Tenchi!
Tenchi was our first ferret, and these pages started with my joy at the arrival of this little sable kit in our household. You can still visit Tenchi's First Web Page and read how I felt back then. Like all children, Tenchi grew up, and is became our first big, adult ferret. In fact, at the November, 1998 Triangle Ferret Lovers (Trifl) meeting, Tenchi was the biggest ferret there. He's long and chunky, bordering on fat. We may have to start restricting teh little chow hound's diet. He is very assertive with the rest of the business, even those who are leaner and faster than he is. Tenchi is the alpha, or dominant ferret. He's also really fast, and won a first place ribbon in the tunnel racing event at the Trifl Halloween party
Tenchi can still be adorable and affectionate and cuddly, but on his terms, when he feels like it. He can also be incredibly playful, though he doesn't quite have the incredible frenetic energy he had as a kit, except, again, sometimes, when he really is in a playful mood.
Tenchi belongs to Keith, my roommate, but actually, I think Tenchi, Ryo-Ohki, and Lady Ayeka own Keith, but he just doesn't know it yet. It's amazing, but our fuzzies always seem to know who they belong to, even though we treat them all as ours, and Tenchi is no exception.
Tenchi is also definitely in charge of the business, and despite constant challenges to his dominance, particularly by Adric and Pertwee, he remains in control. He also has certain toys that are his, and if he hears the sound made by his favorite sisel ball, he will run, get it, and ferret it away in one of his places. I don't want this to sound like he doesn't get along with the other ferrets: he sure does! He runs with them and plays nicely with them, and sleeps with his brothers and sisters in a hammock or in the towels, huddled close. He's just in charge, he was here first, and that isn't likely to change.
I also think Tenchi is becoming more of a people ferret. He'll tolerate being held and cuddled a little now, and before he just had no patience for it. He also wants Keith and I to be around, even when he's being independent. If we go to one of the bedrooms or the bathroom, he'll camp outside the door and wait for us. One fact of life we have had to resign ourselves to is that pet gates are no obstacle to Tenchi. I'm not sure there is any obstacle to him. If he wants in the kitchen, he'll find a way into the kitchen. Since we live in an apartment, ferret proofing everything is hard, so we worry about him if we're not watching his every move.
Even though his personality changed as he moved into adulthood, he's still our Tenchi, and there's no doubt he's the same ferret that came into our home in April of 1998. He's just all grown up now. He was our first, and while all our ferrets are fantastic, I guess it's like a first-born child. Tenchi will always hold an extra special place in our hearts.
See what he was like as a kit! including all of our carpet sharks' home pages.
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