Diane E. Emery said:
> BUT about once every couple months, he will poop in the bathroom for
> no apparent reason. [...]  My fiance seems to think it corresponds
> to days where we have not been able to give him alot of attention.
 
We went out of town for a week this June, leaving our two ferrets in the
care of our housemates, who gave them food and changed their litter but
didn't play as much as we usually do.  When we got back, Pixxel seemed to
have completely forgotten about pans -- she'd even begun using non-corners,
which she didn't do even as an untrained kit.  We spent a week or two
retraining her, giving her treats and lots of attention, and she hasn't
missed the pan in a month now.  Personally, I think she was peeved at us,
but now we're forgiven.  :)
 
Debbie Riccio wrote:
>I followed Pam Greene's advice about using blankets and towels and I am
>happy to say I haven't had one single problem with this corner since!
 
Many thanks to the clever person who contributed that suggestion to the FAQ!
(I'm sorry; I don't keep track of exactly which ideas came from where.)
 
Jennifer Lutton asked:
>So many posts to the FML are about sick ferrets.  Are they chronically ill
>pets?  Do they require a great deal more care than other domestic animals?
 
No, and no.  It's just that we have a lot of ferrets here, and it's one of
the best sources of medical help around.  Ferrets do tend to get adrenal
disease, insulinoma, and/or lymphosarcoma around age 5, but each species has
its own set of age-related disorders -- urinary/kidney problems for cats,
heart problems for humans...  It's part of the responsibility you take on
with any pet, and it's good that you're asking about it in advance! :-)
 
- Pam Greene
Ferret Central<http://www.optics.rochester.edu:8080/users/pgreene/central.html>
No WWW?  Use anon FTP to ftp.optics.rochester.edu and look in pgreene/
       or send INDEX FERRET in email to <[log in to unmask]>
[Posted in FML issue 1287]