I would like to respond to Ian's request for info on sharing a home with ferrets AND chinchillas. We have a multi-specie household here, including a pair of chinchillas and 20 ferrets. My advice is to enjoy them for thier individual charms, but keep them seperated! Over the past years our ferrets have killed a hamster and a parakeet, both were in rather flimsy cages that the ferrets were able to break into. It was a hard lesson to learn, but rather than tempt the ferrets' instincts, we are much more diligent about supervising the ferrets when they are out and about. We also have lots of gates and plexiglass barriers to control the ferret play territory. I would like to share a funny story though.......I learned that chinchillas are not totally defenseless! My chins live in my laundry room, in a large cage on a shelf about the same level as my washer/dryer. One day I carried a ferret in with me to do a load of laundry, and set Rascal on the dryer for a few minutes when I needed to use both hands. Mama Chin has quite an attitude, especially when she has babies, and she was NOT pleased to smell that ferret so close. When Rascal leaned over to sniff the chinchilla cage, Mama Chin rocked back on her tail and sprayed a well aimed stream of urine right in Rascals face! I never saw such a surprised ferret......and I was rolling with laughter. PamV in Cincinnati [Posted in FML issue 3380]