Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Harmonica, RIP
Ferrets are heartbreaking. They only live five or six years and then they’re gone. Harmonica (the blond who “co-stars” in the video below — the undisputed show-stealer is our other ferret, Bueller) died in his sleep today after a brief illness that began with an infected eye.
Can’t help but think that if I weren’t sick with a cold this week, I would have been more willing to sit in the vet’s waiting room (which I was loath to do because of what I knew it would do to my lungs). Would it have made a difference? Who knows. My hunch is that these small mammals live and die depending upon their own health and genetics, and there isn’t much we can do about it. But I realize this is a self-serving theory.
Still . . . shouldn’t he have been able to fight off what seemed like a minor eye infection? Instead, he seemed to get septic fast.
I don’t think he was ever in any pain. Small comfort.
D.
*hug*
Yeah. He was my favorite. Bueller has the most spirit, but Harmonica had always been the gentler*, more peaceful of the two.
*Less bitey.
Never knew ferrets had such a short life.
Is Bueller missing him? Or do ferrets not exhibit that kind of emotion/behavior?
Can’t really tell if Bueller misses him or not. When we had two females, Charlotte did very well when Emily escaped. We had her for a few years. She was not all that mischievous (though she was a terrible sock-hoarder) but I don’t think that was a post-Emily personality change.
Our two are about five now… so far they’re still active and healthy if quite small. (although they’ve just bulked up a bit for Winter)
Still, we know we’ve really only got them for a couple more years and that’s sad.
Possibly good timing though, because Daughter will be wanting to move out soonish, and it’s always difficult to find a place to rent that will take ferrets.
re rental: and for good reason, too. With ferrets you have a choice — keep them caged (which is too sad for words) or let them run around every day, in which case they are free to poop anywhere they like and tear up carpets. Well, small price to pay, I think.
I don’t know if Bueller will ever war dance for us again, though, since he and Harmonica often fed off each other’s energy. Bueller seems a lot more sedate nowadays.