I have heard stories of ferrets getting themselves caught between the shell of a sleepsack and its lining, and suffocating as a result, but I never knew of anyone who had it happen. All the stories were just that - stories that were unverifiable. Well, today I almost had a tragedy. Baby ferrets (like 3 to 5 weeks old) are great at destroying bedding. They are at an age where they want to chew on things. And, I currently have a litter that will be 4 weeks old on Friday. I noticed last night that one of them was chewing on the corner of their sleepsack, and checked it and found no hole - yet. Today I came out to check on the babies, and found no mommy, but I could hear a gasping sound. I opened the cage, and grabbed up the sleepsack. She was definitely in it, and in-between the lining and the shell. I tried to find the hole, but when I did, it was too small for me to reach in through, so I just ripped the sleepsack open. Momma was limp and gasping for air, but alive. Then I noticed one of the babies was missing, and started tearing the sleepsack apart even more, until I found him. He was also limp but breathing. He actually recovered more quickly than mom, probably because he was so much smaller. I suspect that momma went in-between the lining and shell to rescue the baby, and got herself trapped. She was on the opposite side from where the hole was, and it appeared she had been trying to claw her way out of that side. So, the bottom line is, always check bedding for holes, and either repair the holes or throw them out. I am just very lucky I found momma and baby when I did. I suspect in another 5 or 10 minutes, momma might have been dead. Fortunately, this is a story with a happy ending. Danee DeVore ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more information visit: <http://www.ferretadv.com> http://www.ferretadv.com ADV - Find out how you can help: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/ [Posted in FML 7073]