Torque: Torque is a young ferret with a difficult history. We got him
when he was only 5 months old from a store called Wet Pets (there is
your first hint: stores that specialize in fish should not be selling
ferrets, in my opinion). He’d been purchased and returns FIVE TIMES
due to severe biting. And boy did he bite! He was also abjectly terrified
of everyone and everything. For the first 2 months at the shelter, all he
did was hide. When he was out of the cage, he clung to the edges of the
room, and would dash for the closest “under” spot he could get to, as
fast as his legs would carry him, if you so much as looked at him. He
bit very hard, and often. It took a lot of patient work with him to
convince him that we wouldn’t hurt him. I’m sure he was abused—it
takes a lot of control not to hit or toss an animal that sinks his teeth into
you as far as they go, then moves over and does it again, five times in
quick succession. We all shed a lot of blood until Torque calmed
down. Then, as soon as he calmed down a bit (he only bit moderately
hard and not as often) he managed to fall and tear all the
ligaments from his front “elbow.” He was wrapped up for
6 weeks with his leg tied against his chest to allow the ligaments
to reattach and stabilize the joint. Then his muscles were
atrophied and he wouldn’t use it at all for another 3 weeks.
He limped for months, and finally was taken in by an especially
brave foster mom. Once there, he blossomed! She reports that he
is using his leg much more and hardly limps at all now. She
had told me she was going to bring him back for biting too much,
and suddenly he stopped biting them! LOL! And some people
think ferrets are “just animals.” LOL! Torque likes dryer tubes,
frozen mice (whole prey from RodentPro), wrestling with his
friends, hiding small stuffed animals, N-bones, and war-dancing.
He wouldn’t mind having a sleep sack big enough for his two
new friends, either.

Send gifts to:

Hide-E-Hole Ferret Rescue
145 Margaret Street
Pittsburgh PA 15210-2236.