Hi guys, I've just been lurking since I wrote about Silk's balding. Turns out it is probably an adrenal enlargement or tumor. We could have opted for surgery or tissue-killing drugs, but at his age (nearly 7), our vet said he probably wouldn't get much extra time, and the treatments would be pretty traumatic for the little guy. For now, he's healthy except for the hair loss. We're adding some canned food to his kibble to try to add a little weight. The point of this is that we're facing the fact that Silk's not going to be here forever, and do we want another ferret. Answer following soul search: YES! And this time we want to know what we're doing. We also want a sweetheart like Silk, not an aggressive and somewhat wild one like our late ook LaFitte. We also would like to avoid pet shops, as the one in our area that sells ferrets has an abyssmal animal neglect and cruelty record (I don't want to give them money!). Who in the midwest raises really good, healthy, sociable ferrets? Do any of the famous eastern breeders ship, other than to pet stores? Are sables more aggressive than the "fancy" colors? (most of the sweeties I've known have NOT been sable). How do males & females differ in temperament? I've ordered the general info packet, but I'd like lots of personal anecdotal info from the people on this list who love and live with ooks. You can mail me personally if you don't want to clutter the list. Thanks for the help, Wendy [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 0648]