Dooks to everyone and condolences to all who have sick babies or who have lost them. Saw the post about gray hairs and thought I d give my experiences and near death situations! First off, most of my gray hairs are because I have a teen aged human daughter, but thanks to my four legged babies I have more. The first came when Socks got so very sick with ECE and I almost lost him. Then, after he was well and a couple more had joined our group, he caused more. My group likes to get up on the bathroom sink and steal the stopper, so we ve had to start plugging the sink and putting water in it. (Yep, they drink bottled water but like to get up and drink this). Well, Socks being the grand old man wanted up there. He got done drinking and just fell off it with a terrible thud. Stunned him, as a matter of fact. I was standing right there, ready to lift him off when he did the head gainer off. I almost cried, but he finally shook himself and walked away. 2nd round of gray hairs-clothes basket in the bathroom, fuzzies out to play, got real quiet. I go upstairs and there s my Calvin, caught in the square of one of the plastic openings-right at the hip area. He s been reaching around and trying to chew it. I quietly yell (ever quietly yelled before???) for my daughter to get the scissors and she did without one moment s hesitation. We cut him free and massaged the poor little guy. I think his circulation was almost cut off. Needless to say clothes baskets around here have very, very tiny little squares in them-nothing a full grown ferret, or a small ferret can get through. 3rd round of gray hairs-I see bloody urine on the papers. I start watching and lo and behold it s Socks again! I scoop him up and the poor guy looks at me like What the h**l is your problem? I notice on his tummy some blood, wash him off. I know this had to hurt because he d managed to get cut on the tip of his sheath! Washed it off, checked it, put a little antibiotic ointment on it, he was fine. 4th time-my husband shared in this. Quietly frantic (hey, imagine a quietly frantic phone call) from the hubby. We ve got a ferret down to which I asked, who. We d just had Alix and Bailey come to live with us and it was Alix. He said he d call me right back and as he was hanging up I was trying to ask what was wrong. About two minutes later I get another call with It s all right . I asked if she d been asleep, he said yes, and I lost it laughing. Of course I think he was slightly offended and I said between sputters that he d just been initiated into the dead ferret sleeping syndrome There ve been a lot of others, like when I can t find them when it s time for them to go up at night and when they finally appear you know they re rolling with laughter while I m almost in tears thinking somehow they ve created a way to get out of the upstairs. Favorite things: Cats, empty pill bottles with lids tightly on, shoes, shoes, shoes, anything they re not supposed to be in, humans, toilet paper on rolls (yes, I ve experienced the bomb too), bathtubs without water, sink with water so they can steal or try to steal the stopper, me in sweatpants, blankets, beds the list is endless! We re trying to buy a modular home. Got turned down on one, trying another place. Jeanne Pomp and I were talking the other day and I told her if we get one with a big kitchen we were going to seal off the ways back to the appliances and then let the babies in the kitchen on linoleum. Well, we got off on a whole new bent. She suggested waxing the floor so they could slide, then I took it into Ferret Olympic Ice Skating . I had them in pairs Socks & Alix, Conan and Genie, Mookie, Calvin would be in the singles (sort of Elvis Stoiko and Scott Hamilton) Scully, Kit (Katerina Witt), Suzy, it goes on and on. Can you see ferrets with little skates doing back flips, flying sowcows (I don t know how that s spelled) and all the rest. All the others would be the judges. I m sorry, I find that vision just hysterical, seeing in my minds eye all that going on. Everyone have a good weekend, forgive the silly ramblings! Rebecca & the Crew of Merry Mayhem Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup [Posted in FML issue 2987]