Hi Inge, It sounds like five little ferrets were very lucky to have you to love them so much! I have just returned to FML after a few years' break, also hoping to read more about older ferrets because my girl will be 10 years old next April!! She's only in the past 6 months started to show her age and now it's like living with a little old lady - she can't see very well, sleeps a lot, can no longer climb the stairs, is incontinent (I may have to invent some ferret diapers!), and has her good and bad days. But she eats like a horse and has no obvious health problems, so I think she'll outlive us all. I'm sure it makes a difference that she is of European stock (we live in Germany) because none of the ferrets I had in the States made it past age 5 without a major illness (also all rescues except one). I feel so fortunate to finally have experienced a healthy ferret. It's nice to be back and Roxie says HI to you all! Emily PS Thank you to Pam for the brilliant ice scraper idea!! We are currently using a stovetop scraper with a razor blade and that can get kind of yucky... [Posted in FML 6484]