I have another 3 ferrets. I know, I know, I wanted *less* ferrets, not more. End of August my friend Sheila from Bolton Ferret Welfare suddenly phoned. I hadn't spoken to her for 3 years... She was coming down to St. David's to do a show and was wondering if she could pop in on the way down and whether we were coming. So she came here on the 27th and the show was on Saturday and Sunday 30th and 31st. My dad was going home on the Saturday so we couldn't go that day but we went Sunday. I'd emailed Cris who adopted a ferret (Bubbles) from me 7 years ago. He only lives an hour away but we never met up again, only wrote. I told him about the show and Sheila and asked if he wanted to come and he came so it was Cris, Pete and I helping Sheila. And well Sheila had just taken in 3 ferrets, the “Wigan Three”. They were left in a hutch by a stream or river and eventually a man was fishing there and found them or, well, he found the hutch and decided to take it home, not knowing that ferrets were in it. At home he found the 3 surviving ferrets and a dead half eaten one... Again it is beyond me how a person can inflict so much suffering on ferrets/ animals. Why couldn't the person take the ferrets to an animal shelter or dump them where they could be found? So the ferrets were taken in by Sheila. 2 hobs and a tiny skinny jill who weighed 410 g when Sheila took her in. And they were at the show with Sheila. And I soon became very attached to them. The jill was waking up my maternal instinct and one of the hobs reminded me of Fox and Spike. When Pete and I left, we drove to St. David's beach (scroll down) because the show was very close to the beach and we discussed whether to ask Sheila if we could have the ferrets. Obviously we asked and obviously we have them now. The silver hob is now called Charlie, the polecat hob Franklin and the little jill Peanut. The boys were castrated on the 5th of September. I don't know why I wanted them, partly because I fell in love with them, partly their story, partly because I thought they would get on well with Honey and Snoopy because they were a similar age.

At the moment they're out twice a day for a total of 4 hours. They enjoy their freedom here and can run outside and they are so happy and so lovely. After a week or so I started letting Peanut, Charlie and Franklin out with Ruby, Honey and Snoopy and it was the easiest introduction ever. They've been living together since the middle of September. A few minor squabbles to sort out who's above whom but nothing bad. I had to take Nipper out of Honey's group though because he was too sick and old to deal with this. But he hadn't bonded with Ruby or Honey or Snoopy, he tolerated them for most of the time but didn't really enjoy their company unless they were all asleep together. So he's on his own now and looking much better and happier. And my group of 6 is so happy and playful. They run and war dance so much, it is lovely to see.

Maybe not the best pictures but they capture how much fun the boys have and how much I enjoy watching them.

Peanut is a little cuddly girl. :-)