Hi Steve, you wrote:
 
>How do you clean there tails?  My DEW has an orange tail.  I suspect that
>this is because she lets it hang over when in the pan!
 
The best way to clean a ferret tail is to allow it to soak for a while, and
then while someone else distracts the little one, go at it with a fingernail
brush.  I'm not kidding here, use a soft scrubby brush or you'll never get
down to the skin (especially with winter coats!).  I have a little white one
with the same problem - thank goodness she's a water baby (as long as the
water is scalding hot, she'll happily sit and soak - go figure) or I'd never
get her clean!
 
BTW, I use "extra-body" Suave on all my ferrets.  I have tried most of the
special "ferret shampoos", and I have found that nice, cheap, Suave is the
best for their coats - particularly during flea season when they have to be
washed rather often.  The ferret shampoos that I tried were okay for the
fur, but they seemed to really hard on the skin (yes, I know, ferret skin is
incredibly tough, but itchy skin still itches!).  And no, Suave didn't pay
me for this endorsment ;-).  Good luck...
 
Gwen
[Posted in FML issue 1656]