Hi all. I'm looking for some advice about Buddy. Some of you may recall that I got Buddy last May, and was concerned that he didn't seem very playful (especially based on what I was hearing about other ferrets). He seemed to like crawling around in things, but almost completely ignored the toys I bought for him, with the exception of occasionally wrestling a tennis ball. I could some- times get him ferret-dancing by chasing him and tagging him, while saying "I'm gonna getcha. Gotcha! Gotcha!". Most times, though, he would just crawl away, no doubt wanting to avoid the 'crazy human' :). I thought having another ferret around to play with might help, so in October I bought Cassidy. For the first week or so Buddy didn't like her, but then suddenly his attitude turned around and they began playing together fairly regularly, wrestling, ferret-dancing, and generally following each other around. This lasted for a couple of months, but gradually tapered off. I haven't seen Buddy ferret-dance in at least a few weeks now. He still seems quite healthy, eats and eliminates normally, and wanders around exploring, and crawling through things, but he seems to have no interest in playing with Cassidy anymore, and moves away if she tries to play with him. He doesn't seem to want to play tag with me anymore either, though he used to do this only occasionally anyway. It was so good to see him enjoying Cassidy's company so much at first, I hate to see him again seeming to become so bored with life. Also, I'm sure Cassidy would like it more if Buddy would play with her again; she's quite affectionate and *very* playful. It's getting so I'm considering getting *another* ferret to keep Cassidy happy. Does anyone have any suggestions for bringing Buddy out of his shell? I'm thinking maybe I should have the vet check him out, except Buddy has *always* been very reserved (anyone else ever hear of a reserved ferret?). He was also rather nervous when I first got him, but gradually became comfortable around me (he's still nervous with strange people/places/situations). I have no idea how the people who owned him before me treated him; maybe his current behavior was because of how he was handled when young (mistreated? caged all the time?). Any ideas anyone? I hate to think my little boy isn't happy. John, Buddy, and Cassidy [Posted in FML issue 0427]