To Cynthia, Regarding ageing ferrets: We had a ferret who died at about age 8. When he was about 6 1/2, he started having trouble on linoleum floors. When he was 7, he avoided the kitchen and bathroom altogether, because his back feet would slip out to the sides. Once, he actually got "stuck" in the middle of the kitchen, and looked imploringly at me to rescue him. Our vet decided that since he was otherwise fine, and his quality of life was high, the appropriate treatment was to prescribe steroids to give him some muscle strength. Liver damage wasn't seen to be a problem, since he was at the end of his lifespan, anyway. I forget the exact steroid, but we gave him 1/4 of a pill, crushed up in milk or honey, or embedded in a raisin. The results were remarkable. Only ten days after we started him on the steroids, he was motoring through the kitchen and bathroom, making up for lost time. It definitely improved his enjoyment of his final months. [Posted in FML issue 0416]