Do you leave some of his waste in the litter box so he knows what it is for? You probably already do that basic, but it is almost all that I could think of offhand. Some people safely scent bedding (for example w safe types of essential oils that are allowed to dry fully or with food flavorings like almond, vanilla, rose water, etc.). Doing that causes some ferrets to be less likely to go to the bathroom in it, but that can sometimes backfire if the ferret decides it is the scent of an intruder, depending on the ferret. You can decrease the backfires by wearing the food flavoring as your personal scent or scenting favored toys with it so that it is not considered an intimidating scent. (Heck, women in many area have long ago (or even now) used such scents as their own. It was done by some when my grandmother was young. That, rag curls, brushing 100 strokes (which is to redistribute oils os that hair can be washed less often and done with filmy and absorbent cloth pushed through to the base of the bristles if the hair is too oily or dusty or both, etc.) Some food flavorings stain, so be careful on that score. For example, restrict vanilla extract to the base of your hairline in the back in low amounts. Yeah, there was a time in the long past when I used that and almond when I had a boyfriend who was wild about those smells... BTW, some years ago (10 years or so?) some men were tested to find what scents or scent combo they found more appealing on a woman. A combination of vanilla and cinnamon was what had the most appeal. Whoda guessed it, huh?) Is this ferret intimidated by the others? --- Apartment: you could scent your place w some safe versions of essential oils, or you could look into an air cleaner like you mentioned. Watch out for the electrostatic ones. They can irritate lungs due to producing ozone. There is info on that in the archives. When you use a hepa filter one remember that the scents are removed by the charcoal filter which has to be replaced or washed (depending on filter) more often than the hepa filter. We use Enviracaire hepa filters ourselves since they were most highly recommended by my allergist and my dad-in-law's pulmonologist. Ferrets themselves smell less if they are not washed too often, but bedding can hold odors so needs more often washing. Your neighbors sound HORRID! --- http://www.aecom.yu.edu/home/news/PRdetails.asp?isPR=1&id=372 (Claire requested.) --- With multiple housing building fires a person must respond to the emergency in minutes. Think PILLOWCASES unless you already have a better system in place. Have a carrier all ready, and have your escape routes, but also know that the fastest thing you usually can stuff with supplies to help you and them (meds, foods, etc.) is pillowcases. Just speaking as someone whose building had to be evacuated but luckily the fire (caused by a repair person) was soon under control. On the other hand, a friend could not save anyone but himself in his house fire. All he could do was to try to remember where his (2nd story) window was an run through it because he woke surrounded by flames and smoke. Emergencies vary a lot in how much warning a person gets. When there are ones where there can be warning and evacuations then take them seriously. It pays to know your neighbors! (BTW, knowing ones neighbors also reduces crime rates because the ones who bond watch out for each other and provide their own little version of Neighborhood Watch and if enough do so then a real neighborhood chapter can be started with with local police.) Towns and counties also have ways to help those who do not drive when emergencies occur but you may need to search a bit for the right numbers. BTW, I also don't drive. Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 5711]