Just FYI - it's considered rude to post in all caps - it's the equivalent of shouting. The reasons that no-one has responded are likely that (1) your subejct was not considered particularly critical, and that (2) people are often a day or two behind in the reading. People with the most knowledge generally only respond to critical posts, where ferrets' lives are at stake, because there are only so many of them, and they only have so much time. People with less knowledge often wait to see if the people with more knowledge intend to address an issue before they'll step in. If you are really interested in finding out about ferrets' personalities, there are years' worth of archives of this list that you can read. That said, it is not at all abnormal for some ferrets not to be particularly interested in a lot of human interaction. They have remarkably distinct personalities, and some just don't find people all that interesting, or are tremendously shy or timid of people (this may have nothing to do with anything a person "did" to them, but sometimes is just the way they're born/made). However, as time goes on, the stand-offish ferret may surprise you and become much more affectionate. I have had more than one ferret that didn't seem interested in me when it was young but is now much more affectionate. It's hard not to take it personally, but you have learn to appreciate animals for who *they* are, and not try to make them into something they're not, or demand things of them that they cannot give. Regarding the pooping issue, the archives are chock-full of suggestions on how to keep ferrets from pooping where they're not supposed to. Suggestions include changing the type of litter, how often you scoop, the size and location of boxes, adding more boxes, not letting the ferret out of the cage until it poops, rewarding the ferret when it goes in the box, and many others dealing with ways to "remove" areas that the ferrets like to poop in, by covering them with other materials or somehow protecting them so the poop doesn't harm the underlying material. Most ferrets don't respond well - or at all - to being yelled at. They simply don't comprehend that you're trying to keep them from doing something when you yell. It might be more rewarding for you to attempt to develop relationships with other individuals on the list as opposed to posting such general inquiries. Best of Luck, Melissa [Posted in FML issue 3793]