Kelleen asked:
> I thought the correct terms would be neutered for males and spayed
> for females, am I wrong?
 
Nope, that's right, though sometimes people will just say "neutered"
when they don't know the gender of the ferret.
 
Bob wrote:
> Could you ask a question that doesn't take a semester class to
> explain?  Like, [...] why is the sky blue?
 
If that one comes up, Bob, I'll take it. :)  Short version: your
ferrets have been browsing in the paint cupboard again...
 
Shanon & Mitch asked:
> we have switched to Iams Kitten Food on the advice of our vet and
> since using that she's developed diarrea
 
Poor vet!  Oh, you must mean the ferret.  :) Diarrhea is a common reaction
to a change in environment or food.  If you can, switch her over more
gradually, by giving her a mix of her old food and Iams for a little while.
She should get better soon.  In the meantime, be sure she stays hydrated.
 
Sarah Moore asked about ferret and cat foods:
There's some more info in the FAQ about this.  In summary, I'd say for a
ferret under three years, protein ~34%, fat ~20%, first ingredient a meat
product.  Most good-quality dry ferret and kitten foods are fine.  For an
older ferret, drop the protein a bit by switching to a regular adult cat
food.  You shouldn't need to go all the way to the "lite" foods; they don't
have enough fat for healthy ferrets.
 
- Pam Greene, Optics Illuminator (do I have to decorate my manuscripts?)
Ferret Central <http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/>
 
[Moderator's note: I feel differently about the neutering question.  As far
as I know, neuter is not gender specific.  Spay is female, castrate is male,
neuter is either.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 1477]