I am being trained by Cinnamon

[rene]

It occurred to me this morning that Cinnamon is training me to do just what he wants me to do. All he has to do is look frail and pityfull. He is much, much better, and last night he played with Charcoal and Toby, and didn't crawl off anywhere to go to sleep. He isn't doing the running/hopping thing yet, but he is moving much faster. I have to hustle to keep up with him and keep my eyes on him. Don't want him to disappear under or behind anything that is heavy and hard to move. I put him in the cage with Charcoal and Toby after I gave him his morning meds and duck soup, and he looked at me like I was crazy. I thought he missed Toby, and wanted to curl up with the others, but it just didn't look that way. I put him in the smaller cage at night because it was easier to get him out for his meds and duck soup without the other two fuzzies trying to get out in the morning. The last couple of times that I was taking him out, I felt inside his bowl to see if he had food and it does not look like he has eaten anything. He is putting on some weight and eats bits of hard food at night and hides it underneath the hope chest, but it does not really seem like he is eating it. The other two, wolf theirs down and I have to fill their trough twice a day.

Then this morning when I was giving Cinnamon his meds and the duck soup and he was eating greedily and then grabbing nice sized peices and running off with them, I began to realize that he has successfully trained me to spoon feed him, yummy stuff. Why should he eat that dry ferret food,when I will give him yummy sweet stuff, and follow it with duck soup from a spoon. He has a cage all to himself and he doesn't have the extra body heat from the other fuzzies. He gets out in the morning and I run after him and in the evening he gets his good stuff and then he gets to run and play with the other fuzzies. I guess there has to be some perks to being sickly. The other two are clowns, and I love watching them play, but Cinnamon has a special place in my day, and my time. I have several other animals that take a good deal of time, and I love them all. I am considering going back to school, because my job is supposed to be ending between Sep and Dec, and while they are trying to find us other jobs within the company, there are no guarantees. I was massively stressed before when I was in school and I felt so guilty because I didn't have much time for my animals. I was so glad when that part was over. That was 3 months before Charcoal came into my life. I have a special needs cat, and a special needs ferret, and a special needs dog, as well as 6 other critters. I really have to think about how many hours I have in my day that are really mine. I am going to a retreat next weekend, and I thought about taking Cinnamon with me, in a travel cage, because there are refrigerators in the room for his duck soup, but I am going to have a ferret friend with lots of ferret experience take care of him for me while I am gone.
I found some more receipes for duck soup on the internet. Even though there were some good directions on this site, I didn't quite understand all of it. I knew I couldn't screw it up that badly. After reading some of the other sites, I understood more of different ways to make it more appealing. I pressure cooked some chicken leg quarters last night, and boiled some chicken livers and gizzards. Tonight I will boil a couple of eggs and tomorrow, my new sacks of premium ferret food arrive. I got some heavy cream, and some sweet potato to add to the chicken stuff. I will puree all of that stuff together to freeze it for Cinnamon. Maybe, I can convince Charcoal to try some.

I am so grateful for everyone on this site. Getting the new cage for Charcoal and two friends wasn't supposed to include this drama. Thanks all of you for all of your help and support!

[greta]

One of our main purposes of this group is to educate and support and share advice and experience with one another, gf. We're all happy in Cinnamon's improvement. It's not unusual that your boy is training you. He loves the special one on one attention you're giving him and he loves your soup, too. When my TT was sick with insulinoma there were times when I fed him duck soup every three hours around the clock. It was exhausting, but my vet said I kept TT alive with this aggressive treatment. I know how valuable your time must be to you and it'll be even more valuable once you begin school. Have you concidered taking internet college courses which will lead you to a degreeor lead you to certification? My son in law earned his associates degree in medical coding through an internet program by DeVries University. This way you'll study from home and have more time for your animals. There is something very, very special about the bond that develops between a ferret parent and the fuzzy when one spends all that time holding the little one while he/she eats soup and takes the meds. You're doing such a wonderful job, gf. Just give it as much time as you can afford to and enjoy every moment of it. I know Cinnamon will enjoy it as much as you. Loving hugs, Greta

[rene]

I do take all of my classes online. I also work full time though. I used to log into my classes in the evening, and some in the mornings, and most of the weekend. I was finishing up my last coding class, sitting in my bed with my books around me, while Charcoal was running around, when he bit me three times over 3 days. I still am not sure what the deal with that was. Mayber if he thought I was not giveing him the appropriate attention, and if I wasn't going to give it, he would take it! He is still nippy. and I always think about where his mouth is in relation to my skin. Those first times were pretty bad. Biting me and holding on like a pitt bull. When I see him opening his mouth to take a "taste", I pull him away and remind him that he does not bite. I was thinking that I could sit on the floor of the living room with my laptop and work on homework while they are running around so they can still see me and crawl on me. Charcoal just needs my full attention when he is near my skin.

Cinnamon is so much better. This morning he was awake and yanking on his door, wanting his breakfast. Last week I had to pull him out of his cage out of a sound sleep and give him his meds and feed him. That exhausted him, and he would go right back to sleep. I had a clip for that cage because it had been Charcoal's and he always was pulling on the door and escaping, if the clip was not in the right place. Cinnamon was so weak, that I wasn't concerned about it. This morning after I fed him and gave him his meds, he was running around, and hiding peices of food in his own "hidey hole" underneath the hope chest. He ran back and forth probably a dozen times, and was still exploring when it was time to go back to his cage. Once in there, he was chewing and yanking on his door again. Now, I am putting the clip on again. Just in case. I have clips and bunjy cords on the large cage, but Charcoal still found a way to get out. This morning my husband woke me up about 7 am because Charcoal was out and dragging the top of a small styrofoam cooler across the floor to his "hidey hole". I think that Charcoal probably didn't have a cage in his previous home, and really hates being confined. He spends his waking time thinking about ways to escape his cage and then testing those ways. Toby hasn't yanked on the door or chewed on the bars yet, and he and Cinnamon haven't tried to push against the doors and squeeze through any opening.

[huronna]

I loved reading your update.
Going to school and working and raising a family, be it human or animal, is no easy task.

Though we love and adore our "babies" when we have one that is ill, there develops a certain deeper relationship. I have seen it happen with my husband. Though he is wonderful with the ferrets, when one become ill, he really turns into the care taker. He has the patience of a saint when one of them just won't eat and needs constant care. He is always there. When Frick was fading at the end, there were many nights that my hubby would take his pillow to the floor and cuddle around him on the rug giving him the warmth and comfort he needed.

Ferrets can be magicians. They can get out of the smallest openings or into them also. So you need to keep an eye out for how they are doing it.

Also get that styroform cooler up and out of ferrets reach. That is something they will chew and get blockages from.

[greta]

You do have a full plate gf, and you're doing wonderfully in attending to all the obligations you've assigned to yourself. Charcoal sounds like a real challenge, albeit caring for him is a reward in itself. My Nada was a foot and ankle nipper, but after a while I realized it was her invitation for me to play with her. Biting hard enough to draw blood though, is not play biting. You're doing well with Charcoal. It's great that Cinnnamon has come along so well. Your new kid is showing real improvement since you began treating him. It's truly amazing how quickly a little one bounces back once that blood glucose level is within a normal range again. I admire your motivation gf, in reaching out to so many of life's goals at once. Some years ago I attended college, worked a full time job and raised my skin kids for over a year. The result was an exhaustion that was relieved only when breaks came in my college schedule or I was able to utilize holidays and vacations from work to regenerate and then start all over again. I did reach my goals though, and I know you can too. Don't forget to keep us posted as your time allows. Hugs, Greta

[greta]

One more thing, Rene, Dear. I agree with Huronna. Get rid of that styrofoam cooler. Put it well out of reach of your ferrets. An intestinal blockage often results in life saving surgery and this is something you certainly do not need right now. Hugs, Greta