Our Helpline received a call from someone who had traveled from Rhode Island to Union Station in Connecticut, with plans to take a bus out of state. He was traveling with two ferrets and was informed at the station that he was unable to take them on the bus. Our staff rallied and tried to connect with the caller multiple times to take the ferrets to the Sanctuary but our calls were never returned. The next day we received a call that two ferrets were found in Bushnell Park in Hartford. It was clear this caller was not the pet guardian but a Good Samaritan who was able to bring the ferrets to our Sanctuary to receive medical care, TLC, and to eventually be adopted out together! We decided to name the buddies Gabriel and Raphael, the two terra cotta angels found at each tower of The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch at Bushnell Park, which honors the 4,000 Hartford citizens who served in the Civil War, and the 400 who died for the Union. Gabriel has light white and tan fur and Raphael sports the traditional bandit coloring.
Raphael and Gabriel were sweet and social from day one, and settled in to our new Ferret Room easily! Seen by a vet right away, we determined they did not have microchips and they needed dental work. Gabriel had a successful dental, but upon their appointment, Raphael’s blood sugar was too low to confidently undergo surgery. Raphael was put on prednisolone to regulate his blood sugar, and although it was been stabilizing, it is suspected he may have insulinoma. Insulinoma is a disease that causes the pancreas to secrete excess amounts of insulin and is unfortunately very common in ferrets 2-8 years old. As of now, he is prescribed daily steroid medication which he happily takes as long as we mix in some salmon oil! Raphael will have another blood sugar test in February in hopes his levels are good enough to proceed with his needed dental work. Although it sounds like a lot is going on for little Raphy, he doesn’t let it slow him down from being an active, snuggly, and fun ferret pal! He lets you pick him up right away, loves to play and snuggle with his human friends, his brother, and enjoys time with our other ferret residents. He loves to run around with the boys and show the newcomers the ropes of Sanctuary life! These boys can’t even get enough attention and are always ready for play – when they aren’t napping!
