Other Ferrets
Lucifer, Larric, and Link
LuciferLexington and I were not Sierra's first ferrets. She had, in January of 1996, bought her first ferret from the same place she and Kevin got me. This ferret's name was Lucifer, and I wish I had met him because I've heard some awful stories... I place his personality just above Larric's! Anyway, Lucifer was a male sable, like myself, who had spent almost the first whole year of his life being passed from pet store to pet store within a chain of local stores because it seemed no one would buy him after he passed the "cute" stage -- although I propose that ferrets offer a lifetime of cuteness. Sierra eventually talked her mother into allowing her to bring Luc home, which the store manager let her do for "half price" -- or just over what the adoption fee would have been at a shelter.
sidenote: When Sierra first got him, Lucifer was a mountain of a ferret, and weighed in at something like three or four pounds and was just over a year old. When set in a ten gallon aquarium, Luc couldn't get out -- he could barely get his front legs over the side!Lucifer had a nasty temper that Sierra attributed to not being loved much as a kit. He would bite Sierra at any chance and huff up and snarl and make all sorts of odd noises. She spent time every day with Luc, first holding him in a towel so his teeth couldn't find her skin, and gradually gaining more confidence and trust so that she could hold him with bare hands. The February 15, 1996, Sierra's dog Teddy pushed in her door and got to Luc while the family was not home. The rest is gruesome and even though I feel pity, I don't mourn Luc as I do Lex as I didn't know the aforementioned and Lex never took bites out of Sierra. My mommy still feels guilty, though, and now whenever she leaves the house she closes and locks both doors from the hallway to the animal room. (it was strange timing, too, because Luc died the night before my mom started going out with Kevin, who was the one who brought me to her!)
LarricI should mention that a fourth ferret was given to Sierra for Christmas (1997) to be a companion to myself as Sierra went back to school and was afraid I would feel neglected. This was a ferret that truly deserved to be behind bars -- unfortunately he was behind the bars that belong to ME!
Larric was a gift to Sierra from her grandparents and drew more blood than all of Sierra's animals combined (including dogs, cats, birds, snakes, lizards, rabbits, horses, and an especially tempermental pig). The first time he bit her was within five minutes of her grandparents handing him to her on Christmas. Sierra has tried everything from Bitter Apple sprays to leather gloves and thick sweatshirts for armor to time outs, and nothing seems to work. Then Larric went and acted like a perfect angel from October '97 to December '98, even going so far as to sit up and wait to be held and to lick Sierra's ear. Of course this did not last, as Sierra was holding him just before Christmas (I was licking her chin at the time) and without warning he went from letting her scratch under his chin to chomping on her thumb. He added three more punctures and an inch long slice to his resume.
Larric's reputation grew, and no one would ever hold him except Sierra. She has to do all the cleaning and maintenance, feeding, etc. for us -- No one would even feed us if she were to leave on vacation because Lars scared them all off! Sierra's grandparents felt awful that their lovingly given present became so sour, and even offered to procur another ferret buddy for me should Sierra decide to get rid of Larric. What, you may ask, was the problem? ANSWER: Who wants a habitual biter? Sierra felt like if she gave him away, Lars would spend time going from home to home, and would only become more unhappy than ever, or would become a permenant resident in a shelter that was already full of ferrets with real medical problems that needed to be addressed.
Larric was a very unhappy ferret. He never ate reliably, never allowed himself to be litter trained, and never became comfortable enough to let himself enjoy the life he could have had in a loving family. In early '99 he went off his feed totally. The vets couldn't find anything physically wrong with him, and little Larric left us. It was really heartbreaking to watch the guy who seemed to hate everyone so much wither away. I just hope he's happier now.
LinkOctober '98 Sierra and Ed brought another ferret into the family. I was living in Jacksonville at the time. (I stayed there for a month or two while Sierra decided whether she wanted to live in Jax or Orlando) Bandit, renamed Link, was a nice enough fellow, and very loving toward Ed and Sierra, but he just did not want to litter train himself, and taught Larric and me not to use the litter box, either! This made Sierra mad, but there wasn't much she could do. When Lars and I moved back down to Orlando in late November, we left Link with Ed in Jax. I never saw the little guy again, and since Ed and Sierra don't talk much anymore I probably won't even get a pic of the bugger. Not that I care, he was just a stupid little kid...
Ferret Farm
