Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Ferrets & Eclipses

I picked up my new ferrets on Friday 13th. The lass at the RSPCA said Polar (the male) might be a nervous at first, and a bit shy. When he'd first arrived at the shelter he'd dived into his box and not come out for a couple of days. So I was prepared for him to be a little subdued. Arctic seemed much more lively and mischievous from what I'd seen at the shelter.

I bought a new wooden hutch for them - Snow's old one was decidedly scruffy and the roof was starting to break up. I left them in the carry-case, watching me through the bars, while I assembled it. Two floors, with a ramp, bars to front and side, and a closed in sleeping chamber. When it was ready I put some blankets into the sleeping chamber, put a litter tray in the bottom section. Fixed a water bottle to the top, and a water bowl to the bottom bars. And put a bowl if food in. I transferred them to the sleeping section, popped some toys into the bottom bit and left them to get settled.

Saturday morning I went out to see them. "Hey babies, cuddle time," I said. Cuddle?? Chance would be a fine thing.

I'd thought the garden was ferret-proof. It turns out it was only Snow-the-middle-aged-ferret proof. Two lively, eighteen-months-old ferrets?? Oh boy!! The gravel boards along the fence, the bricks blocking the drain-pipe, the blocks closing the gaps behind & beside the shed, that Snow would stand up to and peer over?? No barrier at all to this pair. They laugh at such obstructions and climb right over them. At the same time... at opposite ends of the garden.

Polar managed to squeeze down the side of the shed and get stuck. He squealed for help. I was just about able to slide in, reach down, grab him and back out.

While I was doing that, Arctic - some how - God only knows how - pushed aside the brick blocking the drain-pipe and, as ferrets do - decided to explore it. She got stuck of course. I unscrewed a section, dropped it down a short distance and an extremely wet, slimy, & covered in green gunge, head of a once-albino ferret poked out.

I looked around for Polar.

He was stuck behind the back of the shed.

I put Arctic back in the hutch and locked the door before repeating my feat of cramming myself into a space that a tooth-pick on a hunger-strike would have trouble accessing and fishing him out.

I put him back in with Arctic, changed their water, food, and litter and went back inside to get a coffee. I needed one - I was exhausted and it wasn't even eight o'clock yet. And I still needed to repair the drain-pipe!!

I have managed to get some cuddle time since then (though Arctic would rather try and wriggle up my sleeve than lie still) and lots of playtime. But if I let them loose in the garden together it's absolute mayhem.

Ferrets have an enormous sense of adventure and absolutely no sense of direction. If they escape they will roam for miles, get completely lost and unable to find their way back. (They are micro-chipped, just in case). They will then sit down and cry and wait to be rescued. I have, therefore, bought a large roll of chicken wire. My task for this next weekend - covering every nook, cranny, and gap - including the entire garden fence, with chicken wire!

I bet the little beggars will still find a gap somewhere! lol

...................

BTW. The eclipse was brill. The cloud was so thick Friday morning I thought I wouldn't get to see it, but it cleared enough by 9.15 to see the best bits. Ours was 85% of full. The temperature drop was very noticeable. My ferrets didn't quite know what to do... was it breakfast time?? Playtime?? Bed-time??

And this time I didn't do anything stupid so I didn't scorch my eyes.

In 1999 when the last one happened here I was so careful with my special viewing glasses... until, having taken them off to speak to my cousin and a friend, I looked back up at the sun without putting them back on. Couldn't have been even as much as a minute, but it was long enough that my eyes were gritty, and felt as if they'd been sandpapered, for a least a couple of days afterwards. This time I made sure I didn't take them off at all.

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See you next week. Goodnight and may your God/s go with you.

Ze

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good to hear you have company again. Sounds like a double handful.

7:46 PM

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