WILLOW
Willow is our oldest ferret and one of the first that we ever got rescued from an unwanted litter from the Essex Ferret Welfare. We got her 6 months old approx and she's a tiny jill. She's always really gentle with us and has never bitten or ever had the urge...it's just not in her. However, she is a wriggler and won't stay still in our hands and will never settle in our laps - she wriggles just like a slippery bar of soap until she's free. She likes her runs in the house, but is a little nervous when taken outside in the garden.

She's super intelligent and you can see her working out how to get to places or how to cause trouble. She runs rings around the boy ferrets and really makes them look very dumb. I think she keeps the boys in place and rules the roost. At one point she lived with 4 boys, but currently only lives with Bingo and Casper. She's always been really good accepting new ferrets...well at least boys ones!! until she met Tsuki. Her favorite game is to run, hide and chase - if the boys can keep up.

She's suffered from adrenal disease and had successful surgery on the right adrenal gland, had thorough investigations for a breathing problem which unfortunately still exists and surgery to remove her left upper canine.

CASPER
When Merlin, one of our first original ferrets passed away, we needed company for Willow. We went back to the Essex Ferret Welfare and took home Tilbury, who has sadly passed away also, and Casper. Casper was again about 6 months old or so and was rescued from a cage of ferrets that the owner had simply given up on feeding. Luckily the welfare rescued them before they starved to death. Maybe that explains why he's such a little hob. But he makes up for it in energy. For the first 4 years that we had him, he was wired. Really interested in what was happening around him and nosey. Again, he's definately not a cuddler and won't stay still in our hands, he just wants to be away doing his own thing. He's never been terribly bright, but he's good at getting into mischief. He's good company for Willow and they get on great.

Recently over the last year, he has settled down. Although he still loves exploring and playing, he's not always up to wrestling with Bingo. Casper is unfortunately has always smelt a bit strong, I've my doubts to whether he was castrated properly. He also has suffered adrenal disease and had successful surgery to remove his left adrenal gland. Unfortunately, he has now has progressive kidney failure - so we need to keep a close eye on his health and wellbeing.

BINGO
Bingo is my special ferret. We didn't really intend to get another ferret, at the time we had four and that was plenty. This is the danger of 'browsing' the local RSPCA!! I saw a long white ferret tail and the rest was in a tube, but that was enough for me to know that this ferret had to come home. If ever love at first sight exists, then this was it!!

He was tiny, only weeks old. He has his own story as he's so special. He lived a large part of his early life on his own. He was found on the streets, some kids had brought him in to the RSPCA. He lived with us for a good six months of his life on his own until he was neutered and settled in with the group. This has made him bond very closely to us and he likes human company. If he's in the right mood, if you stroke his shoulders and down his head he will stay in your lap resting.

Maybe because he lived on his own for the early part of his very early life, he is a little wary of other ferrets and can actually be a little timid around them and when meeting new ferrets would rather rush in there and be aggressive rather than finding out that other ferrets can be fun. When he wants to play he's a real rascal, he's loves to wrestle roughly and run and attack other ferrets for fun - he's just boisterous and young. Unfortunately, without Bailey, his best friend to play with, who also passed on, he no longer has anyone to rough house with and seems to miss company badly. He has bonded with Casper well, but due to ill health Casper can't rough-house and Willow is too small for Bingo's boisterous fun. When attempting to introduce Bingo to Tsuki and Hershey he was very aggressive towards him and Hershey would hide - so this is the reason we never put the them together, even though we got Tsuki and Hershey for Bingo as company. Silly ferret. When Casper passes away we will need to rethink companions for him.

He suffered from a bad case of poisoning at about a year old which I don't believe was treated correctly by the vets we took him to. Ever since, he hasn't been quite the same. He's a little quieter and wears out a little easier. We're just glad he recovered well enough.