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Remi
• Surrendered to the Shelter on November 9, 2019. He found a Forever Home on December 22, 2019! |
April 22, 2020:
I've been meaning to get a note off to you to let you know that Remy and Twoie (Rocky) are doing very well. We were able to integrate them with Panda, Rocky and Junior, and they all get along well. Panda and Rocky (ours) are both "seniors" so it is nice that Junior has buddies a little closer in his age to play with. Lisa and I are both doing well (both working), and trying to take good care of ourselves. I hope you and the gang are all well.
January 16, 2020:
Hi Brenda: Remy and Rocky (we are referring to him as "Twoey" ) have been fully integrated into our group of Panda, Rocky, and Junior. Remy, even with all his rambunctiousness is very social and gets along well with others (he frequently can be found sleeping with our Rocky curled up in a sleep sack), so we were able to bring him in fairly effortlessly. Rocky (Twoey), we had been taking things a little slower so as not to stress him or the others.
January 3, 2020:
Hi Brenda: I am so happy that Rocky has found a forever home. I have been meaning to get a note off to you to let you know that it may be awhile for us to be able to provide him with a home, and that if another family came along to not hesitate in placing him. Remy and Rocky are both doing well, and adjusting to life with us. Remy has proven to be a handful, but is also a pretty social ferret, and can spend "out" time with our Rocky (Rocky #1), Junior and Panda. He can also spend "out" time with new Rocky (Rocky #2) though Rocky #2 is a little apprehensive of new ferrets so we are gently introducing him to life with siblings. At the moment we are running three groups though at times it can be four. Remy and Rocky #2 each get there own cage at night. We have conclusively found that Bam and Ellen (the two I picked up from you 2+ years ago) will not allow the introduction of a third ferret into their group (this is not a surprise). They are a bonded pair and both go into attack mode towards any other ferret. The plan moving forward is to run two groups; one that consist of Rocky #1, Rocky #2, Remy, Panda, and Junior, and the other consisting of Bam and Ellen. At this time taking it slow and letting Rocky#2 and Remy know that they baoth have a forever home.
Thanks,
Peter
December 23, 2019:
Hi Brenda: I just want to get a quick note off to you before my day gets too out of hand. Remy and Rocky are doing well. Remy is A LOT of ferret. He has tons of energy, and seems to have taken the move in stride. We have done short introductions with a couple of our guys and he is very excitable, and social. He is definitely not a beginners ferret and though not vicious he is excitable and needs to be handled with care. Rocky is also doing well but I think the new environment will be a little harder on him than Remy. He is eating drinking and pooping well, but we are letting him ease into life here gently. I think being a little older, having recent surgery, and being placed and then returned, may leave him a little more susceptible to stress than Remy, so we are working to make the transition for him as comfortable as possible.
Thanks,
Pete
December 19, 2019:
Brenda: Lisa and I have been discussing additions to our household. We had been talking about bringing Remy and Rocky home, and now we are also considering Rocky II. We are a little concerned about cage space and set up, and all other things logistic. I am thinking of possibly coming out on Sunday.
Pete
Brenda's reply: That works. Rocky II is going to see OFD on Monday for vaccines and check up. Sunday works for us. Keep me posted on what you decide.
December 5, 2019:
Cyclone Remi, I have changed Remy's name to Cyclone Remi, that boy destroys the rooms he is in, knocks things off shelves, including the shelf above the window in the playroom. He cleaned the napkins I had stored up there off the shelf. I put him in the downstairs bathroom this morning, he cleaned off the shelf I store the papers on, small water pales scattered all over. He made a mess of that room.
November 27, 2019:
Remi - likes to knock over and puncture water jugs, I keep some up here in the living room in a plastic box on the floor. Remi has the ability to get them out of the box, tip them over then punctures them with his teeth. I heard him messing with something but the noise didn't connect right off. When I finally got up to see what he was up to, he had water all over the floor. When I picked up the jug there were so many holes it, it looked like a sprinkler as I ran it to the bathroom to set it in the sink. He is a funny little man.
November 21, 2019:
Dear Miss Mary Ellen, Mum let me open my present that you sent me. She took pictures of me getting into the present. Thank you for my welcome present, and helpen Mum take care of me.
November 16, 2019:
Remi - he's shown no signs of wanting to harm me so I started allowing him out into the larger rooms. This morning I was picking up and replacing poo papers in the library, he was in the room with me. He was running and jumping up on me, I would grab him up off the floor toss him over onto the bed, stuff him into the shark and roll him up. He had a ball playing that game. A couple of times he grabbed my hand with his mouth, playing, he got a bit rough, I said easy, easy he backed right off. I will be careful with others handling him until I see if he is going to get aggressive with others he doesn't know but I don't think he will.
November 16, 2019:
Yesterday morning Remi ambushed me from behind. He's a jumper. I was putting the 3 girls in one of the playrooms, all of a sudden I feel this bump, Remi had jumped up on the back of my legs to engage me in play. I stopped to play with him for a minute, with toys. I'm not sure about the biting yet, so far he's not even tried. This morning he was playing with me, I believe that he will be just fine.
Initial Contact, October 24, 2019:
Dear Brenda, My name is Rebecca Myers and I am a senior in the GCC Vet Tech class. I reached out to Dani with some concerns I had and she told me to talk to you for your advice. I recently (about 3-4 months ago) bought my 3rd male ferret from Petco, though he was already a year old at the time. I knew I was taking a bit of a chance on him and that I would need to work with him more than my others to get him to acclimate just fine. After going through the housing transition and taking a month to switch him into the cage with my other 2 males (since he loved being around them) everything seemed to be going great. He was a little skittish at first, as I expected and he started coming out of his shell more and showing a ton of personality. He's not super snuggly, which is okay, but I still was handling him on a daily basis and he ended up becoming a bit sweeter than his normal nut job personality. However, for the past month and a half, there has been a shift in my business, and he is starting to become a little bit of a bully to my oldest ferret, to the point where my middle aged ferret has to step in and scruff him for quite some time for him to relax. No problem, establishing a pecking order. However as for the last month my new ferret (Remi) has been very aggressive, which is not like my other 2 at all. He is not being excluded and is being played with regularly by everyone. He has started biting to the point where he breaks skin, causing bleeding, or he'll latch on and we have to forcibly remove him from someone. He has attacked my dad, mom, dog, other ferrets, and myself to the point of bleeding. I tried isolating him, but he got worse when he was separated from the business. I don't know what else to do and can't keep him in the cage all day or he goes spastic and attacks the others sometimes without provoke. I have tried many gentle approaches with him, but usually have to scruff him and hang him off of my lap for 2 minutes before he will calm down any. This isn't the life I want for him, or my other 2. I don't know if you know any tricks to help him, or if I should sell him to someone who may have more experience and time with him. I usually spend 6-8 hours per day with them, and I try my best. Please get back to me as soon as possible, and I hope you don't see me as a bad owner who's giving up on their pet.
Shelter Response, October 24, 2019:
Were they sleeping together out of the cage at this time? Okay - is the reason he was a year old when you got him he get returned to Petco ? So the middle ferret is scruffing the new ferret? Are humans scruffing him too?
Oh dear, that is a problem. He is telling you he is not happy, he is stressed but as of yet we don't know why. Something has triggered his stress. Look here see if there is anything you've not tried.
Pass him on to another home to continue his stress? Would you consider surrendering him to us? We work with troubled/biter ferrets to help them. You don't sound like a bad owner, you sound like a concerned frustrated owner that wants to do the right thing but so far has not found that right thing to help Remi. I will do what I can to help. We will take him to rehab him if you wish.
Owner response, November 7, 2019:
Dear Brenda,
I'm sorry about the late reply as things have been crazy with the end of the semester approaching, and I wanted to give some time to try and work with Remi on my own. I don't believe he was a return to Petco, as they don't refund or accept animals back unless they fall ill and have to see the vet. I don't know if they sleep together outside of the cage as they are usually all running around and playing for the 4-hour intervals that they are out during the day. We started using a spray bottle when he does something bad to help discourage him from his behaviors. He seemed to improve for about a day. My dad had been the one spraying him mostly, as Remi usually only got into trouble when I had left the room or wasn't paying attention, since my dad was punishing him, Remi has now taken to climbing up my dads pant leg and biting him so hard he draws blood and leaves bruises, to attacking his feet, and biting and latching onto his hands when my dad reaches down to shoo him away. He also has taken to when he is up on the couch, to lunge for my mom's face and persist and bit her hands when she tries to put him on the floor to where I have to step in to stop it all. I do not mind stepping in, but my parents no longer feel comfortable taking him out when I am not home, and I am the only one who seems to be able to handle him lately. We have even tried where my parents reward him by playing with him while I solely punish him, but it has not made him less aggressive towards my parents. He also has started becoming very aggressive with my other two. Charlie is my geriatric ferret who is suffering from insulinoma so he's very tiny but very lively, Remi will attack and antagonize Charlie to the point where he has to hide to escape Remi, and Niff (my middle ferret) has been having to step in to protect Charlie. Aside from that Remi and Niff were doing very well together still, so I hesitated on writing this email 3 weeks back? Remi has now started to get upset when he and Niff are wrestling; when Niff gets the upper hand, Remi will get to the point where he stops playing and starts biting Niff really hard and grabbing him by the throat instead of the back of the neck. Niff is very vocal and has multiple times let out distress calls for us because Remi has gotten so aggressive. I was looking into selling him, but with the amount of work he needs, I do not feel comfortable selling him to just anyone. He is a sweet boy under all of the issues he has been having. We have decreased the stress levels in the house as much as possible and it seems he's only gotten worse. I would love to keep 3 ferrets so I was wondering, and I understand if this is a no; If you were willing to accept him as a surrender if there is a chance that I could 'trade' you for another ferret that will fit in well with my other 2, insulinoma or not. If this is not agreeable to you I completely understand, I just know that I will be adding a ferret to your load, and would be happy to take one home in his place.
Owner response, November 8, 2019:
I live in Batavia and as far as vetting, I do have the paperwork that Petco gave me for his distemper and rabies vaccines he got when he was younger as they do all the vetting there. In the few months I have owned him I have not taken him to the vet yet or gotten any other shots done. I will look at my schedule and figure out a day to come out and surrender him