Some Ferret News

First, Bobby had successful surgery on Wednesday and he came home that evening. He is doing well. We have been keeping up with his medications. Amoxicilin and Pepto three times a day and pain medication once a day. Everything seems to be healing well. He has a good appetite. For now, we mostly let him out on his own so the other two ferrets down involve him in the rough-housing that usually goes on. He has a followup next Saturday.

Also, the Conservation and Research Center has verified that Tilly, the black-footed ferret, has been artificially inseminated and is due on June 23. Everyone keep your fingers crossed and your eyes glued to the FerretCam.

Bobby, The Surfer Dude Ferret

Last week we took two of our ferrets (Ariel and Bobby) in for their annual check-up and shots. Yes, we have a third ferret, Apache, but he is on a different annual schedule.

We suspected that Bobby may have some type of digestive issue so we mentioned that to the vet. He decided to run a battery of blood tests. While things concerning the digestive issue were negative, it was discovered that he has a very low glucose level. This can really only mean one thing, insulinoma. Essentially, tumors on the pancreas. It's an unfortunately common condition among domestic ferrets. He hasn't really exhibited any of the classical signs of insulinoma except maybe a bit less active than we are accustom to for him. He is our "surfer dude" ferret and has always been laid back so it's hard to say. Maybe some momentary staring into space, but he's just about completely blind so he stares around alot anyway.

He is scheduled for surgery this Wednesday. We hope and pray that everything will turn out well for Bobby. He has a great personality and we look forward to many more years of fun and entertainment from him.

Cupcake Campaign Collages

The campaign continues. The icing on these cupcakes is very light, full of flavor and melts in your mouth. The chocolate cupcake is hand-dipped. These cupcakes clearly fit in the category of "Gourmet."

Tilly, the Black-Footed Ferret

Tilly at the National Zoo's Center for Conservation and Research (CRC) has her belly shaved! You can see her on the Ferret Cam. This can only mean one thing, she has been artificially inseminated. She is following in Georgia's footsteps from last year. Georgia gave birth to Peanut last year as a result of successful aritificial insemination. Please see my other posts concerning her adventure from last year.

So, the vigil begins.

You can learn more about the Black-Footed Ferret here, here, and here. The last link has a great video on the Black-Footed Ferret. It's a must see! You gotta love the sound they make.

A Basic Cupcake

Here is what most of us would likely refer to as a basic cupcake. You know, the kind you usually find in the back of the grocery store in the bakery department. Some of these stores may make their cupcakes on-site, while many others have them trucked in from the stores' of-site bakery.

This kind of cupcake, although basic, is dependable. It's usually made from yellow or chocolate cake, topped with the standard non-flavored icing and multi-colored sprinkles and is sold in packages of six or more at a reasonable price. No frills, but kids love'em as do many others.

Another Cupcake

Cupcakes come in all varieties of sophistication these days. I wasn't fully aware of this until recently. To be honest, I never really thought about it until recently. From what I now understand, there are loads of cupcake aficionados out there. In search of the next best delectable cupcake treat. More to come on the Cupcake Campaign.

Mother's Day and the Cupcake Campaign

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. I hope everyone is enjoying the day. Have a cupcake to celebrate. We went and saw the new Star Trek movie at an IMAX theater. The movie was great. Great effects, excellent cast and most all, I thought the writing was spectacular. A sequel is clearly in the cards.

The cupcake campaign has started.

Apache

This is Apache, our #3 ferret. While he may be #3, all three of our ferrets are #1 in our hearts. They are great pets, full of fun and entertainment. I've blogged about them before, so if you are new here, make sure to zoom through the older posts to see and read more.

Apache is particularly obsessed with shoes and any stuffed object (animals, etc). This means that any shoe, boot or object that resembles a shoe or boot will be gathered by him, taken to a hiding place and put into a pile. Luckily, we know where most of his hiding places are. He does the same with stuffed objects.

He is the biggest of the three and exercises that "authority" from time to time with the others. Usually in a very playful way. The uninitiated need to know that ferrets can play rough with each other, but it's still play. He is very strong and smart. The image above was a lucky catch. He paused for a second and moved on. He is very active and usually in motion. He exhibits "flat ferret" or "speed bump" (google it!!) from time to time to gather energy and then he is up and running again.

As calm, cute and cuddly as he may appear in the image above, the one below seems to show a different side. It's not true, though. All ferrets have "fangs" and can look kind of menacing when caught up close. This is right after he woke up. Note the stuffed animal "paw" in the background. He dragged the animal down three floors, managed to get it into the cage and carry it up to the third level of the cage. That's right, they have three levels to their cage. It's made by Ferret Nation. They love this cage. Lots of room and it's owner friendly, too (easy to clean, etc.)