Amy -- (or, one of the Amy's... <G>) You asked about waxy buildup in ferrets ears -- as far as I know, all ferrets seem to have a bit of a problem with ear wax, and this is probably what it is. However, a buildup of a black waxy substance can also indicate ear mites. Best thing to do, I think, is to regularly clean your ferrets ears, and look at the debris you remove -- it if moves, there's likely ear mites. But the waxy substance itself is not neccesarily serious. Use Q-tips & peroxide -- you may need to hold the ferret by the scruff of its neck to keep it still enough to do this without hurting him/her. I am not sure how often you need to do this... my vet told me I should be doing it every week, but I don't actually do it that often. Every few weeks seems often enough to me, but I bet it differs from ferret to ferret. -Rochelle [Posted in FML issue 0564]