You are visitor # Since 10/04/98.
Thanks for stopping by.

Hamilton:

Wednesday, July 15, 1998

Hamilton's story will be the longest one so far. He is the oldest of the ferrets at 4 years of age. He is a good-sized silver mitt and weighs around 3.2 lbs. My daughter Sandi purchased him at the same time I bought Hallie and Dillon. That was at the GLFA show on June 6, 1997. He was purchased from the same place that Dillon came from, only Hamilton was a rescue. He was at that time called Fang, probably because he has a chipped canine tooth. He was at that time a well-mannered ferret for Sandi. The lady even made a special effort to catch her before we left for home, just to say goodbye to him.

At that time Sandi allowed her ferrets free roam of her house. And the boys quickly learned that they didn't just reach under things and grab him. He would bite and bite hard often-drawing blood. We finally decided that he doesn’t like children. When Sandi hired a babysitter to sit in her home, she told the girl to keep little ones away from Fang. She had a little girl around a year old and she was usually in a walker.

Now this was the time that Kodo was killed and tested for rabies even though he had had his shots, and this was just because he had scratched someone. Well, one evening the little girl must have been out of her walker and she got to close to Fang. He nailed her good and her Mom had to take her in for stitches.

In order to protect Fang, he came to our house. We didn't say much as to where he was or why he was here. It took a few days to get him to where we could trust him. He still will bite once in a great while. But he, even draws blood now and then, but not anymore has he bitten both of us. He doesn't even bite the boys anymore.

When the babysitter later called and asked what they were going to do about the ferret, they replied that since he was a rescue, he must have had his shots. And that was the end of that. But since Hamilton (much more dignified than Fang) had calmed down so much over her, Sandi decided to leave him here. He was obviously much happier over here. We both figured he just go back to biting over there.

He is a big raisin lover, and he lets you know when he wants some. If he ever has to give up sweets, he's going to be a bear to live with.

He never had any problems learning to live with the other five ferrets, or living with the other two that Sandi had. That's why I can't understand his instant dislike to the two new ones here. When Auggie came home, Hamilton instantly got viscous with him. Later when Ashbury came here, he devotes his spare time to trying to find him. And he draws blood on him. He doesn't even come begging for his raisins, he just starts looking, and he doesn't give up. If Ashbury is out anywhere, he will find him. Ashbury is deaf, but he has a very high pitched cry that I can hear anywhere in the house. Ashbury fights back, and that's why it gets so much worse. If Ashbury is put up and Auggie is out, then he starts on him.

Now this original family sticks together. If the fight is on, Hallie, Dillon, Taz, and sometimes Banjo join in to help Hamilton. That is why they have separate cages. Ashbury and Auggie sleep together. I can sometimes let all nine out together and have some peace and quiet, other times like tonight, I had to put Hallie (picking on Auggie) and Dillon (fighting with Ashbury) up with Hamilton. It shortens play times for most of them, but it keeps them from killing Ashbury. And Auggie can't take the stress of them fighting with him. He does fight back sometimes, but he is much quieter and doesn't care to fight.

Hamilton likes the stuffed toys. So do a couple of the others, so somedays we have a show on the three of them moving the toys from one hidey hole to another. One goes one way with one, then another ferret comes back through with the same toy, and then the third one goes some place else with the same one.

Hamilton likes his belly rubbed and will nip a little trying to play with you when you rub his belly. Other times he just lays there with a look of pure enjoyment on his face. He loves it up on the bed when I'm making it because I'll throw the covers over him and really play rough with him. He can get rough right back and nobody gets hurt.

I have tried all sorts of things to help him get along with the newbies. We've scruffed him, scolded him while scruffed, time out in the cage and in the carrier. I've put bitter apple on the newbies. I've held both of them and they just glare at each other and still try to fight. Roger says I have too many ferrets in the house, but there are many people out there with more and they don't have the problems that I have. The FML says that every once in awhile, you find some ferrets that just don't like each other. Sometimes they never learn to get along.

I put a new hammock in their cage last Sunday, and Hamilton has decided that it's his hammock. This morning he was having a discussion with Simon over who was going to have the hammock. I think they ended up sharing it. Simon doesn't fight, but he won't be pushed around either. He is the original ferret that Sandi bought first. He is small, smaller than Hallie, but he runs the show without force. His story is coming up next.

I was afraid that Hamilton might think I was playing favorites when I started the different play times, but if he does think that, he's not taking it out on us. He's still the big lovable ferret who seldom gives kisses, but he does hug you. When you hold him close, he wraps his head around your neck. It's very sweet, and even though he's so mean to the newbies, I can't be upset with him. Whatever the reason, only he knows, he has a reason. He's not that mean to any of the others, so he has his own way of thinking. And until I can change that, I'm stuck with an extra cage to clean, and they're stuck with less playtimes.