I think of Trouble as a baby, but it shocks me to realize that she will be 5 years old this April. She is still as energetic, healthy, and adorable as she was when she was only 5 months old, and I pray to God that she stays that way. She bounces, she dooks, she steals every squeak-toy that she encounters.

Trouble came to me in the summer of 1993, back in my pre-shelter days, and quite frankly, my pre-know-anything-about-ferret days. I had Shadow then, and he was all the ferret that I needed. I was in college, and my roomate and I went into a pet store for some fish when we saw Trouble. She was filthy, in a filthy cage. The sign on the cage said "Ferret: Spade and Descented, Male." Now, first of all, what kind of pet store spells 'spayed' that way, and how many male ferrets do you know that have been spayed? So we went to the salesperson and asked if the ferret was male or female. He said Trouble was a male, and I asked to hold the ferret. I picked her up, took a peek, and said "this ferret is a female." I looked at my roommate, and she at me, and I knew. "We'll take her," I said. I just couldn't bear the thought of where this sweet little thing might wind up. On the car ride home, we named her Here Comes Trouble.

When we brought her home, she instantly started to live up to her name. We didn't have extra supplies for her cage, so we had to use bird feeding dishes for her food and water. The photograph above was taken on Trouble's first day with us, as she chose to dunk her head completely under water in her dish rather than drink out of it. I was used to Shadow, who is very calm, laid-back, and easy to control; I was not prepared for this wild, quick-as-a-bullet weasel! But she had us in stitches laughing at the Trouble she got herself into.

Trouble soon got a cage-mate. We adopted Lilly from a shelter, and after a bit of initial fighting, they became very close. They lived together for a little over three years, before Lilly passed away. When she died, Trouble changed. She lost her vibrant, soft coat, and she became less active and played very little. I tried very desperately to find a new cage-mate for Trouble, introducing her to every ferret that came to the shelter, hoping that one of them would be "The One" to help her. Trouble fought viciously with each one, however, and the prospect of her finding a new friend grew dim.

Her depressed state and poor coat started in October of 1996, when Lilly died. I thought after a bit she'd perk back, her coat would come in with the next season. Seasons changed, no change in Trouble. This went on for a full year, and in October of 1997 I thought that maybe Trouble would never become her old self again. Attempts to play with her and pay special attention to her did nothing. I had become very worried. Then, in late November, a miraculous transformation occurred. I like to say that someone broke in, stole Trouble, and left this beautiful, adorable, loving ferret in her place (note: I'd never wish that Trouble was stolen!!). Her coat grew in more beautiful than ever, and literally overnight, she became her usual bouncy, perky, sweet self. She now is back to giving me kisses, this after an entire year of not giving them. I couldn't be happier, and I know that Trouble couldn't, either. She also says she's ready to get back into the show circuit, to show off her new beauty, so she'll see you there!

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