TO: Denise Coldeway (and anyone who wants to know an easy way to ... RE: Nail-clipping ("theirs", not ours) FROM: Colleen Wei Hi. I printed and kept your note re: medicine-giving for my future reference. In turn, since you mentioned nail clipping as a hassle, I thought I'd tell you how I do it not only hassle-free but almost enjoyable. I hold the ferret in my lap with his/her back to me and he/she bending at their "waist" with their upper body leaning against my tummy. (Understand? Gee if I could show you -- a picture truly is worth a thousand words!) Anyway, then I put a few drops of linatone on their tummy, they bend their head down and lick away, totally absorbed while I go through their paws one at a time, careful to keep them "propped" when lifting their front paws since they're using those for balance. I use human nail clippers (found these to be best for control and seeing exactly where I'm cutting. But have to be careful to not nick their toe pads with the curved cutting edge of the clipper.) The first time for some ferrets takes a few seconds to get them to stop wiggling and see the linatone. But after that, nail clipping truly becomes practically cuddle-time. They sit there licking and not caring an iota what's going on or not going on with their paws. Most times I finish before they do and then when I go on to the next (they line up at my feet!) I put the one down with his back in the corner so the walls or door jamb lend support and he just sits there licking for a few more minutes. It's really cute and funny after a few of them to see this group/row of ferrrets all "sitting on their backs", bent in half, leaning against the wall, examining their tummies. Of course it works against me too. They ask to be put in my lap to get their nails clipped (well I know they're really asking for linatone), even when nail clipping isn't on my agenda. I could just be picking them up to cuddle or simply sitting in the room where I usually clip; they come in and look up at me and lick their lips until I melt and pick them up, then they automatically slump into the sitting position and wait for the linatone on their tummy. But if I feel they've already had too much linatone I won't give it to them, then they just sit in my lap in that bent position waiting. It gets really hard not to overdose them on linatone! Colleen Wei [Posted in FML issue 0630]