Jena,
The quick way to take care of your problem would be to de claw.  But if you
were not prepared to deal with some of that why in the world did you choose
a pet that are great diggers by nature.  The operative words bein, BY
Nature.  Let me tell you a story.  About 8 months ago, I accepted a
foundling from a young man.  When I took in Jasper I was shocked and
saddened by what I saw.  He was an older boy and had lived the last year
and a half in a guinea pig cage.  From lack of exercise, he had vertually
no ham string muscles and was very thin and extremely smelly.  But when I
saw what was left of his paws I just wanted to cry.  He had been declawed.
It looked as if half of his feet were gone, like he had some big birth
defect and was born with partial feet.
 
When I finally got him strong enough to be let out for some play some, he
could not climb up to the top of the 2 mattresses that I have laying on the
floor because it was to tall and he had no claws with which to pull himself
up.  Now when they are younger and stronger, that might not present much of
a problem but as they get older and weaker in there legs that definitely
presents a problem.
 
I had to recently put Jasper down and while I was caring for him as ECE
ravaged his little body and he began to deal with other multiple problems,
I had to see every day what was left of his little feet.  I wanted to kiss
them and make them better every time I looked at them.  PLEASE, if you
can't deal with the digging, find your little Angel a home that better
suits a ferret.  There are many ways to combat their little quirks but the
love and joy they bring into our lives makes those little quirks seem so
insignificant and unimportant.
 
                                 TTFN,
                      Diana and The Ferret Farm
[Posted in FML issue 2462]