Furry Friday

A power supply failed in a pc out at Coon Rapids, so I went there that afternoon to replace the bad part and get their machine back up and running.  After I was done with the "work" stuff, I clocked out for the day and then went to visit the animals.

I spent most of my time with two 1-year-old neutered male ferrets: Bailey and Mudge.  They were sleeping curled up together in their cage as I finished my workday, but they woke up and came sniffing toward me as I kneeled down at the cage door to open it up.  I think they might be brothers, but I'm not certain.

Mudge is a beautiful white-haired male.  Think snow ermine, because he was just that gorgeous.  He was inquisitive (what ferret isn't?) but he had to wait his turn in his cage alone while I took Bailey out first.  Bailey taunted him with his antics from my snuggly arms, which just made Mudge that much more impatient for his turn.  Mudge has the usual slinky ferret body, but it looks like he might end up being a large fellow someday.  He just seemed like he was growing faster than Bailey.

Bailey, on the other hand, was slimmer and smaller and had the usual darker brown color of the household ferret.  The "locals" (staff on site) said that Bailey was quite the rambunctious guy.  When I got him out of his cage, though, he was deceptively adorable while he licked my cheek to give me kisses.

As of this writing, both Mudge and Bailey are available for visitation and adoption at our Coon Rapids facility.

The story:  So here is the story that I promised last issue regarding the wonderful "rabbit resurrection".  A while back, I was walking down the hallway and glanced at the rabbit area.  I saw one rabbit laying flat on its side in its cage.  Uh-oh, I thought, dead rabbit!  I went to look closer.  The poor gal definitely was not having a proper rabbit experience.  I found a mini-rex rabbit who was laying flat on her side, she wasn't closing her upward eye, and she didn't flinch even a whisker when I opened her cage door to pet her body.  Very un-rabbit-like.  I feared that she was waiting at death's door.

I reported her condition and waited just a minute or two for a vet tech to rush upstairs and check on her.  As soon as she was picked up, Pippa came alive and started kicking to escape like a nervous prey animal normally should.

The tech cleared some mucus from Pippa's eye and took her downstairs for a new exam by a veterinarian, and she stayed there for another week for continued observation.  They did not find anything physically wrong with her, so Pippa eventually came back upstairs to the adoption floor.  A few more days went by, though, before I finally saw her doing normal rabbity things like hopping around her cage and digging into the litter.

When I pet her, though, she sometimes goes into an odd sort of trance mode again.  She's 5 years old, and I wonder if perhaps she had some sort of traumatic past.  I know what a scared rabbit looks like, or a territorial rabbit, or a nervous rabbit.  Pippa, though, is a new experience for me.  I don't know, are there "fainting rabbits" the same as those famous fainting goats?  Regardless, I think she might need a quiet owner who'll take special care of her.

Pippa is jet black and silky smooth.  She's a wonderful animal to pet, since she offers no objections at all.  I can't tell if she'd be a good lap rabbit or if she's more of a sit-beside-you rabbit.  I'm pretty sure that she would appreciate a good protector who will take care not to startle her with lots of noise and commotion.  You may visit Pippa yourself at the adoption area in Golden Valley.

Next issue:  Two special happy tales at our organization, both made possible through Facebook!