Dear Ferret Folks- Many thanks to the nice folks at MAFF (Massachusetts Ferret Friends, especially Diddy) for calling Petco in Shrewsbury, MA to check up on the Kit with the unhappy looking bung-hole. They did so a while back, I was just too sick to post anything about it until now. (I got some horrid stomach virus, I think it was ECE...think ER visit, several liters of fluid pumped into me. Very nasty!) I have always liked the condition of the Kits at that Petco. They are obviously handled, and kept in clean conditions with toys and both wet and dry food at all times. Whatever was going on with the poor little guy's butt was dealt with there quickly. It really looked to me like a plug of dried feces distending an irritated anus. Diddy spoke to the Store Manager and the Small Pet Manager, and they dropped everything to go do butt checks! They found nothing but happy, pink little ferret butts. I assume that whatever the problem was, it was taken care of the day after I brought the problem to the store's attention, just as they said it would be when the vet came in on Monday morning. (I saw the unhappy butt on sunday afternoon.) I have had several people write me and say that the odd "rod shaped" feature I discovered about where the Kit's rectum was could well have been his baculum, or 'penis bone', and it belonged there. This is very possibly true! I have only owned one male ferret, and he is perhaps, um...under-endowed? I do not wish to speak ill of Ping is He, but I promise you, when I explore his belly, I find *nothing* like what I did in the Petco Kit's belly. Perhaps the Petco Kit is just....hung like a wolverine. In any event, the Kit is fine, the store was pleasant, helpful, and showed proper concern. I always check out the Kits when I go to that shopping plaza, and this is the only time I have ever found any problem. Again, many thanks to MAFF for picking up the ball while I practiced precision barfing last week. I got *really* good at it. Alexandra in MA [Posted in FML issue 5209]