Yasmina is a 1 year old Silver Female
Oliver is a 1 year old Male Sable
DOB February 04, 2003

The pair went to their Forever home on October 23, 2004!

Yasmina came with her cage mate Oliver on November 22, 2003. Yasmina is a bit of a renegade ferret, she will sometimes nip to get your attention, she must go to her new home with Oliver. Oliver on the other hand is a little puppy that will follow you around until you stop, at which time he will insist you pick him up to love him.

The kids left for their new 4-ever home on October 23, 2004 to live in Endicott New York. Mom came to pick up two others and Yasmina had other ideas. She told mom in no uncertain terms she wanted to go and she needed to leave the other two here. So she did leave them and take these two kids.

Update: February 13, 2006
I wanted to let you know about Ollie, Mina and the two “bayou babies.” They’ve been getting on very well. The last few days I’ve noticed a split right down gender lines … lol … Mina and Josie like to sleep together under one of my desk drawers, while Ollie and Coco go to sleep under our bed. They all curl up and snooze happily, then wake up and play and beg for treats. You know how that goes!

There’s no fighting, no more stress poops. All is OK. Mina hasn’t bitten anyone in months!!! Josie is quite the mush.

Update: January 10, 2006
I did indeed get the kids (when Renee blew through like a Cat 5 hurricane on New Year's Eve, on her way home from Louisiana to Connecticut :)).

Everybody is doing fine. George and I had bought one of those giant ferret condo things, thinking we'd keep the two groups separate for a while and eventually move them all in there together. Well, that plan didn't last long...

Ollie and Mina had a few days to explore the new cage at will before Renee arrived, bringing her own four along with Josie and Coco. O & M didn't seem interested in sleeping in the cage or anything, just poked around now & then. When the six ferrets blew in with the hurricane, I let Ollie run around with them but kept Mina downstairs. At first, Ollie seemed subdued and let himself be cuddled to sleep by both Carolyn and Malerie, but in a couple of hours he decided to play and curl up to sleep with the gang of furkids.

Mina didn't meet Josie or Coco until the next evening, after Renee left and we had come back from an afternoon party. She was definitely a bit out of sorts at first (she didn't even want her cheerios!).

That night, I left the door of both cages open for everybody to explore and plop down where they wished, and don't you know all four ferrets chose to sleep together in the new cage? The next morning (Monday) they were all fine, playing and curling up together. Everybody seems to be eating and pooping well, and enjoying their treats. There was one stress poop and I think it was Mina. But surprisingly, she has shown absolutely no aggression toward either of the new kids.

Last night Coco and Ollie went at it a bit. George was afraid they were playing too rough, as Coco was after Ollie's ear. There wasn't a lot of squealing and no bite marks in the skin, so I think it was OK. Ollie was badly outmatched size-wise and he didn't seem too happy about that. Coco is a VERY big ferret - twice the size of O & M, and 3x bigger than Josie. But an hour later they were curled up sleeping peacefully in the same hammock!

And no "talking" or other problems anytime through the night. So I guess it was them getting used to each other and working out their hierarchy, as ferrets do. So far today everything has been fine. Hard to tell who the "alpha ferret" is now.

At least, I can say that nobody has tried to hurt anyone else, nobody has "shut down" and stopped eating, and nobody is stress-pooping.

Josie is a real sweetheart, but a greedy little soul! She is so tiny, barely a pound, but constantly begs for food (no surprise given her starving in the Gulf). It took maybe two hours for her to figure out which cabinet holds the ferret treats. She runs to the kitchen and dances around the cabinet every time a human goes near it. Ha!

Coco is the fattest ferret I have ever seen, beautiful and sleek. I would never have recognized him as the same kid I found dying in the cage in Gonzales. He's very mischievous but is a good-natured soul at heart. He, too, can't seem to get enough food. No wonder...!

Update: August 02, 2005
Mina has started giving me a face wash every morning when she wakes up. She waits for me to hold and cuddle her before running off to start her day. She also lets Malerie and George hold her without biting. She's a very, very different ferret now than when she first came to live here! Ollie is so sweet -- as Malerie put it: "Ollie loves everybody, and everybody loves Ollie." He likes to steal Carolyn's old toys and hide them under our bed.

Update: March 02, 2005
Except for our visit to the vet for shots, when she chomped me terribly (she was having her temp taken via the rectum and was NOT at all happy about that), she’s been a total peach. She’s made tremendous progress since coming to live with us. J

Update: February 05, 2005
They’re doing great! I need to get a decent camera and send you pictures. Mina loves to be held and kissed every morning when she wakes up. Ollie is trying very hard to like the snow, but he hates cold paws… he’s really going to love playing outside in the warm sunshine.

Update: December 21, 2004
Mina and Ollie send their love. Mina has just developed a bad cough … George and I woke up in the middle of the night Wednesday, dreaming of a dog barking. It turned out to be Mina coughing in the living room. I fed her soup and a couple raisins and we heard no more coughing until today when she had another bout. We don’t have dust balls or anything so I don’t know why it would be sporadic like this. Ollie is fine, too.

Update: December 12, 2004
They’re really doing well. Mina is letting everyone pet her now, and she rarely bites. Ollie had a bit of an upset stomach last week but I gave him carafate 2x/day and he’s back to his normal rambunctious self. They are a joy.

Update: December 01, 2004
Mina has progressed to the point of allowing Malerie to hold her, especially when Mal has cheerios in her hand. Ollie is into everything, a real little Mr. Curiosity. Did I tell you he ‘adopted’ the engine of Mal’s toy train set, and also snatched the top off a carved pumpkin? We still haven’t found it and think it’s stuffed in our mattress somewhere. We love them both and they’ve settled in quite well.

Update: November 21, 2004
Ollie and Mina enjoy their playtime in our backyard as the weather stays nice and mild. Ollie is becoming a regular little marshmallow. He knows exactly which kitchen cabinet holds his favorite treats. Mina’s nipping has lessened noticeably; we went almost a whole week without a bite! When she did chomp, I was putting her to bed in her cage (she didn’t want to go to bed yet, just like a little human kid!). She bit me, and I stroked her and spoke softly and then she started to tremble. They tremble when they’re happy, like when they’re licking their Ferretone, so I think that was a good sign. She just is a little afraid to let herself love someone, ya know? Malerie played with her today, too, and no nips.

Update: November 04, 2004
Kids are doing fine. Ollie is a riot – he likes to steal things and stash them in odd corners; when we move them, he moves them right back. He’s figured out now that if he hides his special toys in our bed mattress, we can’t get them out. He stole part of Malerie’s childhood plastic train set and hid that. For some reason he had a fascination with it. He also stole the lid to the pumpkin Mal had carved, and hid that in the bathroom. He’s a sweetheart. Carolyn likes to cuddle him … heck, we all like to cuddle him! Mina is getting a lot better … with me, at least. We actually went almost 3 full days without a nip, just until last night! She’s given me kisses several times, and when she does start to nip me, it’s like she stops herself right away and kind of gums me instead. Once she started to nip and then kissed my fingers instead. “Her” food is all gone now, but she seems to like the ProPlan by itself. They both enjoy the soup I make and they get that twice a day. George and the kids are still keeping their distance from Mina, though. She has gone up to Mal when Mal was just sitting on a chair reading, and nipped her feet. So they all wear slippers or shoes around the house now, and keep their hands away from Mina. When she’s fully comfortable with me, then I’ll try introducing them all again…