{March 18, 2011}

When we lived in Bend we had ferrets--typically three at a time--and I even fostered the super sick ones for a local ferret shelter. I loved them, the kids loved them, even Ryan loved them (though he may not admit it). I thought we'd never not have ferrets, yet with all of the moving we've done over the past five years our home has remained ferretless. Until Megan finally got Ryan to agree to let her have one. They say ferrets are like potato chips...you can't have just one. That saying proved true when after Megan got her ferret, Rebel, for Christmas I quickly added another one, Jovie, for myself. A couple of months went by, we made several trips to the pet store for food and litter, always stopping by the ferrets to "ooh" and "ahh" over them...and yet we always left empty handed. Last weekend, however, while returning a litter pan to the pet store, Megan fell head over heels for the teeniest ferret I've ever seen. Using leftover Christmas money, she brought home Juniper. A dark chocolate, white bibbed, white pawed, and white semi-triangle spotted head, spitfire of a ferret. Leave it to Megan to get the one that likes to bite. Her first ferret, Rebel, was the same way. He bit us so many times I lost count. But she kept working with him, handling him, loving him, and now he's the sweetest (fattest) ferret ever. Sure he still nips from time to time, yet it doesn't hurt anymore and we know that with age he'll continue to outgrow it. I have no doubt that if anyone can tame Juniper, Megan can. For now I just go and love on Rebel and Jovie, keeping my distance from the "wee one" until she outgrows some of her bitey behavior. I'm a pansy, what can I say? But she is insanely cute, and usually I give in and pet her...which results in me being bitten. Sigh...

It should be noted that Megan has very small, delicate hands (just like me), so while they may appear huge in this picture, it's actually because Juniper really is that small.

On to the pic...{click to view full size}