Hi all ! I got tickled reading the original post about Mary Ann "plucking" her ferrets. It was funny because I do the same thing with Sassy. Sassy's an older ferret. I don't see her picking her loose fur as much as she used to - but her cagemates do. In an effort to keep them from getting hairballs, I pull Sassy's loose fur when she's shedding. I've tried all sorts of brushes. Forget it! She'd rather hurt herself getting away from me. Of all my ferrets, Sassy has the thickest, most beautiful fur. When she sheds, she blows part of the undercoat, never her guard hairs. Our fur picking has become a way of showing affection. She will lay in my lap for the better part of an hour, eyes closed, with (I swear!) a smile on her little bandit face, while I pick loose fur (clip a nail), pick more loose fur (clip another nail have a lick of Ferretone), until we're done. After that, I get my face and ears washed. Sassy loves it and I don't stress her trying to use the hated brush. She's also the only one of our 15 that dislikes being brushed. :-) Jenny and the Fuzzbutts Fifteen [Posted in FML issue 4407]