In response to Sunshine's question regarding choking / hacking:
I took a pet first aid course through the American Red Cross.  It was
designed for dogs and cats (I had a collie several years ago who was very
ill so my interest was peaked), but some of the general info could be
applied to ferrets.
 
According to the first aid book, if an animal is choking:
1 Check for foreign objects in the animal's mouth (sweep side to side)
2 Suspend a small animal by the hips with its head hanging down
  (I've found this helps my ferrets even if nothing comes out)
3 If the object doesn't come out, then do something similar to a Heimlich
maneuver (make a fist just behind the last rib and compress the abdomen by
pushing up 5 times quickly)
 
There's more in the book if these procedures still don't work.  If you want
more detailed info, e-mail me.
 
Remember, this was designed with bigger animals in mind, so be careful.  I
found the class to be very helpful and the book you receive is well worth
the $25 fee for the class.
 
Karen
[Posted in FML issue 2832]