for all the very positive and helpful responses I have received.
For any of you concerned :) Cleo's area is now wood chip free.  She has
been spending more and more time in my room now and loves to sleep in my
sock drawer which is deep and very full of socks.
   Do any of you have other pets which are a problem for the ferret(s)?  I
have a couple of rabbits, one of which lives indoors.  When Cleo first
came home with me she immediately began stalking Bump and would leap on
her and grab her around the neck.  She of course got a rather stern "NO!"
for this behavior, but I still feel a little bad for punishing something
that must come very naturally to her.  Surprisingly the situation
eventually took care of itself.  Bump finally got fed up with Cleo
mock-attacking her whil;e she was eating and sprang at Cleo one day, paws
extended and gave a loud 'thump!' with her hindquarters.  Cleo went
scurrying into her cage and will not even go near Bump now unless Bump is
caged up.
   What do ferrets like for treats?  I have Ferretone which Cleo loves but
I have also tried giving her cat treats which she utterly disdains.  These
were recommended by a local pet store.  I am also trying to find the
equivalent of 'Cat away' for ferrets.  Cleo doesn't seem to mind 'Cat
Away' at all.  I have been trying to keep her from slipping under my
roomates door by spraying the repellent around that area and along the door.
   One more question.  The place where I got my ferret had a couple of
employees who found it very amusing to make the ferrets 'laugh'.  They
grabbed the ferret by the legs and prodded its belly with their fingers
while the ferret was squirming and biting and trying to get away.  They
did this until the ferret started chattering loudly, squaking rather.  The
only time I have ever heard Cleo make this kind of a noise was when she
had her tail stepped on and was apparently in pain.  When I commented that
I thought that was reather cruel these employees said that ferrets have a
ticklish spot and it doesn't hurt them to do that.  Is this true or just
another case of ignorance leading to cruelty?
 
  Once again thank you all for your replies, you have all been very
helpful-- Cleo especially thanks Nancy Hartman and others for alerting me
to the dangers opf wood chips  :)  Thanks!
 
--Amy
 
 
 
 
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       /  /0  0\  \     Amy M. Lotto
       |  ( \/ )  |     [log in to unmask]
      /|  \_/\_/  |\    phone: (206) 523 - 1950
     | |_/-____-\_| |
     \__ | '  ' | __/
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[Posted in FML issue 0427]