Roscoe (The Alpha)

Roscoe is my Boss for the Ferret Mafia.  He rules our domain.  He is the shot caller.  And he makes sure everyone knows including my husband and I.  We got Roscoe when we found out how sick Susie was.  We wanted to make sure Donnie had a buddy if anythinghappened.  We got him thankfully a few months before she passed so he could get accustomed to all the ins and outs of his new family.  Right away he thought he would rule the roost, but Susie had her ways.  She was a sneaky girl.  She would get back at himon her good days and just ignore him like she was a princess on her bad days. 

I will never forget the day Susie passed.  I had stayed home with her to help her to the potty and feed and hydrate her.  When it came time we brought the boys in to say goodbye.  Both Donnie and Roscoe climbed up and laid with her.  (Definitely not normalas those two are insanely hyper when first let out.)  And this was with a boy who didn't bond with any other ferrets in the shelter.  We really were surprised and saddened by this.  After he firmly took on the reigns of Alpha Ferret.  It was a good thing. He would push Donnie into playing and would pester him and us for attention.  I think this was his own way of coping with the loss.  It didn't take long for him to take over the Princess Perch where Susie used to lay and watch the boys play.  He now had a birdseye look on all that was happening. 

When we first got him I think he was traumatized by the events in his life that he would act out in anger.  It was sad.  He would just bite unprovoked anything that was within reach of his fangs.  When he was originally found he was left in a dumpsterwith a few other ferrets in a cage.  After that he was sent to my favorite shelter and was a fixture there for sometime.  I think the abuse he suffered really effected him.  He wouldn't bond with other ferrets at the shelter.  When we got him home I have toadmit.  I had to talk myself into keeping him because I didn't think we could fix/help him.  It took awhile but we finally found his kryptonite.  TREATS!  We stumbled upon a soft and moist food that would do the trick.  He swears they are treats and we treatthem as such.  We slowly started to get him to understand that with a sweet kiss you get a treat.  The biting is in the past!  They only time he acts out now is when he is playing.


It is funny seeing how he behaves when we introduce a new member of our growing mafia.  He will torture them in a way only a ferret can appreciate.  He will grab them by the ear and drag them around the room and after he gets caught doing this a few timesit stops,  (He has learned that the treats disappear when he does naughty's.)  But he gets the point across.  "You are not the alpha nor will you be."

I know I shouldn't pick favorites amongst my children but I have to say.  He is the one with the most personality.  He adds the spice to life my ferrets need.  If you ever need a good laugh you are guaranteed to get one from him.  It is amazing what hecan get into and so quickly.  We recently took him back for a visit to the shelter we got him from.  Diane noticed he had changed and became such a happy boy.  She also noticed everything he would get into.   THAT'S MY BOY!