Hi! I'm Natalie. I'm a 24-year-old graduate student, and I I recently adopted my first ferret, a 12-week-old sable female named Petunia (or "Patty"). I have done a lot of research and read the Ferret FAQ, but after spending a few days with my kit, I still have some questions. 1. My house is very small, and I've spend hours ferretproofing, but I still have a lot of anxiety about letting Patty play by herself while I study. I know she needs a lot of stimulation and time outside her cage, and I know how important it is to interact with her. But I'd like some reassurance that I don't have to watch her every second for her to be safe. 2. The pet store had her on Marshall food. I'm trying to get more animal protien into her diet and eventually switch her to an organic food, but she doesn't seem to want anything but Marshall's. So far she's turned up her nose at fresh chicken livers, chicken broth, raisins and kitten food. How do I help her enjoy a wider variety of food? 3. I spend several hours every day playing with Patty , but when I put her back in her cage, she gets really upset. She starts rattling the bars and barking and generally making me feel sad & guilty. I can't let her run free while I'm at work, so how can I make her time in "bed" easier for her? Would a bigger cage help, or more toys, or different toys? Maybe music or TV during the day? Right now she has a jingle ball, some hard plastic chew toys, and a ferret chew in there. That's all for now, but I'm sure I'll have more questions in the next few weeks. Thank you all for your help and happy ferreting! --Natalie [Posted in FML 6583]