Regnar's new favourite sleeping place

He has already been allowed to steal scarves, gloves and the like from this drawer but from now on it also seems to be his winter sleeping place. Probably feels both safe and comfortable.

But in the evenings he usually uses my bed a couple of hours before I get to sleep.

I also wonder if the fact that the gloves are there already is a factor.

Ferret strobe

At night, it can be useful to have a strobe light on your ferret.

Regnar is getting older

Well, obviously, as we all are as long as we live.

Example one: The other day I let him up on a table. He's been there many times before, but this time you could see he thought the seat of the chair was too low to use to get down. Both from the tabletop and from the seat down to the floor. I think he felt not as strong as he once was.

Example two: If I walk with him 30-60 min in the evening, then he's too tired to go out almost at all in the morning after.

Regnar again shows he understands a lot of what I say

This morning when I started making breakfast for myself, he woke up and came to the kitchen, wanting something to eat. Besides the food he's already got in his bowls, that is. So I told him it was time for piece of vitamins. He don't like them very much, so he dropped the piece on the floor. Usually he just leaves it there, but today I told him to eat his vitamins. So he picked it up and went away. I don't know if he actually ate it or not but anyway it's clear he understood what I wanted.

Regnar is brave

Yesterday evening we were out walking and came to a bridge over a creek. I let him go down to the water while remaining on the bridge because I know he likes it there. This time there was rather little water in the creek, so I tried something for the first time: Getting him to cross it.
At first I took a few steps and called on him. He walked out as far as  he could on dry rocks, twice, so it was very clear he right away understood what was intended. On the third time he walked over. Only his feet became wet, that's how little water there was.

Later, I tried something I hadn't with him before; I flopped down on my back on the grass. Most ferrets I've had don't seem to notice it, but he did and very carefully, with an arched back approached me, to check what was going on.

On a rather long walk with Regnar

Yesterday evening I asked him if he wanted to "go out". Took a while for him to finish yawning and get up. And when he did, he showed what he wanted to do, he went to the drawer where I have my outdoors glasses (and torches) and after I'd taken them out to the door. Interesting he has noticed this and not something like the harness and leash.

I expected this to be 20-30 min or so close by and this was what it started as. But I brought him a bit further away. First he headed home, but when almost at home he passed by instead and gradually went further from home. He likes the forest, but he never heads for it from home as there's open ground in between. This time it looked like he was following a scent track which I thought belonged to another hedgehog.

But after a while it was clear it wasn't a hedgehog as they don't follow footpaths but go through hedges and such. After a while we came to a road underpass which Regnar found very interesting. When we left, he continued to follow paths through the grass and once in a fork he turned left but turned around after 20 m. Then it was into dense woods where it was too dark to let him go where he liked, so we went on a little used path and circled around. When we came to the same road underpass we met the fox, running.

Another hedgehog

Earlier this morning I was out with Regnar. First I just let him out, then I went and fetched some garbage we were going to throw away. This time he didn't really want to come with me, but I carried him. When we returned he was very lively, unusually so, and was in a hurry to return to the place he'd been earlier. And yes: There was a hedgehog there looking for early worms to eat. They don't see very well and ferrets are quiet, so one can come to little bit less than 1 m from them before they curl up. I tried to explain to Regnar that hegdehogs are nice, so we should be nice to them, but I don't think he gets it.

Regnar has starting collecting scarves

A new interest. He's long been interested in getting into that space, but it's only now he's begun taking things from it.

Me and my ferrets in 1994

Made for an article in the swedish ferret society's newsletter "Illernytt".

Last photo of Kimber

At least it's the last when she's feeling sort of well. I've got one of her at the vet, but that's just a sad sight.

Regnar on a spring walk

Kimber has gotten much worse

This morning she was somewhat active and strong. I had someone see to her during lunch and the report is she was "OK". But when I got home half an hour ago, she couldn't even stand up, so waiting for her to get better and start eating normally didn't work out.

We're going to the vet soon. I'm not really expecting her to come back home again

Kimber still don't want to eat

She drinks water and yesterday she wanted to go out for a while, so she's not totally passive. But she even refuses what she usually think of as good food. I've gotten her to eat some fish both yesterday and day before. In short it looks bad, but it's possible she'll get better.
Me, I still cough, so this isn't a flu which passes quickly.
Regnar seems alright again. Maybe some coughing, but not much and certainly no longer any fever.

Ferrets investigating model train

Doesn't depict any specific ferrets, but things like this happened a few times.

Kimber is really not well

She feels thin and weak. I can't get her to eat much. And she smells bad which means she doesn't take care of herself like usual.

Regnar seems almost OK now. Some coughing, but otherwise as normal. And he has spent a lot of attention on me through the night, more than usual. A guess is that it's because Kimber keeps away from him.

Influenza and ferret weight

This diagram shows what a week can do to a poor ferret when she's not feeling well. Minus 10% in just a week.

Regnar on the other hand seems to have gotten over it as he's up to almost full speed again. But coughing and sneezing. Sort of like me.

No cold noses today

But sneezing and coughing. And fever. Poor Kimber and Regnar.

Drawers with clothes are always interesting

Poor Kimber

Now it's clear she too does have a fever. And she's been sneezing on and off this morning.

But there's nothing wrong with her appetite, I woke her up and gave her some fish and that was popular.

And the meaning of this is what?

It's not that I expect ferrets to be very carful with their food and I've always known they like to stash it here and there. But what is the meaning of taking 8 pieces from the bowl and placing them on the floor 1 m away?