Flaky Ferrets

So, as is common on a Thursday, yesterday I talked to my dad about ferrets and E45 cream. We thought those two things had probably never been juxtaposed on the Internet before, and indeed, "ferret moisturiser" might indeed be a Googlewhack. (See http://www.davegorman.com/googlewhack.htm)

This in fact is not the case, and putting "ferret moisturiser" (without inverted commas) through Google, results in a staggering 1,200 hits. Using the American spelling ("moisturizer") results in a worrying ten thousand hits. Which kind of begs the question, under what circumstance would you want to moisturise a ferret?

Perhaps my favourite paragraph on the subject of ferret moisturisation comes from the Ferret FAQ pages at FerretCentral.org: "For dry skin, some people then dip the ferret in a dilute solution of moisturizer in water, being careful to keep her head out. Older, sick, or weak ferrets can be gently cleaned using baby oil, which can also help get gooey things out of fur. .. Drying a wiggly, dripping ferret can be a lot of fun."

Dipping ferrets in moisturiser? Using baby oil on them? As it's part of the FAQs, can we actually assume that people frequently ask about dipping their ferret in moisturiser?

As if this wasn't enough, apparently there's a product on the market, nay - several products on the market specifically designed to moisturise your ferret. See pictures.

Isn't the world marvellous? Though we are warned that "It is all too easy to buy a ferret on impulse and then regret the purchase." How true. The number of times I've found myself in Ikea, looking at a big bag of tea-lights, and by the time I get home, I've realised the only thing I've bought is a super-value sack of ferrets. Think on.