Hi Georgina + Tabitha,
 
I really hope that our case was a one-off, we've certainly not heard of
any other times that this happened...but this is what happened with our
rice box:
 
Exactly how you described it, fun fun fun.  Then Fetish seemed to be
actively eating the rice instead of just ingesting it as she surfed.  This
was fine for a few days (we kept an eye on her poop) but then she woke me
up throwing up rice, foam and a little blood in the early hours of the
morning.  This scared us silly because she just wouldn't be touched or
soothed while she was throwing up (and this went on on-and-off for 4
hours).  After throwing up, she was exhausted, limp and didn't seem to care
about anything.  We took her to the vet, and he said it had all come out of
her system so she was now fine.  We had a 2.5' x 1.5' rice box, and threw
away the 20-25kg of rice in it.
 
Two points about this.  We used the long grain not the easy cook rice as
advised, since easy cook will start to be digested before it has passed
through the ferret's system.  No-one else seems to have had a problem like
ours, so as long as the rice is long grain not easy cook, and the ferrets
are very well supervised whilst in the box (and any rice-eating immediately
curtailed) I guess its still a great idea.  The other point is that Bob
Church had a dig box idea posted on the FML that *I* was referred to a
couple of weeks ago.  I sent a cheeky message to BIG asking him to send
it to me...and hey presto! (Thanks Bill :-))  Bob Church's dig box idea
basically uses sand, gravel and soil, left in the sun to create a dig area
which the ferrets will dig in and will not only enjoy, but while they dig
it will keep their claws down and manicured.  I've given up on rice and am
now starting on Bob's dig box, it seems not only safer but more
constructive too.
 
If you're interested in this alternative dig box, the issue was 3007, and
the post was no. 41.
 
Loads of luck!
 
Jo and the 6 hellraisers.
[Posted in FML issue 3034]