Crackers
We adopted our fuzzies just about one year ago and we thought it high
time to
write and tell you how that year has been for them (and us!). My husband
and
daughter had been trying to convince me (unsuccessfully) to adopt
ferrets for
several years. Any experience I had with ferrets was limited to poorly
attended
fuzzies and massive house destruction...so I remained, ahem, reluctant
at best.
However, December 2008, they finally convinced me to head down to your
shelter
"just to look." Yeah, riiiiight. Just look! Hah! Well, my husband and
daughter
simply fell in love with ferrets - plain and simple. And despite my
misgivings, I
had to admit they were hilarious, amazing and wonderful little beings.
We decided
that contrary to our original plan to "just look," do some research, and
wait for
our elderly dog to pass on before taking on new companions, that the
perfect pair
of ferts had already been found and might be gone by the time we felt
more
"ready." So, the following weekend, we returned to the shelter to adopt
Marley and Crackers.
Just Marley and Crackers...one for my husband (Marley), and one for
my daughter (Crackers). I was still not convinced that I wanted to or
would bond
with a ferret.
Marley
While waiting to complete our adoption (and while Marley and Crackers
were
flailing about in a playpen, being adorable), I was milling about and
decided to
visit Bear. His story was a bit sad...he had been at the shelter for six
months,
after living with his human and ferret companion for 4.5 years. His
ferret
partner developed adrenal disease and they then developed an intense
dislike for
each other...so he was all alone. To make it worse, he was slated for
adoption
that day, but the family that came by decided that they were not a match
for him.
Well, of course, once I picked up this humongous, fat, sleepy ferret, I
was
hooked! I had to have him. But NOT SO FAST! The shelter had already
tried about
12 other ferrets on Bear and he had tried to kill them all in turn. Just
to humor
me and demonstrate how ferrets act when they don't like each other (so
we could
learn in a safe environment), the shelter director placed Bear in with
Marley and
Crackers and...well...they loved each other! No one could believe that
Bear was
curled up with Marley and Crackers, heading to dreamland! So, instead of
two
ferts, we went home with three! Yikes! What were we getting ourselves
into??
Bear
Well, flash forward a full year and they are doing fabulously well! They
have
since taken over our TV/Den as their space so as to have more frequent
access to
us...and they get to run rampant in the living room (much to the envy of
the
cats!) when we are home. Bear is a fairly sedate, fairly roly-poly,
delightful
old man ferret now who likes nothing so much as emerges from a long nap
only to
lay prone in the middle of the floor, before toddling off for food.
Marley and
Crackers are as insane as ever, with Crackers permanently awake, spastic
and
treat-seeking, and Marley obsessed with shoes (no, seriously). They have
truly
brought more delight and joy into our lives than we could have imagined!
Crackers and Bear
--The Davis-Rackerby Family
