I have had ferrets for 7 years now. Over that time I have had a total of 17 ferrets - of those I currently have 12. This is the most I have had at any one time. In that time I have NEVER had a ferret that would not get along with ther others. Sure there has been the usual fighting for dominance and minor squabbles over treats and such, but in the end no ferret has ever refused to lay down with another at the end of the day. I have three cages and I switch the guys and gals around the three cages on a daily basis depending on who is awake at a given time to come out to play and later on who is wiped out and ready to go back in. I also have 4 free range guys that never get caged unless I am going to be gone for a day or two. So I'm wondering, how common is it really to have ferrets that do not get along? I have certainly never seen it. This question was prompted by Mark of Cloud Nine Ferrets stating he had 12 ferrets currently in his shelter, all of whom hated each other and needed seperate play times. My question is in no way directed just at him, his post was merely the impetus for my curiosity on this issue. ==== In the best of times, I hold in my mind the need to care for things beyond the self: poetry, humanity, grace. In other times, when it seems difficult merely to survive and be happy about it, the condition of my thought tastes as simple as this: let me be a good animal today. -Barbara Kingsolver, "High Tide in Tuscon" ~*~*~ http://foxfoot.tripod.com/ [Posted in FML issue 3901]