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Post by runningdog on Jan 18, 2018 19:14:44 GMT -5
It looks like Achilles and Loony have settled down together. I haven’t seen Achilles drag Loony since the night before last and today Achilles looked as if he was about to grab Loony’s scruff, but only put a paw on the old boy’s shoulder in passing instead, then lay down, heaved a big sigh as Loony trotted hurriedly off - and then Joker jumped on Achilles from behind for a ferocious mostly-play wrestle! It’s very amusing watching Achilles with my mother at the end of a play session. I take the three older ones out while the youngsters get their extra mice (two small ones each at the moment) and the youngsters now watch the old ones leave, then gallop over to my elderly mother to be handed a mouse each. I’m usually back in time to see them finishing off their snacks. Achilles scoffs faster than Ajax, who tends to take his mouse somewhere private to eat, and after he’s had his tidbit, he comes back and stands up on Mum’s leg to ask for more. ‘Can I have another one? That was only tiddly, I need another one! Look, I’m starving. They’re up there, in the cupboard I can’t reach, see, I’m stretching up the fridge but I can’t reach! There must be another one in the box. Can I? Please? Can I? Really please?’
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Post by Sherry on Jan 19, 2018 7:46:55 GMT -5
Kind of puts you in mind of Oliver Twist
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Post by runningdog on Jan 22, 2018 18:47:12 GMT -5
Just spent time putting Angus’s old cage back together again. The golden boys are due at the vet Wednesday morning and since they anticipate needing to sedate them somewhat to get the implants and chips done without trauma to anyone concerned, they’ve asked me not to let the boys have anything to eat from Tuesday evening onwards. Since they normally get an evening meal and it’s not fair to starve the other three, I’m bringing the youngsters in and they’ll have Angus’s old cage for the night. They should be fine to go back out with the other boys by Wednesday evening. I think the sedation’s a good idea - I can imagine the mess these two whopping great skull-crunching hobs might make of someone’s fingers if they objected to having a dirty great needle rammed in their scruffs - I know how close it was with Ajax and my finger and that was when they were much smaller and still only learning to bite through bones! These days they go through a rabbit’s femur in one scrunch..... I’m also planning on having a nice big mouse waiting for each of them when they come out of things.
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Post by runningdog on Jan 23, 2018 15:06:33 GMT -5
Heard a strange splashing noise tonight, looked up and there’s Ajax, attempting to do the crawl in the water dish, both front legs paddling away while he lay on the edge of the dish! I thought it was only Angus of mine who snorkelled, but apparently I was wrong! Maybe Ajax is just growing into the game?
In other (OT) news, I still have 5 baby bunnies, though one is struggling somewhat. The others are getting fat and bumptious.
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Post by runningdog on Jan 24, 2018 7:47:22 GMT -5
The boys are home safely - I’m very pleased, they behaved beautifully, apparently, and the vet described them as well-handled and chilled. Achilles has a little black mark on his fur at the back of his neck, which they put on so they could keep track of which was which and they double-checked with me before registering the chips to make sure the right chip is registered to the right ferret. Even I have to hold them up next to each other to be absolutely certain who’s who - Ajax is about 3 inches shorter as well as lighter, and seen close together his coat is a little more golden. The marks on their faces are hard to see in their winter coats unless you get the light just right, but Ajax still has a slight pale spot on his forehead and Achilles has a slight greyer patch on his. They were both chirpy as young sparrows when I picked them up, no tenderness, no blood, no shaved patches and they each scoffed a large mouse when they got home, then went straight back out with the other boys.
Give it about 6-8 weeks and I can start finding out if Angus will accept other ferrets than the girls these days.... it’d be amazing if I could integrate the two groups and they could all live together and play together.
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Post by runningdog on Jan 27, 2018 18:15:50 GMT -5
Big day - I’ve decided that the ‘little boys’ have grown big enough not to need a snack at lunchtime - they can go to two meals a day with all the others. I think my mother’s a bit disappointed - she’s been enjoying being the boys’ Giver of Mice! All the same, there’s no chance anyone could shove either of those two great solid tanks out of the way at a feed dish these days so they don’t need the extra nibbles.
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Post by Sherry on Jan 28, 2018 10:13:05 GMT -5
Just caught up on the last couple of posts Ajax is hilarious. Those bunnies are beyond adorable! And I can just imagine the forthcoming tantrums when no meeces appear lol
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Post by runningdog on Jan 29, 2018 16:14:17 GMT -5
Would you believe there were no tantrums? Our kitchen has a sort of annexe before you reach the back door of the house (it’s where the tumbler and washer live) and noramlly I let the three older boys out into that and retrieve the youngsters before they go through, then they scamper off to ask for mice. When they finish their mice, they get picked up and carried straight to their run. This time, when I opened the door to the annexe and the three senior ferrets went to rummage in the wellies and poke around various bits of clutter there, the two youngsters were so thrilled at finally getting to explore this wonderland they’ve been denied for months that meeces totally slipped their minds!
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