We started looking for a young male ferret. Through craigslist, we found one back in Louisville in August 2008. He was a year old, and his person was given him while she was already pregnant. The baby and the ferret turned out to be too much - so we now have Riley.

Unfortunately, Riley is a bit of a bully. He and Bug did not snuggle, although they occasionally ferreted around together. He liked to find Tasha when she was asleep and drags her around by the head or the ear, and she would squeal so that I would come and rescue her. That's not such a good way to make friends with a little old lady.

He likes to play tube, and doesn't understand that I won't fit in there to play it properly. He likes to play ball for a little while, and then he gets tired of it. He enjoys the occasional towel ride, but I just can't maange that very long, and Joey gets jealous and wants to play, too, and that just does not work.

Realizing that Riley was just a young'un, and therefore rambunctious, we started a search for yet another young ferret. We found Bella....

Riley grew old but stayed playful until his last year. He had a hugely enlarged spleen removed in summer of 2013, and showed signs of lymphoma and the adrenal disease we already knew he had. By winter 2013, he was spear bald, but still liked his food and cared where he slept (he preferred my bed). In early spring of 2014, his lymphoma was confirmed. He kept going with little change until a sudden turn for the worse between 8 and 9 at night September 2, 2014. He was put to sleep that night, but still wanted his peanut butter and Nutrical until the end.