There is no doubt in my mind that ferrets grieve and have emotions ... I had two females from the same litter - Sugar and Taz. Taz loved sugar, and would have nothing to do with my other ferrets. They both had adrenal problems, and each lost both adrenals in two separate surgeries over a years period .... Sugar also had heart problems. When Sugar passed, Taz tried everything to rouse her - licking her ears, nudging, and looking up at me like "please help; do something", before resuming her efforts ... finally she just threw herself down next to Sugar and rested her head on her. When I felt she had "accepted" it, I removed Sugar for burial. By that evening, Taz had the first of several Addinsonian crises ... I spent the next 3 weeks running her back and forth to the to the vet for emergency treatment. She would not eat, had to be hand fed duck soup. No amount of cuddling, singing, stroking, or attention from me or the others would console her .... she kept looking, would realize that Sugar wasn't around, then, another crisis. I finally had to let her go.... then there was my oldest ferret, Dudley. When his special friend Peaches passed away, he lost interest in everything, slowly declined despite the other ferrets and the vet and my efforts, and passed away also. When any of my other ferrets has passed, the others all moped for a few days, but gradually resumed their normal activities. When I or one of the business have been sad, upset, sick, mine all try to comfort the affected one - they lie across a sick member to warm it, I have seen them push food at the ill one, move away from the duck soup to give them access, help the ill one stand upright, or nuzzle and comfort ... when Dudley had a rough recovery after surgery, Peaches only left his side long enough to eat and relieve herself - and when he recovered, she went back to her normal activities, only sleeping with him at night. I can't believe anyone could doubt that they have emotions, and grieve .... [Posted in FML 5511]