Hi.  I'm full of questions this week.  First, I'd like to thank everyone
who replied to my post about falling fuzzbutts ... we'll be making some
modifications to the cage to better accommodate them as soon as I finish my
thesis draft. =)  Until then, they'll have to be satisfied living in a
flat.  I have another question, though.  Last night we got the monsters a
fifty-pound bag of "play sand," which seems to be filtered and sterilized,
and put it in a giant cooler in the living room for them.  Well, they
predictably went ape and started digging, burying heads, snorkeling, etc.
However, Rorty seemed to be getting a pretty good amount of the sand in his
mouth, and was doubtlessly swallowing some of it, so we took them back out,
beat the sand out with the carpet-beaters (just kidding), and put the sand
away.  So what I need to know from people who've done the sand thing is
this -- is it going to hurt the weasels to swallow any of it?  I don't want
them to get blockages or ulcers or start pooping pearls or anything.  If
you've had experience with this, or if you know much about the tummy-silica
interaction, please post to the list, because I'd like to know, and some
other people interested in sand probably would too.  They seemed to enjoy
it so much, I'd love to hear that it's safe.  Thank you.
 
Otter Driver
[Posted in FML issue 2661]