Dear Ferret Folks- Went to PETCO yesterday in Shrewsbury, MA, across from Michaels and the IHOP. (Don't start, it makes my tiny nephew SO happy just to go in and look for fifteen minutes, and it's in the same plaza as the Trader Joes that gives toddlers FREE BALLOONS!) We were in the process of leaving (I didn't ask to see the kits because I had my dog on a leash) when my sister came up to me and asked "What is it that makes a ferret drag its back legs uselessly?" Well, I handed my sister her kid and my dog, said " I'll be back...." and bee-lined it to the kit enclosure. I found the tall, smart kid who works at the store. I made him open the enclosure, (politely) and I handled each and every kit.(Five?) They all have full mobility. It's not that one can't walk, it's that one is terribly uncomfortable, and has a problem that needs attention. His back end *works,* but he is dragging it deliberately. The kit is a dark, smoky male with lower canines erupted, but not uppers. He has wet kibble slurry available, as well as small sized kibble, whole. (I have always found this store good that way, the enclosures clean, too.) Flip the kit over, there is dried, crusted dookie on the underside of his tail. Not huge amounts, but it's thick. There is a dried, dark plug of it *in* his anus, stuck there, lodged, somewhat dilating the anus. The anus looks irritated to me, larger and pinker than normal. when I touched the little guy's belly, I could *easily* feel that there was a hardness that did not belong. Imagine drawing a straight line between anus and penis. At least an inch of that length starting at the anus and trending toward the penis is hard, and rod shaped, like a pencil or a (swollen rectum?) I'm guessing it's very uncomfortable, hence the dragging of the underside that made my sister think the little guy's back legs didn't work. I showed the tall, smart kid who works there (who is white, and in his mid twenties, sandy hair) the problem, and explained why it was a problem. I made him stick out a finger, and I guided it so that it touched the hard rod shaped place in the kit's belly. THAT impressed him! I told him that the kit needed medical attention. Needed to be cleaned up. Needed to be put aside and watched. I explained how *fast* these little guys crashed, and dropped dead on you. I blathered my credentials (which sound cool if you don't know better) and stressed the kit's need for a vet. The kid looked serious, and shook up. But you never know. He swears that monday is vet day, and he will see that this is brought to the vet's attention. Does anybody 1) Know what is wrong with this poor kit (who wanted to play), and 2) does anyone know anything about this store? Alexandra in MA [Posted in FML issue 5201]