I wonder, what is the "natural" length of a ferret's claws? Some I've seen have had very long curved ones, which may of course be convenient for climbing trees, but I tend to think a free-running ferret's claws would erode about the same as a dog: When walking on a floor, you shouldn't hear them. My guess is that long claws are more indicative of a reluctance to cut them often. Just who is most reluctant, the owner or the ferret, is debatable. [But ferrets aren't normally allowed to run on materials as abrasive as a dog does, and of course, we discourage them from scratching at the carpets, furniture and floors.] As a side note, have you noticed that the claw growth ratio in ferrets is the same as in humans? Front:rear 4:1. -- Urban Fredriksson [log in to unmask] ( [log in to unmask] ) [Posted in FML issue 0282]