Q: "...You posted on the box you made for your group to dig in that helped satisfy their craving for digging and kept their nails trimmed. Well, I had a brain fart and didn t get it copied. Would you send me the instructions...?" A: A brain fart, eh? That stinks. The growth rate of claws has evolved so ferrets can replace claw abraded away through digging, grooming and other activities. The physical environment domesticated ferrets live in today lacks the activities and tasks which naturally abrade and POLISH claws. (Technically, while a nail and a claw are the same material, a nail is flat while a claw is folded and usually hooked. So, humans and most primates have nails while ferrets and most carnivores have claws. Horses and ungulates have hooves, which are the same as nails and claws, but modified to support weight. Regardless if you are discussing a nail, claw or hoof, the basic structure is the same; only the shapes have been changed to better suit the life of the animal. So, to be correct, humans have nails and ferrets have claws. Ferrets have three main problems with claws. First, as the claw grows and the long tip hits the ground during walking, it can force the toe and foot bones out of proper alignment. This is because in the ferret, the toe forms part of the weight bearing structure of the foot. While this may not cause short term damage, if allowed to become a chronic problem, it *COULD* cause discomfort and *MIGHT* be a factor in arthritic processes and joint, tendon and ligament problems. The second factor is the lack of polish (degree of abrasion or smoothness) on the claw, which results in cracks and splits which can cause snags on fabrics. The third factor is the claw "dries out," increasing the degree of splitting and cracking, usually seen in ferrets not getting the proper or enough fatty acids. Ferrets can be trapped because of serious snags and can even pull off the claw in their attempts to free themselves. While technically polish is not a factor of claw length but of abrasion, the longer the unpolished claw, the more chances you have to create cracks and splits. That is why unpolished claws snag less when they are cut short; they are still rough and unpolished, but they have less of a chance to get snagged. Two solutions; you could become a ferret manicurist and cut, buff (polish) and seal ferret claws on a regular basis. The normal tools useful on human nails could be used on ferret claws, and ferretone, human hot oil treatments or even neatsfoot oil used to "moisturize" the claw material. A clear nail hardener would seal the claw well. Or, you could allow nature to do most of the work by allowing the ferret to abrade the claw in a natural fashion such as by walking on rough surfaces or through digging. I prefer the later because I don't have time for the first (with 16 ferrets, who would?) and because the natural abrasion method also helps control the ferret's instinctual need for digging. There are two ways this can be done; passively and actively. The passive method involves placing rough surfaces in areas where heavy ferret foot traffic takes place. As the ferret walks, the claws naturally dig into the surface and are abraded and polished while walking. You could use 80 or 100 grit sandpaper as a cage floor covering, especially on ramps and play areas. I buy adhesive backed sandpaper and just stick it down. I also stick down strips inside smooth PVC play tubes. You could also get a selection of concrete cinder blocks and tubes and build a play area for the ferrets to explore. Both works well to keep the claw tip from becoming too sharp as well as for somewhat polishing the claw. It also serves to toughen the foot pads. However, by itself, it will not keep the claw short enough nor provide a good overall claw polish. The active method is to provide an area where the ferret can actively dig. One method is to securely leash them and let them dig holes outside. Ferrets LOVE this, but there is the risk of leash entanglement or escape. Some of this problem can be eliminated simply with supervision. Another method is to bring the "hole" indoors to the ferret. This is easier than it sounds and there are several ways I do it. One way is to fill a cardboard box with a very damp mixture of sand, gravel and dirt and allow it to dry in the sun for a week or so. Put the box in a child's wading pool (or on newspapers or a tarp) and the ferrets will immediately investigate and someone will start digging. Or instead of a cardboard box, you can use a section of large diameter sewer pipe (I found a discarded piece in a dumpster at a construction site). Another way is to use a half barrel or huge terra cotta planter, like those used for small trees. I have one 2 ft high. I simply stack cinder blocks beside it so the ferrets can enter the Kingdom of Dirt. If you allow the dirt-sand-gravel mixture to become moderately hard (like REAL outdoors soil), then you will find those ferrets which actively dig will have short and polished claws, naturally manicured by Mother Earth. Besides mess, two problems can occur; ferrets LOVE to sleep in their excavated holes AND they sometimes use the dirt as a latrine. In the former case, since I allow my ferrets to free range, I just leave them there, but people who don't can just dig them out or wait until they come out. In the later case, I just toss out the nasty dirt and replace it with "unsoiled" stuff. One last comment. A lot of people provide a sand or rice play pit for their ferrets. This will not work nearly as well (although some claw polishing can occur) because the claw is not actually digging material from a hard matrix. It is the act of digging through hard material which shortens and polishes the claw. Oh yes, dirt absorbs ferret oil from fur; that means less odor. Bob C and 16 Mo' Dirty Diggers [Posted in FML issue 3007]