Hi Well Brandy is here. The RSPCA inspection went well. The inspector arrived early and explained, "I won't keep you long, I just need to see where they will be kept". "Fine", said I. With this he turned on his heels and started to move outside. "No, they live in here", I explained and took him into the lounge. "This is where they spend most of their play time" He just looked puzzled at the pile of toys and fluffy hammocks. "They sleep upstairs, in the bed room", I told him He just looked ever more confused. I showed him the temporary cage in which Brandy would live until he accepted and had been accepted by the other (Lector, Priss and Bob). He seemed pleased enough with what I thought was a fairly small cage. I then pointed out the ferret house. A four story log cabin with a floor area measuring 5 feet by 5 feet and standing 5 1/2 feet tall. If this wasn't enough to convince him I was bonkers the three foot square fur hammock, rope bridge, electronically controlled cooling extractor fans and tunnel maze totally melted his already failing mind. His only response "Pick him up tomorrow!", at which he left. Anyhow, Brandy is here and save for the first 24 hours where he refused to eat, all has gone well (touch wood). I have no idea how old he is but he has been with the RSPCA in Bradford for a year and was adult when he arrived there. He is so full of energy, I though my girls were hyperactive but they collapse and fall asleep long before he has even stopped jumping and dooking. This is proving a little wearing on the other three as he will only accept there need for rest for short periods at which point he will drag them out of which ever hiding place they have adopted and play with them anyway. This is most shocking to the narcoleptic Bob. Once asleep she is unwakable and due to this she doesn't wake when Brandy drags her out of bed to play with her. On realising she isn't going to wake he abandons her wherever he happens to be. Some time latter a slightly chilled Bob wakes with a start wondering who stole her bed and how in weasels name did she end up out here in the middle of the floor. With this insurmountable quandary weighing heavy on here less than razor sharp mind she slumps back to bed only to have the whole process repeated. I shall try and train Brandy out of this but for the moment it's just too funny for words. Speaking of too funny, my local pet shop has started selling radio controlled mice. If the idea of a ferret chasing a high speed radio controlled mouse with a turning circle much tighter than your average weasel isn't funny enough the sight of four ferts heading from opposite corners of the room at high speed all focused on one outcome - the destruction of the mouse - is painfully amusing. All four ferts on one collision course with nothing anyone can do to prevent it. Wham! - weasel pile up with the poor mouse some where underneath. Expecting nothing but the total annihilation of the mouse it seemed incredible to me that when I pressed the forward button on the controller our tiny e-rodent hero rocketed out of the writhing fur heap totally untouched. Better still was the look of total bemusement on the faces of the ferts when they extricated themselves from said heap only to discover their prize quarry was gone. A not unsubstantial argument about who ate it without sharing later and they reluctantly give up and go to bed - except for brandy who spends the next 45 minutes repeatedly dragging Bob out of bed when my back is turned. I am sure he does to see the confusion on her face as he has now taken to just sitting there and watching until she wakes up. Hay ho. Hope you are all well Dooks Wayne (Lector, Priss, Bob and Brandy) Wayne Gardner Clinical Scientist Dept. of Medical Physics Bradford Royal Infirmary [Posted in FML issue 4593]