Hello! I really don't post much. I joined this ML a bit before adopting my ferrets so I could get a feel for the community. I had already read all of the ferret books, back issues of the Ferret magazine & on-line articles that I could find. I basically started buying supplies, toys & parts for my cage about 2 months before I decided to adopt. On October 30th I adopted 2 ferrets (from a set of 5 http://ryen.net/ferrets/photo05.jpg) from the Ferrets R #1 Ferret Shelter & Rescue in Northern Virginia. They were all about 3 years old & had apparently been neglected a bit. Due to Faith Hood & the care that the ferrets received at the shelter, they were super affectionate, very sweet & simply everything that a ferret should be :) Because I was not able to adopt them all at that time, I adopted Princess (the silver mitt in front) and Mary Jane (the sable on the far left). Buddy (the large sable 2nd in from the left) could adopted with Blaze (the Blaze ferret :) and Baby Jake (the champagne) could be adopted on his own. Baby Jake was adopted late November (and is doing just great with his new sibling & home) & I was able to adopt Buddy & Blaze. They both needed adrenal surgery (Jan 5th), so I was able to adopt them on the 15th! My Mary Jane had adrenal on the 9th & all three ferrets are doing just super. I was really pleased with all the helpful emails I received with advice on how to give the Baytril to MJ (she had an URI that needed to be cleared up before she could have surgery & she was given amoxy & then later baytril) and I thought I would press my luck further! The first question / problem / situation : Princess (who will need adrenal surgery, but the doctor doesn't think she needs the operation now) has been sort of lethargic. She has perked up a bit since Buddy & Blaze came home a week ago, but she is still having the "symptoms". Basically, she seems to tire really fast. Mary Jane will be running around and Princess will end up going to the cage & going back to sleep within a half hour or so of being let out. Now, the ferrets were neglected for 3 years & their muscles had atrophied, so when I first got MJ & Princess they could only romp for about 15 minutes or so before falling asleep. This has gradually built up & MJ can now go on for what seems like forever :D But Princess is still rather sleepy. The other three will play & she will curl up in a sleep sack or bed outside of the cage, but she still goes to sleep & doesn't seem to have that much energy. It is like someone pulled her plug. Princess has been taken to the vets countless times & had tests for everything the doctor could think of. While MJ was having her adrenal surgery, Princess had her glucose tested for Insulinoma throughout the day. She even had an 83.00$ panel test that would definitely rule it out & she came out negative. She has had several full examinations & has had her heart tested. The doctor said there is nothing else he can think to test her for. She is drinking well, she eats Totally Ferret, is given Ferretone, treats. She has more toys than I had as a child :) I had to start rotating them because between the playground, tunnel, busy blankets. etc, there was no room for them to run around! She seems to have no trouble going to the bathroom (other than refusing to use the litterbox but I really don't see that as a problem) & her poops are firm & normal. Has anyone else had this situation? It is driving me insane. She lets me hold her a bit longer now than when I first adopted her, but I can't really get a feel for what is wrong with her. Is she bored? Is she just really tired and needs to sleep? Am I doing something wrong? She used to play with me a lot when I first got her, but now she doesn't really seem interested. Even the towel game doesn't interest her. I don't know if it is a phase or not, but if there is something I can do to help her, I want to do it. The second question / problem / situation (did you get this far? Sorry it is so long!) : Blaze is a biter. A really really bad one. In her papers (the previous owner wrote little notes about them), Blaze is referred to as the "bitchy" one. Blaze is one of the sweetest ferrets & very playful, so the only thing I can think of that the remark is referring to is her biting. She will come up & start licking me & then she will chomp. Hard. She doesn't draw blood usually, but these bites hurt more than the bloody ones I get while playing with Princess (Princess has gotten better with the rough-housing & she rarely bites me too hard now!). Blaze just bites & sort of chews progressively until I want to roll my eyes back in my head. The main problem I am having with her is that she is deaf. With Princess, I would scruff her & say "no" & "owie that hurts" & Princess almost never lapses now. With Blaze I scruff her & say "no" while shaking my head. Nothing. I also tried waving my finger in front of her in the "no-no" sign, while saying no & shaking my head. Nothing. As soon as I set her down, she will start licking me & biting me again! And it is no one place. Thighs, arms, legs, neck (when she was sitting on my shoulder), feet, hands, it doesn't seem to matter. I tried wearing long sleeve shirts, pants, socks & shoes & I sprayed my hands with the bitter apple (and later with Nature's Miracle deterrent spray). This had no affect. She didn't go anywhere near my hands, but bit through my clothes. I honestly don't know what to do. I know she doesn't mean to hurt me, she is in all other aspects one the sweetest ferrets. She loves to lick, but usually ends in a bit. She is letting me hold her longer & longer each day, but she hasn't let up on the biting. Some of the books & articles I've read even suggest tapping the nose, but I don't want to do that. She might think it was a game & it I tapped her hard enough to hurt her, then it was definitely too hard, so I see no sense in even trying that. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can handle her? Since clapping, saying "no" loudly & all other auditory reprimands have no effect, I am sort of out of ideas. Scruffing doesn't work. I've even dragged her a bit (on the bed or blanket) while scruffing because I read that mother ferrets do that when their kits misbehave. Please email me with any & all advice. As long as it doesn't hurt me or them I'll try it! (And I will never give her up, I'd just like to try to correct this one behaviour). Well, I am so sorry this is so long! I hope it isn't too long to make it into the digest! Thanks so much! Anna [log in to unmask] Ryen's Ferrets - http://ryen.net/ferrets/ [Posted in FML issue 4408]