Hi all!  My experience is only with one ferret, but...
Weehawk's tail started getting covered with blackheads, and some orange crud
in May last year.  I scrubbed, and soaked, and scrubbed with hydrogen
peroxide, and alcohol, and Dr. Bonner's peppermint, etc.  and I could get it
surface clean, but it would look just as bad in a day, and no hair grew
back.  He had no hair and no amount of cleaning I did seemed to help.  In
the Fall when his winter coat came in, his tail hair did too!  It turned
blue (he is a dark sable) and then there was a little fuzz, and by the end
of Oct.  he had the thickest, most luxurious tail of my herd!  So I guess my
advice is keep it clean, and wait for a coat change cause that is probably
when the hair will come back.
 
Also, I just gained another ferret, it is true that there is no going down
when working with ferret math!  I had four as of feb. and someone just
called me a couple of weeks ago, had a very sweet ferret that they couldn't
have when they moved, so would I take him...well my husband had said that 4
was way too many, so I told them bring the guy over so he could meet my
guys, and if they all got along, I would keep him until I could find him a
good home, figuring this would keep my husband from going through the roof.
Abu liked my guys and they thought he was great fun to sniff, sooo....The
first night I introduced him to David (husband) and they clicked like none
of my others have been able to do, when I asked david the next day about
another friend who might want Abu, he said, "He's ours isn't he?  I don't
think he should go anywhere!" And this from the guy who thought 2 was too
much!  So it is true that there is a ferret for everyone, you just don't
always find him/her on the first or second or third try :)
 
krystal in vermont with Weehawk, Silk, Herman, Havoc and Abu!
[Posted in FML issue 1657]