Lux goes to the vet

Good afternoon! I had kind of a lazy morning this morning, BUT that's okay, because that's what vacations are for.

Not completely lazy, though, because... Lux and I had a little date with the doctor earlier.

Ever since I brought Lux home he has had the dirtiest and stinkiest ears. We just kind of laughed it off. I cleaned his ears regularly with ferret ear cleaner and cotton balls and moist q-tips. He didn't seem bothered by his ears and the other ferrets didn't seem completely turned off by it because they often would lick his ears and help him clean them. However, I figured that since I had some time off work, I better be safe than sorry and take him to see the vet because ear mites can sometimes be common in ferrets.

As I suspected, the doctor thought it may be ear mites, as well. It was a quick in and out visit. He swabbed his ears and examined it. He gave me some details on a parasite preventative for felines called Revolution that I could apply to the back of his neck once a month. He said I could order it online and it would be safe to treat both ferrets, just in case. He also suggested that I use mineral water in their ears about once a week to suffocate the mites.

Since I am sharing my ferret wisdom today, I wanted to share with you the three best recent investments for my little fuzzies:
1. a ceramic water dish. I read in the Ferrets USA magazine (My favorite bathroom reading material) that sometimes ferret prefer to drink from dishes rather than bottles. Every time the ferrets go to visit my parents with me, she gives them a dish of water and they seem to enjoy it. Plus, I figured, they are out of their cage constantly at home, so they might like having easy access to quench their thirst instead of climbing completely back into the cage. Not only am I sure they stay hydrated while playing hard, but I think they actually find it quite fun. Lux is always snorkling around in their bowl. He puts his head in nearly up to his eyes. It's the cutest thing! He loves bobbing for ice when we add ice on exceptionally hot days, too! Maybe I'll get a picture someday!
2. Dog steps. Now, I guess I'm lying because I didn't actually buy these. We had these doggie steps at my parents house for my dog, Sheba, once she had got old and had a hard time getting on and off the couches. They are still in great condition so they're sitting right below the cage door. I don't have to worry about them jumping in and out and climbing up and down the cage when they are running around the house and want to go back to there little home for snacks, drinks, sleep, or to use the liter box. Plus, the stairs are hollow and they make a perfect little tent hideout. Sometimes you will find Ichabod napping under there!
3. Plastic tube. This week I finally bought one of those plastic bendy tubes. I don't know why it took me so long to purchase one of these! They love it. Ferrets love crawling through small spaces and digging and tunneling. It's hours of entertainment for them, which mean, hours of entertainment for me!

Dolby enjoying the tube.

That's all for now. I'm signing off for the day because Michael got off work early and Laura was nice enough to take the day off work to hang out with us. :)

xo, Linds