Munchkin AKA Maggie
Arrived at the shelter on January 6, 2008
Has A New 4-ever Home June 22, 2008
Update: October 4, 2008
I wish you could see Maggie. We have a little cuddle at bedtime most nights. She comes to me, asking to play. She likes the stealth approach - sneak up, give me a cold nose on the foot and then dance away laughing. She is playing like a normal ferret now, god bless her!
Still have not tried to give her a bath. Am breaking her in verrrry slowly, having her in the bathroom with me while I wash up or take a shower, stroking her fur with wet fingers.
Update: July 19, 2008
Thought you might enjoy hearing about a couple more 'breakthroughs' with Maggie (Munchkin). She not only kisses and cuddles, she now lets me 'groom' her face and smoosh her ears! She has begun enjoying 'hand to paw combat,' i.e. hand wrestling. And she likes me to spoon-feed her soup. She seems quite comfortable running all over the house. :)
Update: July 13, 2008
She and Mittsie are making friends. Actually she's OK with everyone as long as she's in her pen and they come to 'visit,' but outside of the pen my older kids are a little uncomfortable. Maggie is learning how the other ferrets play. I never see a bottle brush tail.
Update: July 10, 2008
Just wanted to tell you Maggie McCricket (aka Munchkin) is jumping around dooking again and sends her love. She's had her pawnails trimmed and never even twitched. She loves her new daddy even more than she loves her mommy (I think, lol). Although last night, she did cuddle in mommy's lap for almost 10 minutes, and gave mommy some big sloppy kisses when she decided it was time to run around again. She and my other four are slowly getting accustomed to each other but Maggie still prefers to sleep in her own little cage (or under the sofa!).
Update: June 27, 2008
Last night I kept telling her how much I wish you could see her. She's doing fine. She dooks, dances and plays like crazy. It's almost like watching the DMK kids the first time they were let out of those horrible shoeboxes. It's that joyful. She even lets me 'mush' her a little bit! She comes to me asking to play/interact.
Update: June 23, 2008
Geo did get a picture of her tonight playing and dancing with a new toy. Then I cuddled her and he tried to get a pic but the memory card was full!!! Arrrgh. I have been so busy today, it's almost 10:30 and I have been working since 7 a.m. and I still have another report to write and send before I can quit tonight. Tomorrow will be even worse. I will get you a pic as soon as possible. You would not believe this - I didn't believe it! - but Geo played with Munchkin tonight and she dooked and danced! They played with an area rug, the fringe, curled her up in the rug and patted her when she burrowed under it. She loved it. Geo wants to rename her "Jet." Because that is how she acts. ;) She is the fastest, most lithe little ferret I have ever seen. She certainly does not seem like 10+ months old (since last August, before the rescue)??? Could she be one of the kits born at Jeri Carrel's perhaps??
Update: June 22, 2008
We're home, she's fine, I'm sitting here eating dinner while she explores the living room. So far, all is well. Thank you for entrusting her to me. I will do my very best to make her happy. She has already eaten some soup. :) Will keep you posted!! She's running around in a fit of ferret exploration. She accepted an N-Bone from me, and I have soup ready. Her poops look fine. She is a little skittish but not scared or nippy. She let me pick her up and give kisses, and although she didn't give me the face washes I got
yesterday, she did give me a kiss before asking to be allowed to explore. You didn't
lie to her, if she indeed found a human to love....Will keep you posted. You know I saw how horrible it was for these McKids, and I just wanted to keep giving and giving and giving to them. That's how I feel now - I will keep doing that for her. If she's not happy, she will come back to you. Just wanted to let you know, she's war dancing and doing somersaults right now ;)
I will get you a pic! Geo tried to get a pic of her kissing me but the camera battery was dead. :((She did not want to go back into her cage this morning. I have been luring her with bits of NBones and she loves them. A few minutes ago she ate her NB while I cuddled her and kissed and stroked her. Then, she gave me several kisses - twice! All is going well :)
Munchkin's Time At The Shelter:
April 19, 2008
Munchkin got into the rice box this morning; she discovered it is a fun place to be. Up until today if I set her in there she would jump out of there the second I set her in.
This morning however she was snorkeling in the rice. When I set down on the stool to watch her, she got out went up the tube to the toy box, rolled over on her back and tried to drag me into the toy box with her. I do believe we have a happy, centered little ferret now.
She graduated to another play room this week and finds it to be an excellent room to hang out in.
She is now up to 4 of the 8 play rooms. The real test and the last room she will get to be in; is the Kitchen, it is the biggest, it is the most difficult to get them out of if they do not want to be caught, it is the one that allows them into my personal space. I have found that this room is the one that they get last because it is the most difficult to feel safe in.
So for now she has learned 4 playrooms she is loving life here at the farm.
March 15, 2008
A milestone happened this morning; I have been keeping Munchkin in smaller play areas because she is so afraid of every thing. She graduated into the library a couple of weeks ago, but she is so scared that she spends a lot of her time hiding in the tube that is wrapped around the pool of balls that is in the middle of the room, looking, watching and taking in all the activity around her in a safe place. The smaller of the 3 rooms I have been giving her have kept her happy and busy with the toys, tunnels and hidey holes she has to explore. This morning I placed her in the bathroom, normally she gets into the tub to play in the tubes that are in there but as I was walking through the kitchen she was standing, standing mind you at the barrier looking at me wanting something. I stopped to talk with her which usually sends her running to hide, but not today, she stood there giving me the “well is it my turn to move to another room”? I picked her up and moved her to the library. She immediately headed for the tube, however this time she got in the tube, turned herself around and started grabbing the toys around the entrance of that tube pulling them in with her. I believe she has discovered she is a ferret, free to roam the playrooms with no fear of being hurt, cold or ignored. I believe Munchkin has become one with herself. She has 3 more play areas to explore, I think, I will, this next school vacation time coming up give her one more new room to test and explore.
Munchkin/Bloom January 13, 2008
Her name was changed to fit her personality; Munchkin was just hilarious this morning she was dancing and dooking so hard with me she jumped right into the water bowl. I put the bed Cathy brought back to her in the hammock I had in the cage, she climbed into that and is fast asleep. I have lowered her cover another inch. Munchkin almost walked out into my hands this morning. She is still very uncomfortable being handled. I have to actually catch her and hold her up next to my body to keep hold of her.
January 10, 2008
Bloom was awake and peeking out of the 2” of space I have given her to be able to see out if she wishes; she was extremely agitated this morning. I had to put gloves on to get her out because she was having nothing to do with me picking her up or taking ferretone to get her out of the cage. However once in the play pen she bottle brushed and started to dance. Jumping and diving into the box of toy eggs, under the stuffed toys in and around the toy boxes and beds. She even jumped up and down looking up at me as I leaned over to see what see what she was doing. I think she is starting to realize she is here to stay, she is safe and going to be cared for. Still no bites.
January 8, 2008
I put Bloom in one of the boarder cages; it is smaller and higher off the floor. I covered the front of it leaving about 2” from the top for some light, air and visual. I just went in to check on her to offer some love and ferretone. Must be she is well balanced and feeling safe because when I opened the cage she did not come springing out in fright. I tried to uncover her and get her to come see me, she did not budge. I am thinking this is the first real sleep she has gotten in a very long time. So I let her sleep although I did touch the bottom of her hammock to make sure it was warm.
January 7, 2008
I gave her Bloom a hidey this morning, one of the cloth igloos so she has a choice where she wants to hide. I gave her the play pen this morning for about 4 hours. I am starting her out slow and small. So far no bites, each time I pick her up I offer her the bottle of ferretone for a few licks, then I tell her she is at the end of her journey, she will stay with me for the rest of her life UNLESS she finds a human she has fallen in love with then she can go.