Charlie in reference to you question about taurine I unfortunately have had some experience with taurine deficiency (according to my vet). "Taurine" as defined in Webster's dictionary is " a crystalline compound occurring in the muscle juices of invertebrates...the word comes from taurus which means bull because it was first found in the bile of an ox." It has been found that taurine deficiency in cats has caused blindness and heart problems. This is were I get to the unfortunate part. My first ferret Hun-Hun was given dry dog food for the first year of his life. I got Hun-Hun from my nephew who had been feeding him what the pet store had been feeding him and that was dog food (not even puppy food!) I had started to notice that Hun-Hun was running into things and the first vet I took him to could only tell me he was going blind but not the reason why. The second vet diagnosed taurine deficiency and started him on a supplement but by that time the damage had already been done. He also had developed a heart problem called cardiomyopathy due to insufficient taurine. Of course I started feeding him high quality kitten food but I still blame myself in a way for not getting more information about ferrets and nutrition. So please look for taurine in any kitten food you feed your baby. I have found that some of the so called ferret food lacks taurine as does dog food. The Iams dry kitten food does have taurine since that is what I feed my two ferrets. Of course it is a possibility that Hun-Hun's illnesses were not from the lack of taurine but why take that chance. I only wish that I had known about this ferret list a few years ago because I have learned so much from everyone. Also Charlie about Xmas trees and how dangerous they could be, I would highly recommend that you keep Jazmine away from it. I have read that the pine tar and water that the tree stands in could be toxic to cats. And certainly ingesting pine cones and needles can cause intestinal blockage. So please keep an eye on that baby, they are just too precious to lose! Well I hope this hasn't been too long..... Judy and two very much loved ferrets, Weezul and Teebone. [Posted in FML issue 0665]