Ferret News
Pet Ferret Care Tips
and Information
By Mary R. Shefferman & Eric Shefferman - along with Gabby, the ferret
www.ferretnews.com

======================================================
Modern Ferret News Mailing List Issue #31
http://www.ferretnews.com
October 8, 2002

by Mary R. Shefferman and Eric Shefferman
contact: marymodernferret.com
======================================================

Hi

-- Big News: We're moving!

  We have to be out of our house by the end of this
month. Look down further in this newsletter for a
special savings coupon on some of the heavy things
that we'd rather ship to you than move ourselves!

-- Mary on TV!

  Mary will be on The Pet Shop with Marc Morrone!
The episode with Mary will be airing on the week
of October 14 on the Fox Network. For most of you,
this means the show will probably be on early in
the morning on Saturday October 19 or Sunday October
20. Check your listings for your local Fox affiliate.
For more information about the show and when it is
on, see the show's web site:

http://www.parrotsoftheworld.com/thepetshop/

  So check your TV listings and tune in (or set your
VCR to tape it!).

- Eric


----- The Modern Ferret News -----
>>> In this issue: <<<

==> Ferret Safety: Nose Counting
    by Mary R. Shefferman

==> Special Moving Sale

==> Update on Modern Ferret Things


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    Or a clock, frosted mug, or flying disk!

    From now until October 31, 2002:
    Free shipping if you spend $40 or more!

    http://www.cafeshops.com/ferretdesigns

    Shopping at Ferret Designs helps us make
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   ---------------------------------------------------

======================================================

==> Ferret Safety: Nose Counting
    by Mary R. Shefferman

  Nose counting is somewhat like head counting; you
count noses (instead of, say, tails) because it's
easier to identify a specific ferret when you catch
sight of his or her nose. Some ferrets with similar
coloring can fool you if you look only at the tail
or back. If you're counting ferrets in a big knotted
sleeping pile, counting noses is much more accurate
than counting any other ferret part. It might be more
precise to say "counting noses and names," because
that's really what it is; but "counting noses" just
sounds better.

  Now that we have only three ferrets, nightly nose
counting seems a little unnecessary. You seem to
finish almost before you begin. But when we had a
full house of nine fuzz-balls, counting noses was the
only way to be certain everyone was present and ...
accounted for. Even with the smaller number of
ferrets, nose counting is a good habit to get into
for when you have more ferrets.

  I've only missed collecting a ferret at the end of
playtime once, but I still shudder to think of all
the terrible things that could have happened. It was
late at night, and Eric was upstairs working. I
thought I'd put all the ferrets away. When Eric got
tired, he came downstairs and was shocked when Knuks
came over and tapped him on the back of his leg.* I'd
locked her out of the cage! That's when we decided it
was time to count noses routinely.

  -- aside --
  * There's nothing quite like being tapped on the
  back of the leg at 4am when you're tired and you
  think the room is empty! - Eric
  -----------

  Usually, we count noses a few times during ferret
playtime. Although the rooms our ferrets play in are
ferret safe, you never know when one will find a way
out that you've missed. This has never happened to us
-- thank goodness -- but we've had readers write in
to tell us of the happy and tragic endings to ferret
escapes. Anytime you have a fairly large ferret
family, it helps to do a nose count several times
during the ferrets' playtime, just to make sure no
one has gone missing. If a ferret does "disappear"
(whether zonked out in an unusual sleeping spot or
out of the ferret-safe area), the sooner you realize
the disappearance, the better your chances of finding
the AWOL ferret.

  Of course, a final nose count after re-caging the
ferrets is a must. If you have a whole lot of ferrets,
you might want to do a double nose count at the end
of playtime. At our house, both Eric and I count the
ferrets at the end of playtime.

  It almost seems that it's our ferrets' job to
challenge us in as many ways as they can. Nose
counting is one way to make sure we outsmart them.

:)

   ---------------------------------------------------
    If you've been reading this newsletter and would
    like to see what Mary and Eric do in a real printed
    magazine, you can go to our online store and order
    a single copy.

   http://modernferretstore.com/24/cat24.htm

    Modern Ferret Magazine issue #32 features:
   - A Dozen Helpful Hints from Bob Church
   - Bob Church's Forgotten Ferret History
   - Insulinoma to Diabetes: Scoots's Story
   - plus ferret cartoons, funny stories, and more!
   *and* a very special Patriotic Pin-Up Centerfold!

    Note: you'll want an extra copy to be able to hang
    this centerfold in your office!

    You can also order a subscription, back issues,
    and other Modern Ferret products from the site.

   http://modernferretstore.com
   ---------------------------------------------------

======================================================

==> Special Moving Sale

  We're moving and we have to be out by the end of
October. Our move is your savings -- we're offering
our newsletter subscribers a special deal on our
heaviest products!

  You can save 25% on any (or all!) of the following
items just by entering the coupon code

    movingsale

  The products on sale are the Monster Pack of
Modern Ferret Back Issues (formerly known as the
Take 25 Pack), and our books _500 Things My Ferret
Told Me_ and _The Wit and Wisdom of the Modern
Ferrets_. Hurry the sale ends October 25!


** The Monster Pack of Modern Ferret Back Issues **

  http://ferrettradingpost.com/take25pack.html

  We've renamed the Take 25 Pack to be in the spirit
of Halloween and we've even thrown in a bonus mug!

    "I enjoyed every page of the Modern Ferret Take
    25 Pack. This was an excellent deal for me. The
    informative articles on ferret health, the humorous
    stories, and the sweet photos of other people's
    fuzzies is awesome. I just wish that I had the
    other back issues that are out of stock! I keep
    them in a basket so I can refer to them when one
    of my ferts has a health or behavioral issue."

   --Joyce Huff and the 9 li'l "devils"
   (Sara, Kooter, Fuzz, Tootsie, Fuji, Nikki, Sasha,
    Tweeters, and Spanky), Pennsylvania

  This Holiday Season, get yourself and your ferret-
loving friends a gift they'll enjoy and that will
help them help their ferrets live happier, healthier
lives -- the Modern Ferret Monster Pack!
 
  http://ferrettradingpost.com/take25pack.html

** 500 Things My Ferret Told Me **

  http://ferrettradingpost.com/500ferret.html

  This fun book gives you 500 enjoyable ferrety quotes
all wrapped up in a nifty little square book. You
can save 25% ordering a copy for yourself or get
extra copies with our -buy two get one free- deal and
save 25% off that as well! Order them now!

  http://ferrettradingpost.com/500ferret.html

** The Wit and Wisdom of the Modern Ferrets **

  http://ferrettradingpost.com/witandwisofm.html

  Compiled from the columns written by our ferrets
during the first 5 years of publishing Modern Ferret
Magazine, this book has the kind of writing that
got us to be chosen as one of the 12 Best Magazines
in the Magazine Business!

  Use this link to catch a rare photo of Eric in a
suit and Mary with bright red hair!

  http://modernferret.com/about/awards.html

  Read about the Wit and Wisdom book here:

  http://ferrettradingpost.com/witandwisofm.html

Remember:
You can save 25% on any (or all!) of the above
items just by entering the coupon code

    movingsale

on the checkout page. This offer is good until
October 25, because after that we'll be busy moving!

======================================================

==> Update on Modern Ferret Things

  Please tell other ferret people to go to our site
ferretnews.com and subscribe to this newsletter!
The more the merrier!

-- Mary on TV

  Don't forget to catch Mary on TV on The Pet Shop
with Marc Morrone! The episode with Mary will be
airing on the week of October 14 on the Fox Network.
For most of you, this means the show will probably be
on early in the morning on Saturday October 19 or
Sunday October 20. Check your listings for your local
Fox affiliate. For more information about the show
and when it is on, see the show's web site:

http://www.parrotsoftheworld.com/thepetshop/

  The episode was taped a while ago, so it's anybody's
guess as to what color Mary's hair was! Tune in and
find out!

-- Halloween Safety Tips

  Halloween is coming!

  For some useful articles on various aspects of the
holidays and ferrets, see the Modern Ferret News
article archive:

http://www.ferretnews.com/articles.html


That's it for this issue!
Stay tuned! More great stuff is on the way!

Remember that shopping at
http://www.FerretDesigns.com
and at
http://www.FerretTradingPost.com
helps support this newsletter and keep it free.

 
======================================================


Shopping at these websites to helps support this
newsletter and keep it free.

  http://www.ferretdesigns.com

  http://www.ferrettradingpost.com

You can provide feedback about this issue by sending email to:
marymodernferret.com


Disclaimer:
http://ferretnews.com/disclaimer.html
The shortened version of the disclaimer is:
If your ferret is ill or you think your ferret
is ill, bring your ferret to a ferret
knowledgeable veterinarian.

Previous articles from this newsletter are at:
http://ferretnews.com/articles.html

Archives of this newsletter are available at:
http://ferretnews.com/issues.html
http://modernferrets.com/newsletterarchive.html

Copyright 2002 Modern Ferret magazine.
All rights reserved.
http://www.modernferret.com