Gary wrote: >I was thinking of using a slinky as a bumper. Maybe one of the plastic >ones would work (and look goofy as all get out! :o). They use them on >large buildings to keep pigeons from roosting in windows. Couldn't you just see the ferrets grabbing them, stretching them out and then letting go? Moving around would having its own theme music: stretching hum, twang, then thump, hum, twang, thump, hum, twang, thump. Actually I guess with the plastic ones it would be less plucked string and more rattle plus drum: rattle, twang, thump. Thanks, Gary. :-) Delta, I don't know much about diabetes in ferrets, but I DO know that there is a LOT on the topic in the Archives of the Ferret Health List at http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org. Off hand, I know that there are great posts by assorted vets (look in the your left hand column when you search on diabetes for names or addies of vets including but not limited to Doctors Bruce Williams,Ruth Heller, Jerry Murray, Karen Purcell (Dr. Karen), Karin in Brasil whose surname escapes me, Dr. Sue, etc. and I know there are some truly fine diabetes management posts by non-vets, too. Off hand, I can think of Patty at Kazpat, Pam Sessoms, and I know there are definitely others, but I'm going off-the-cuff for recollections. Pam Sessoms also has a fine site on home testing at http://www.unc.edu/~pjdutche/bloodsugar/ Val, it is not possible to say exactly what causes hind leg weakness because ANYTHING which impacts too greatly on the ferret will do that. I am concerned about the bout of tarry black stools. That indicates upper GI tract bleeding with digested blood. That is has been intermittent may indicate an ulcer which her body it trying to heal, but if this were one of our ferrets I'd also think in terms of other possible causes, especially a possible shifting blockage such as a large furball in the stomach. These require surgery if present. Prednisone can at times worsen an ulcer. Do you know why that med combo is being tried despite the black stools? Does the vet know black stools occured? Was it only one bout? (There could be good reasons to give those meds, depending on what the vet found, since the steroid will reduce inflammation and the antibiotics fight bacterial infection, but I am unclear on the particulars here.) You make no mention of Carafate. We like to use the liquid prep (prescription) which is available at any pharmacy: easy to give, they don't mind it, and it works rapidly. What tests have been done? X-ray? CBC with Chemistry Panel? More? (When tests are done remember that a large furball in the stomach can also irritate the liver, the pancreas, or both and throw off those values till it is corrected. Meanwhile to perk up her spirits read in the archives of the FML (URL in the header of every day's digest) and the FHL about things like pantyhose slings for some daily "outtings" around the house if she takes to the sling. These are easily made, last for ages, cost almost nothing, and most ferrets take to them (though sometimes if there is GI pain or bad abdominal ascites they will be rejected). There is homemade wheelchair info in both places, too. You need to find out the root cause here, so test, and test more, and consider the possibilities which can cause tarry stools. Rita, if she has been on baby food and cream for too long a while remember that she is not getting balanced nutrition (which is why such foods are short term) and think about adding some crushed ferret food to the mix. I suggest reading up on the nuances of baby food feeding at the same site which has the single best ECE info (something else for which you suggest a possible need): http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html ECE occurs after an exposure to the virus and I hate to tell you this, but when it went through our ferrets our worst hit one was severely ill for three months. Despite daily sub-cu hydration he took kidney damage so after the fact we all wished that IV had been used, but it just wasn't possible to know at the time that the sub-cu wasn't enough for him. (Also, remember that if it is ECE no viral shedding ferret (and preferably not you, either) should interact with unexposed ferrets for a great many months after. See the write up at the AFIP site about this long viral shedding period.) Dehydration itself decreases the desire to eat. It makes the nasal membranes too dry to recognize food. The combination of rehydration plus food which warmed well enough to be easily smelled, along with a lot of patient finger feeding can often work wonders. You'll find a lot on feeding sick ferrets in the archives of both the FML and the FHL, and I can not emphasize enough how important hydration is. Sukie (I am not a vet.) [Posted in FML issue 4336]