Mary Jo wrote: >I thought maybe she just had a fondness for the fabric so I removed >every piece of anything that had that silky polyester finish feel like >the night gown was made of. If it wasn't cotton it left the room. > >Well no such luck. My plot didn't work. This morning I caught her >eating the crochet lace on my antique bed ruffle, all cotton. What >can I do? Fabric eaters can be a challenge. Ferrets like to chew and they'll find something that feels "good" or "right" if you don't provide something more appropriate. We've had luck in offering a Gumabone (made by the same company that makes Nylabones, but it's more flexible -- though tough enough to withstand ferret biting). Cheweasels (or the Marshall brand) are an excellent replacement. We've found that Koosh (our fabric eater) won't chew on denim or other canvas -- I'm guessing it doesn't have the consistency he wants. We do have to watch him when he's out because sometimes he'll start to gnaw on a towel or blanket or something. Offering something appropriate or simply distracting him with play will stop the behavior. We've also had success with aversion: spraying Bitter Apple on some piece of fabric the ferret particularly likes to eat. This has worked well when Trixie decides she needs to chew on the edge of the hanging tube. You should also make sure your ferret gets a hairball remedy (e.g., Laxatone, Petromalt, plain Vaseline) if you find him eating fabric, just to help move the fabric through his system. Hope that helps. --Mary & the Fuzzies ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mary R. Shefferman, Editor, Modern Ferret Magazine Trixie, Koosh, & Gabby, the Modern Ferrets Read my blog -- http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary [Posted in FML issue 4108]