Dear XXXXX- for many years, I have cautioned against the use of injectable anesthetics of any type in ferrets. The most common problem associated with injectable anesthetic is what you have stated - prolonged recovery. The longer that a ferret is anesthetized, the more susceptible it is to hypothermia, the most common cause of post-surgical mortality. Yesterday on the list we talked about why to avoid injectable drugs whenever possible - once injected, they can't be retrieved. The same principle applies with injectable anesthetics - once you inject them, for the most part you have to ride them out. With inhalant anesthesia only, if there is a problem and the animal gets too deep - you simply turn off the gas, and the animal gets progressive lighter, and if needed, wakes back up. You can find this tip and others on my web site http://www.afip.org in a section called "50 Things your Vet hasn't told you." With kindest regards, Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP Join the Ferret Health List at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list [Posted in FML issue 3358]