Melissa here..
 
(short summary: ECE, Sloan, couches, cage rattling, new fun)
 
ECE: The most important element of this entire conversation should be the
sharing of information on how best to treat ECE, how to educate stores,
owners, and vets, and how to slow the spread.  Ferret owners will always
want to own more ferrets, or play with other ferrets, and cant perpetually
be careful enough.  My advice, which does not advocate exposing or not
exposing, is simply to keep things like pedialyte, syringes, baby food, and
some treat your ferret adores around at all times.  Keep yourself informed
of the early symptoms, read the FAQ, dont hesitate to call another owner,
read the FAQ, and remember that by owning an animal, you're accepting that
it potentially cost you thousands of dollars in its lifetime - its
well-being is almost always 100% your responsibility.
 
Speaking of which, i'm ferret-sitting Sloan and Koko again, and this morning
when i let all four out, only three began bopping around the room - Sloan
refused to move, and when put into a new, unexplored spot, merely curled up
and tried to go back to sleep.  I found black, tarry, and occasionally red
stools in the litterbox, so i scooped him up and bopped him off to the vet.
Infection?  Blockage?  Dunno.
 
(flash: he's doing better after IV fluids and kaopectate; i've asked them
to do radiographs)
 
Couch update: grrrrrr. I will win.
 
Cage rattling: I learned to sleep through Potpie rattling her cage, so she
stopped rattling it when she realized i wasnt getting up or doing anything.
Best way to make them stop?  Dont move.  Lie there.  Make *no* noise.  They
shut up and go back to sleep, then start again around 6-6:30.  Then, you can
grumpily get up, get some coffee, let them out, and swear as you run into
furniture and they chase your toes, etc etc.
 
re: holding ferrets upside-down - mine *love* this.  Noodle and Friday will
let you walk around with them dangling upside-down for as long as you're
willing to do it.  They look around, they wiggle a bit, but if you offer
them the chance to get away, they won't.  It's a hoot.
 
re: litterbox training - after three months, both Noodle and Friday learned
to solely use the cage litterbox at my old apartment.  In the new place, i'm
just leavin the newspapers down.  Got a stack of newspapers all ready and
set to get pooped on, and some ferrets willing to poop on 'em.
 
Melissa ("This little ferret pooped in the corner, this little ferret did
too.  This little ferret pooped elsewhere, and this little ferret hollered
'dook dook dook' all the way over to the OTHER corner, which hadnt been
pooped in yet, but by gum, it ought to have been, so he did.")
 
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      Melissa Litwicki                              "Is it ... atomic?"
      [log in to unmask]                             "Yes! VERY atomic!"
[Posted in FML issue 1636]