This is taking everything I have to write, but I think a point can be made and a few lessons learned. I had my first accidental death this weekend - after 17 years and way over 400 ferrets - I can't believe I let his hazard slip by. I also thought I'd share a couple close calls that have happened throughout the years. We had a hammock that was like a puffed out square and it suspended from one fairly large loop. It got put in the cage as a sleep sack. One of the shelter ferrets got in the loop and must have freaked and twisted it around his middle - strangling himself. I'm now reevaluating whether any loops or strings should even be in the cage. I don't want to see this happen again, so I am purging all the hammocks with strings. I am also purging all hammocks where the fleece is worn thin. I did have a ferret dig the worn fleece and make a hole and get stuck between the fleece and material. Thank God I was there. I believe I wrote about this one that happened awhile ago. I have a really big sleep sack shaped like a bottle (the neck is narrow) and two of my ferrets got inside it but 6 others piled on top of it. The fellows inside couldn't get out and started panting. The ones inside were one of my old guys who couldn't budge them and I guess the younger one couldn't move the ferrets off the top either. Again thank God I was home. Also latches on cages start to give over the years. They start to allow some play in the door. I had one ferret get his head through the slack, but the door sprang back on his neck pinning him there. He was gasping for air and would have died had I not been there. So now we put extra clip type hardware on so they can't get their head through. Check your cage, can a ferret push on it and possibly get his head through? I kills me to learn a lesson from a senseless death, I feel like I let poor Heath down as I am here to protect them. Please this week clean out your hammocks - do an inspection on them. Don't hang on to worn items that may cause harm. Please don't learn the hard way like I did. Faith Ferrets R #1 Shelter & Rescue [Posted in FML issue 3503]