To Geri- Re: what to use at the bottom of the cage? We use a pellet-like litter made out of recycled newspapers. One version of this is called "Yesterday's Mews" (a cat product my felines won't tolerate); another is called "Good News" or something similar. These pellets are dustless and odor-absorbing. Persephone doesn't dig and throw them the way she does with other litters. If you have difficulty finding it, send me email and I'll send you the address. To Leonard: Re interactions of other species with ferrets. Your cat story was great- My Siamese plays a chase game with Persephone in which they alternate who is chasing whom. It is really a sight to watch, but yours sounds better. I just wanted to warn you about the parrot. My vet is a devoted ferret person and always has a couple of his own. When he got married, his wife had a parrot. They didn't think this was a problem as the ferret had gotten along with other animals well. The ferret killed the parrot shortly after they moved in together. It sounds like yours are antagonistic as well. I hope it works out OK. Paula and Persephone (and Pangur and Magla- the cats) [Posted in FML issue 0526]