Having been owned by ferrets for nearly a decade, you'd think that I would be familiar with something as pedestrian as a common cold. But I've been fortunate enough that none of my fuzzies -- until now, maybe -- has come down with one. Sprinkles is a ~7-8 year old black-eyed white female who some of you with good memories may remember had a nearly fatal reaction to a distemper shot about two years ago. Since that reaction she's taken to fits of sneezing from time to time. These fits don't seem to be causing any harm (my vet was able to witness one of them as it happened) other than making Sprinkles very dizzy for a moment. But a couple of nights ago she started "wheezing" while she sneezed, and last night started making what I can only describe as a "ferret cough" (like she had phlegm stuck in her throat). Her sneezes are quite wet (unlike the sneezing fits she normally has, which are dry) and she's been sleeping a bit more than normal. Her appetite and litterbox habits are basically unchanged. She seems to be retaining some water; her belly seems a little bigger than normal but this might just be me being paranoid and it doesn't seem to be causing her any distress. I suspect that she just has a cold but I'm not sure since I've never seen a ferret with a cold before. I've moved her into a smaller cage (away from the other two ferrets, who are fine) and I'm keeping her in the kitchen where it's a good 10-15 degrees warmer than the rest of the apartment where she usually is. Her water is now spiked with VitaSol and she's getting duck soup once a day. When she's in the kitchen she doesn't seem to sneeze as much. I know when I have a cold and I'm breathing cooler air it bothers my sinuses; warmer air is a lot more comfortable. I'm thinking maybe it's the same way with Sprinkles. Any thoughts/insights on this before I'm overcome with panic and spend what little remaining money I have left on another emergency trip to the vet? :-O Tips appreciated. -Steve Godun ...and Sprinkles (*achoo!*) ...and Bubo ("Play! Play! Play! Zzzzz....") ...and Pippin ("Whoa. Cool. Go away.") [Posted in FML issue 4032]