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Post by runningdog on Dec 4, 2017 12:35:02 GMT -5
I’m beginning to wonder if Angus isn’t taking this ‘my human’ thing too far. I mean, I’m well aware that ferrets can be self-confident little so-and-so’s when it comes to expecting stuff - doors opening, food producing, new toys handing over at regular intervals (if not more often) but this is the first time I’ve had a ferret come and tell me to clean out his cage! I can’t interpret it any other way. He came out as usual, played around the room while I cleaned out his cage, demanded the door open, ran up and down the stairs, killed the rugs a few times, had a game killing a glove on a string, then ran back up the stairs, went to his cage, climbed in for a few minutes then climbed out and gave me an accusing stare. You *know* when a ferret is giving you an accusing stare. I offered tickles. He spurned them. I offered toys. He ignored them and stared at me again. I asked what was wrong. He lay on the carpet and stared at me. I left him alone and went back to the computer. He grabbed my sock and wrestled it to death. My toes were still in it at the time. I left the computer and sat on the floor to give him my undivided attention. He climbed into his cage, then climbed out and stared at me. I looked in the cage. One measly little dropping. One. All by itself. Looked perfectly normal, too, which is always a good thing. I’d cleaned his cage out only half an hour earlier, remember, so it hadn’t been there long! Angus climbed in the cage, started to reverse into his corner and then stopped, turned around and stared at the dropping. Then he came out and stared at me. I removed the dropping. Angus dashed into the corner, emptied his bladder and bounced off dooking to play with his fluffy toys. I think he’s labelled me with a new job-title. Not merely ‘my human’ or even ‘my food-provider’ but ‘my Cleaner of Litter Trays.’
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Post by Sherry on Dec 5, 2017 9:41:44 GMT -5
Oh that is hilarious
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jennyp
New member
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Posts: 43
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Post by jennyp on Dec 6, 2017 11:59:17 GMT -5
I've not only thoroughly enjoyed reading the progress of Angus, I've also learned so much. What an amazing job you did with him, my goodness! So many kudos to both you AND Angus. I'll be checking back to see what chananagins he's up to and to see how the new kits get on ❤️
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Post by runningdog on Dec 6, 2017 15:33:27 GMT -5
He’s running round the floor as I write this, having just managed to get a pheasant feather stuck to his nose, then sneezed it off again!
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Post by Thérèse on Dec 7, 2017 6:35:45 GMT -5
...One measly little dropping. One. All by itself. Looked perfectly normal, too, which is always a good thing. I’d cleaned his cage out only half an hour earlier, remember, so it hadn’t been there long! Angus climbed in the cage, started to reverse into his corner and then stopped, turned around and stared at the dropping. Then he came out and stared at me. I removed the dropping. Angus dashed into the corner, emptied his bladder and bounced off dooking to play with his fluffy toys. ... "You missed a spot, Dad"
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Post by runningdog on Dec 7, 2017 9:28:35 GMT -5
I don’t know if I’ll get the chance to catch him on camera doing this again, but if ever I do, it’s hilarious. I brought him downstairs late last night (totally ruining all my good intentions about artificial light and so forth - but he was rattling his bars furiously when I put the dogs to bed so there was no way I was going to get any sleep anyway) and he had a good scamper around the kitchen. I sat down at the table and watched as he went in and out of the dig box, in and out of the ball pit, through, over and around all the tunnels and tubes. Then he went behind the filing cabinet. After a few seconds he came out dooking on every bound, as he does, and making extra big, bouncy bounds into the bargain, with something white and slightly floppy in his mouth. He bounced over to the dig box, went in, wrestled his new toy a bit, buried it, dug it up, grabbed it and bounced - still extra high, proud bounces and dooking all the way - round the freezer and to the back door, where he lay down and wrestled the new toy, giving me a good look at it. A mouse. A very dead, white ‘large’ mouse. Ajax or Achilles must have stashed their lunch. Angus kept this up for about ten minutes, all the time with these big prancy bounds and dooking along in time like he was humming a little song to himself. Then the mouse disappeared..... I think it’s back behind the filing cabinet. I’m about to clear the kitchen stashes, which means dragging the bottom drawer out of the filing cabinet to reach under it and grovelling around under the freezer after I’ve hauled it away from the wall. Ajax and Achilles have been having a mouse a day as their lunches and I’m pretty sure they haven’t eaten today’s mice, either....
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Post by Sherry on Dec 7, 2017 10:11:54 GMT -5
He sounds like he had a grand time with his new toy lol. We've got one like that- dooms from the time his feet hit the floor lol
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Post by runningdog on Dec 7, 2017 10:42:58 GMT -5
And he did it again today! Not as extravagant in his prancing today and without the dooking, but here’s Angus attempting to decide where to re-stash a mouse..... He’s killing the ball-pit balls like anything..... the others don’t bite through them like Angus does, they just chase them round the floor but Angus kills them and drags them away to stash them in the tunnels.
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Post by runningdog on Dec 7, 2017 11:36:19 GMT -5
I checked the stashes - nothing under the freezer and behind the filing cabinet...... the tail and haunches of a white mouse. The dogs looked at it and then walked off in disgust, so I’ve put it in a box in the fridge. Angus can have a bit extra for his evening meal tonight.
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jennyp
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Post by jennyp on Dec 7, 2017 11:44:30 GMT -5
What a character he is! And adorable at that 😊
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jennyp
New member
New "ferrant" of Smokey and Bandit
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Post by jennyp on Dec 7, 2017 13:07:21 GMT -5
I need to set up something that my two monkeys can dig in, and since yours seemed to be thoroughly enjoying your setup, I'm wondering, what did you use in the dig box? Is that coconut husk substrate? I found some on Amazon but wanted to be sure before purchasing it. Thanks!
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Post by runningdog on Dec 7, 2017 13:31:43 GMT -5
I need to set up something that my two monkeys can dig in, and since yours seemed to be thoroughly enjoying your setup, I'm wondering, what did you use in the dig box? Is that coconut husk substrate? I found some on Amazon but wanted to be sure before purchasing it. Thanks! Yes, it’s sold as a substrate for reptiles and insects in our local pet shops but it’s just dried, finely ground coconut fibre. Seems thoroughly innocuous and they adore it! Because it’s slightly damp after being rehydrated there’s no dust issues when they’re tunneling, although they do sometimes sneeze after ramming their noses right into it and sniffing. Daft fuzzbutts..... I had trouble finding my two jills at one point today - they’re such slinky little girls, they’d almost completely buried themselves!
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jennyp
New member
New "ferrant" of Smokey and Bandit
Posts: 43
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Post by jennyp on Dec 8, 2017 15:03:07 GMT -5
Ahhhh! Good to know, thank you! "Buried themselves" haha! So cute ❤️ I'll definitely grab a bag or two and get something set up for them 👏🏻 How often do you have to change it?
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Post by runningdog on Dec 8, 2017 18:10:18 GMT -5
I don’t think I’ll need to change it - they don’t use it as litter, they use puppy pads in the house. They seem agreed the dig box is for digging, fast and furious. I will need to top it up from time to time, given how much comes out on their fur and paws or if they push the access tube out and kick the stuff straight out of the hole!
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jennyp
New member
New "ferrant" of Smokey and Bandit
Posts: 43
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Post by jennyp on Dec 8, 2017 22:54:37 GMT -5
Awesome, I'm making notes of all this. I'll leave you alone for a while with the questions 😉
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