When another member of our Western Australian Ferret Rescue network became afraid to touch a particular rescue ferret without gloves, I was only too pleased to take in another "biter". The prettiest female polecat/mitt arrived and my son named her "Toes". Toes had been found in a nearby suburb (and despite ads in newspapers, has not been claimed to this date), was thin but a big girl with a lovely coat. About 18 months old. What made Toes so different, was that after biting hands (she bit no other part of the body but was TERRIFIED of hands) she would slip into, what can only be described as a catatonic state. I have never seen this in another ferret and I don't even want to think about what sort of treatment made her react in this way. She would squeak in terror, bite, then become completely flaccid and unresponsive. Nothing seemed to reach her but I used this time to briefly kiss and cuddle her and give very gentle pats and my own brand of ferret whispering (sorry Sukie, I can't sing for nuts) before laying her in her bed. She was free-range from the first moment that she arrived and, although not seeking out the company of the other 15 ferrets, she was not upset by their presence and shared their food and milk bowls at the same time. A week and a half later she has put on weight and is very happy to be picked up and cuddled and is very generous with her kisses to the face and lips. The only problem left is that when she becomes playful, she wriggles and very gently mouths my hands but as she becomes more excited, she starts to squeak and bite harder as if in fear. At this point I switch to toys, plastic bags or towel drags to distract her from her fears but she still reacts by excessive yawning and placidness. I yearn to see her dance and play but will have to wait a while longer it seems. Anyhow, has anyone else ever seen this particular behaviour before? Any tips? The time it has taken to see her improve this much is very pleasing but I'm a bit unsure as to where to go from here. Looking forward to your input. Love & Dooks Shirley [Posted in FML issue 3437]