June Month in Review

June flew by...wow!  This was a busy month for us.  We did manage some downtime at the lake with the critters - that was fun.  Finn and Violet went on their first vacation and did great.  While we were at the lake we had the kitties being well cared for with our super new critter sitter - Thanks HB!  :)

Health updates - Ollie seems to be doing great on his medication for his thyroid.  Emma had her trip to the vet and got a clean bill of health - to include checking out the lump on her back which turned out to be nothing!  Hooray!  Little critters go on July 2nd for checkups and shots and the like.

Other than the daily stuff and the fun of watching the ferrets check out the treadmill - June was a pretty low key month for the babies.  We will take it!!!

June Snaps

I can't believe June is almost over - UGH - its time to start on Christmas - how can that be?  Here are some snaps from this month that haven't found their way to posts yet:

Playful Ferrets

While I was trying to capture Miss Violet on the treadmill - and she was trying to get on - her brother had other things in mind.  He wanted her to play with him and not play on the treadmill.  If you listen close you can hear the little happy squeaks they make when they play.

Violet's Workout...

Here you go - hot off the presses - Miss Violet getting her workout for the day.  There are a few cameo appearances by Finn in there as well.  It takes her awhile but she does finally get the hang of it...

Finnegan LOVES the Treadmill

Tonight while it was stormy and I was waiting for the hubs to come home so we could go and forage for food I decided there was no time like the present to test out the treadmill and the critters.  Madison and Clooney were sleeping, Emma was hiding from the rain....Nigel was in his cage

But... I was able to start it and have a few of the critters check it out.  Oliver is a weenie - afraid of it.  Phoebe did not want to get on but was very fascinated by the words that are printed on the belt - she tried to get them every time they went by. Zoey got on and walked - she was not all that impressed and promptly got off.  Aggie said no thank you. 

Violet was fine with being put on the treadmill and she walked a little.  She was not afraid but she wasn't all that interested.  And then there is Finn.  Wow - he LOVES the treadmill.  First - he lays underneath on his back and moves is feet as the belt goes by - what a dork.  If you put him on the belt he walks - but he gets so excited he starts jumping around like a freak and falls off.  When he gets on there by himself he walks and walks.  I can't wait to break out the video camera this weekend and try to capture.  It's pretty cute.

I also want to try putting Nigel on there - I think he will like it since he runs marathons on his wheel - we will have to see.  Stay tuned - video and pics coming soon....

Dangerous Plants for Critters

I have posted similar info in the past - but as we move into summer with lots of new plants in the house and the yard -  its a good list to have handy so here it is again:

http://www.humanesociety.org/assets/pdfs/pets/poisonous_plants.pdf

 

Plants That Are Poisonous To Ferrets

Be aware of what plants might be toxic to your pet ferret.

By Sharon Vanderlip, DVM

Many ornamental plants are toxic to ferrets if ingested. The toxic parts of plants may include the leaves, flowers, bulbs, stems or all parts of the plants. Some of the more common poisonous plants are listed below.
Aconite
Amaryllis
American holly
American nightshade
Angel’s trumpet
Azalea
Bird of paradise
Birdseye primrose
Blue cardinal flower (lobelia)
Buttercup (ranunculus)
Crocus
Chrysanthemum
Daffodil
Daily
Foxglove (digitalis)
Hydrangea
Iris
Kalanchoe
Lily (several species)
Lupine
Mistletoe
Monkshood
Oleander
Onion
Philodendron
Rhododendron
Sago palm
Schefflera
Tulip
Wolfsbane
Yew

Chrysanthemums are toxic to Hedgehogs

 

Ferrets and Treadmills

We got a new treadmill.  I thought I would Google to find out how many ferrets are injured by treadmill accidents and write a post about how to keep your furries safe but instead I found a zillion videos kinda like this one....



So now instead of  freaking out about the ferrets around the machine - I am gonna have to try to make a funny video of my own.  Don't worry - I will still make sure they are not allowed in when the treadmill is in use by the humans....  :)  Stay tuned for my big production....

Four Kitty Post

The kitties are all doing well - they seem happy and healthy and they are glad we are back from our vacation.  They seem to have done great with our pet sitter - no jail breaks, illness or injuries!  :)

Ollie seems to be doing well on his meds.  We will go in for a checkup on July 2nd to see how his thyroid levels are responding.  He has mellowed a bit on the meds - this is nice for him as he is not in trouble and for me since he is not in trouble and for Aggie who is not getting picked on nearly as much.  He is still ornery, don't get me wrong - just not so much the instigator.  He has been playing lots with the ferrets since we came back from vacation - he seems to enjoy it and they love it.

Phoebe has been a bit of a klingon since we returned - always wanting to lay with you or on you.  She seems to be doing just great - happy and chatty as ever.  She has wanted to play fetch several times since we got home - Emma could learn something from her for sure.

Zoey is my leaping girl - still infatuated with the counters in the kitchen.  She seems to be losing a bit of weight so she will be next into the vet after the big appointment with all the little critters on the 2nd.  She seems pretty healthy - good appetite, good energy level, etc - just needs her checkup to make sure all is well.  She is happy we are home but she is so independent that she doesn't really like to show it.  I have had several lap visits since we returned though....

Aggie - she is going strong.  She is happy we are home as well - has been sticking pretty close.  I find since she is getting tormented less by Oliver her need to torment Phoebe is less as well.  Its all good stuff.  She has a special thing going with Violet - not sure why but she will let Miss Vi lay with her and get close.  Violet loves her and is always so happy when she has a chance to snuggle.

All in all - kitties are good.  I missed them while we were gone...

Vacation - Wildlife

There were tons of wild critters that we had the privilege of viewing while on vacation.  Some of them I managed to get on camera - some not.  Something interesting we did see when I didn't have my camera was a Piebald deer.  I had never seen one - actually never heard of one til I did a little poking around.  We were driving and a doe came out of the trees - she was a brown doe - same as we always see.  We slowed for her.  Behind her was a beautiful stag - he was young and he was colored in a way I have never seen before.  I found this drawing that kind of shows it.  His spots were much larger - almost like cow spots:

There were a gazillion bunnies, cardinals, wren, egrets and crazy fish jumping.  I am guessing there were snakes but thankfully we didn't witness any.  And then there were the herons:

Vacation - Madison

Miss Maddie - my sweet affectionate girl.  She is a good traveler but of all the ferrets - she dislikes being cooped up more than the others.  Lots of pictures of her up on her back feet trying to find a way out of the pen or trying to look so cute that I will pick her up.  Most times that works - she is pretty stinking cute.

Lots of playtime with her babies - she loves Vi and Finn so much.  And she is very good with Nigel - those two share the fuzzy shirt - him in the body and her in the sleeve - too cute:

Vacation - Clooney

Ah - Clooney...he is my grumpy old man.  As a result he gets his own bachelor pad on vacation.  He is a good traveler - although - when he was younger we let him be loose in the car - so he really hates getting cooped up when we drive now.

He did visit the other pen - but only for a short time - he was quite cranky with all the others so he got extracted fairly quickly.

He has enjoyed his one one one playtime and is quite the ham for the camera: