret shelter where no ferret is denied the right to be a
ferret. www.renoferrets.org
New volunteers always welcome! The NNFN is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
To contact us email
redferret4@yahoo.com Join our Yahoo group at nnfn@yahoogroups.com
or visit www.nnfn.net.
March 2004 Issue
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To
everyone who came to my surprise party. The board members for
the shelter decided to throw me a surprise party in honor of the shelter’s
one year anniversary.
They snuck photos of many of the rescued ferrets
(there was well over 100 for the year) and invited everyone whose
information they could get their hands on.
They then convinced my boyfriend
to take me out and keep me out of the shelter for an entire morning
so they could clean my house and prepare it for the party. I
feel so terrible on how much work was left for them to clean, but
I was being rushed out that morning. I got to come home
to 25 sets of eyes staring at me with everyone screaming “Surprise!”
We
played “Put Grinch in the litter box” which is sort of like pin the
tail on the donkey but instead we tried to tape a picture of my ferret
Grinch in the litter box. Let me just say, I got no where near
the box, or even the board the litter box was drawn on.
We had
lots of snacks and drinks, and an awesome chocolate (my favorite)
cake made by Holly, who did an awesome job of putting the shelter
logo on the cake. We all kind of cut around the picture of the
logo as we didn’t want to ruin it. Fortunately the left over
cake was left at my house so I got to eat all the rest of it and didn’t
even share it with any of the fuzzies.
Thank you to Holly, Skip,
Amber, Chris, Dante and, Char. I know all of you ran your tails off
getting everything together. I can never thank you enough, you
encouraged me to keep the shelter going.
The shelter
is out of ferrets? Well, sort of, out of adoptable ferrets,
all others are special needs. It seems that I went through a
period of everyone wanting a ferret, and a perfect match was found
for everyone and now I have a waiting list. This is good, but
I’m also aware that there is always a calm before the storm. There are at least 24 ferrets that I know of that are waiting for
relocation, it’s just a matter of time, and knowing the shelters luck,
they will all come in at once. So, I’ve got cages all scrubbed
and ready to go, got fresh hammocks and sleep sacks ready, plenty
of dishes, water bottles and litter boxes. The only thing I don’t
have is a paid off bill at the vets. So, if you’ve been thinking
of donating, this would be a good time. Just think of Sunshine
and Freckles, who are both adrenal, and have been waiting for their
surgeries for three months now. Since their tumors are small,
they keep getting “bumped” as emergencies come in. They will
never get adopted at this rate, as no one will adopt two ferrets needing
surgery. No one would even want one, and these two can’t be
separated, they’re very bonded. So yes, this is me begging for
money, and everyone knows I hate asking, but I can’t do it all by
myself. I only make so much, and a second job is not an option,
I already have one… the shelter.
Freckles
& Sunshine patiently awaiting their adrenal surgeries
ggie when she first came to the shelter.
Maggie
after her emergency surgery.
Lost fuzzy? What should you do?
* Microchip. This will be the most difficult/expensive
preparation. If someone finds your ferret and decides to keep
it, the Sheriff will NOT be able to help you just because you *know*
this is your fuzzbutt! You will have to prove it. Photos can help,
but my two sable boys look just like your two sable boys. Those nose
freckles do change too. In this area, Reno Animal Services, most vets,
and some rescue groups have scanners or know to have the found animal
scanned.
* Train (treat reward) your ferret to respond to some noise
NOW. Do it every day. A clicker, pennies in a can. Something louder
than needed indoors. Have on hand (in a place you can grab right now)
photos of your ferrets. Preferably printed on fliers with your name
and phone numbers, the ferrets name and microchip number. It's surprising
how many folks do not know what a ferret looks like, or that I have
them. Include info on how to approach the ferret, etc.
* Have a strong
flashlight, charged and ready to go. Mine is a re-chargeable, cordless,
portable that can run off the voltage plug of an automobile. $15 at
Costco.* Have on hand phone numbers of friends, family, neighbors
that you can call to come help you look, NOW.
Do NOT panic. Think of
this ferret’s personality. Is he/she bold, curious, likely to
head into the open? Quiet, reserved, more likely to scoot under a
bush, hug the house?* Stop and *look*. The eye catches movement quickly
when standing still and focusing on an area for a moment.
* Stop and
*listen* You won't hear those leaves rustling if your frantic and
crying.
* Be prepared to provide a safe hiding spot (to get away from
potential predators) near doors with food, treats, water. I have secured
under all outside door steps so the ferrets can get in and out but
the openings are too small for a cat.
* Feel out neighbors ahead of
time (in CA) and let them know you have ferrets in case they might
see them even before you realize they're lost.
* Do the same with local
animal control (I know I can report my missing fuzzies right away
because they are fuzzie friendly).
* Mine have gotten out of a latched
sliding screen door! by squeezing between the screen door frame and
the glass door frame so check yours. Same for certain window
screens.
* Take your fuzzies on lots of walks outside, around your
house on a leash so they are familiar with the whole area. Then
they'll know how to get home and to the door when they get hungry/scared
after escaping.
* Be prepared to place posters with pictures of your
fuzzies, all around the neighborhood.
* Ask your neighbors to keep
their cats and dogs restrained while you're searching so they don't
potentially attack your fuzzie.
* Know where to get 'have-a-heart'
or similar live traps in a hurry and use them (my neighbor has them
and are
available for my use anytime). They can trap and, more
importantly, protect your lost fuzzy from predators. Check them
regularly each day when set.
* Elicit help from all the neighbors you
can muster up as soon as possible. The more time spent searching
immediately, the better the odds of finding.
* Search in expanding
circles around the place of loss and retrace areas that are difficult
to thoroughly search
(mine would love to get into the fire wood pile;
and have).
* Don't give up!
By Ardith & Garry
And what
does the shelter need? Here’s my wish list, please note that
I share some donations with Ferrets with Soule shelter, so what you
donate will help double the fuzzies!
Blankets and towels or… fabric (fleece preferred) so we can sew our own!
Treats, treats
and more treats.
Food - Totally ferret/Pro plan kitten chicken flavor/Mazuri/Pathvalley
farms/8 in 1 Ultimate.
Laundry Soap
Toys toys toys.
Litter (yesterdays
news or generic brand).
Paper towels and cleaning supplies. Ferretone,
ferretvite, Nutrical
A digital camera to keep track of all the fuzzies
and update the sites.
Paper and ink to print this newsletter
$$$ For
Vet costs, you can donate directly to Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital
775-782-3693 under Northern Nevada Ferret Network.
And most important
on our wish list… a home for all the fuzzy kids!
Hi everyone,
If
your annual NNFN dues are due, please send to P.O. Box 71481 Reno,
NV 89570-1481. You can also send them via pay pal president@nnfn.net and
please note these are for annual dues. The price has not changed
from last year, $15 single, $20 family for one year.
If you’re interested
in lifetime memberships please contact us.
If we have your address
on file, then your NNFN renewal package is in the mail. You
can also find a renewal form on the back of this newsletter.
Crossed to
the Rainbow Bridge:
Georgi
Minnie
Pepper
Crybaby
Do much online shopping? If so, go towww.DonationTree.com, join as a new member (it’s free) and use their
links to visit your favorite online stores. As long as they
are on the list, you can support the Biggest Little Ferret Shelter
with every online purchase you make! The only catch is that
you MUST do your shopping through the Donation Tree site to get the
rebates. Check it out. Donation Tree averages double the rebates
that iGive does, but iGive has a few stores that Donation Tree does
not (such as eBay). Check it out, it only takes a minute to join but
the results will be worth it, after all, it's for the fuzzies, right?
Rest assured all proceeds go to helping ferrets J
I said it once, I’m
saying again, if you like ferrets, don’t see “Along Came Polly” It will just upset you.
Medical
Corner:
Although we are nearing our last two months of flu season,
that doesn’t mean your fuzzy won’t catch it. Yes, your ferret
can catch the flu from you (not a cold, just the flu), or you can
catch it from your fuzzy. If you are not careful, you could
be passing this thing back and forth several times over. This
is why during my adoption days, I have BIG signs posted that say “DO
NOT TOUCH THE FERRETS” then I ask people to please sanitize
their hands and only then do I let them handle a fuzzy. To prevent
your ferret/s from getting sick, it’s best to stay away from them
when you’re sick. If you have to sneeze or cough, don’t do it
near your ferret/s or their things. Perhaps you could get someone
else to come in and do your ferret maintance for you.
Symptoms, well,
they’re like humans, runny nose, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite.
There is little you can do for your fuzzy, a virus causes the flu,
antibiotics are useless, all you can do is give your little ones a
warm comfy place, make sure they’re taking in fluids, maybe some chicken
soup (one made for ferrets not humans), rest and make sure to watch
them carefully. If your ferrets immune system is weak, the flu
can turn into pneumonia (just as with humans). If you think
your ferret is not doing well take them to the vet immediately, if
for no other reason then to get fluids in them.
Please do not
attempt any human meds on your fuzzies, over the counter drugs are
intended for humans and are not safe for ferrets.
Did you know?
Ferrets get very attached to each other
and their humans. In fact, they can get so attached that a loss
of their buddy could cause them to go into a deep depression, which
sometimes can get so bad they’ll stop eating on their own. This
is why I say that a good number of ferrets is no less than three,
if one passes, then they still have someone to cheer each other up. If you try to “replace” their buddy (getting another ferret too soon)
it may cause them to never accept their new playmate.
A Fuzzy's Wish
I wish
that they would notice me
I cannot talk, but I can see...
I watch them
pass me by each day,
But no one seems to look my way...
I wish
my cage were not so small,
I wish I had a toy or ball...
I wish they'd
let me out to play,
It’s very hard to live this way...
If only
I just had the chance
To run and romp, and dook and dance,
I wish I
had a treat or two,
I wish I had a blankie, too...
I'm all alone
without a friend,
I wish this loneliness would end...
If only they could
hear my plea...
Would someone out there please help me?
By
lizzi B.
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Copyright
© 2004 Northern Nevada Ferret Network
