Love those post-op care tips!  (Yes, I was thinking major surgeries, but
it's good Anne clarified.) Didn't know about that other litter pot and will
have to check them out.  Still can't recall the name of the ramp litter
pots even though several people have asked.  They were actually sold as
ones to prevent digging accidents over the edge and come with a removable
lip which is pretty well worthless, but as a sick pot or one for a very
elderly ferret they are good.  Never thought of the painting liners; will
have to check those out, Deb!  Alicia is so right about their attitudes.
 
For everyday use there's no health problem we ever found with the pine
pellet litter like Feline Pine and Precious Pine (except that right after
surgeries they are too dirty so even cleaner things are needed).  What
happened is that someone probably got it confused with cedar and then wrote
to you.  To learn more about pine vs.  cedar search in the back issues and
read the article on the topic by Jeff Johnston which Ela mentioned first.
I can't reach my copy right now because we have a temporary "closet in
front of that bookcase due to a closet collapsing.  There are some specific
individuals who will be sensitive to pine -- if memory serves, largely as a
matter of personal allergies; cedar on the other hand has some very
dangerous aromatics.  Why not be sure and ask your vet?  That way you'll
get the best info.
 
Kev, I hope your friend does as well with her cancer as my uncle did with
his.  That must have been about 15 years ago now and he's still around so
the chemo served him very well.
 
Paula, PLEASE, NEVER try to remove skin tumors yourself.  That could be
asking for all sorts of complications.  GET TO THE VET!  The most common
sore on a ferret is going to be a mast cell tumor, and the vet need to
assess whether those need to come off depending on the ferret and the level
of the tumors.  Fortunately, they do not usually turn malignant in ferrets,
but they can produce a lot of histamine which has it's own problems.  There
are certainly other types of growths possible and we've had ferrets to the
vets many times through the years with same.
 
We have seen hiccups with fear and excitement.
 
Steve asked me to ask two potentially funny (depending upon replies)
questions:
 
1. What is the most amazing damage your ferret has ever done -- not
health, but breakage, staining, etc.  and how.  Here it was pushing a
stereo off a shelf top.
 
2. What is the most embarrassing inconvenience your ferret has ever caused
you?  (Like when I had to call back the cops after many (many) hours and
say "Errrrrr, we finally found my pocketbook.  A ferret had stashed it --
we don't know how it was even gotten into when it was found.")
[Posted in FML issue 2942]