Garrison, I personally feel that descenting ferrets is unnecessary unless the glands become infected or the ferret is constantly scenting. If the procedure is not properly done, the ferret may have trouble controlling his bowel movements. (If the sphyncter (sp?) muscle is cut by accident.) A ferret will only spray if frightened or threatened. Descenting doesn't have anything to do with the smell of a ferret, but neutering certainly does. An unneutered ferret will smell very strongly and have a greasy feel to it's coat. I say skip the descenting. Jacqueline, The "flat ferret" syndrome is common in ferrets. Mine all do that when they are playing. They run around, stop, flatten out for a few seconds, and start running again. Panting is never a good sign in ferrets. It can mean overheating or heart problems, but I don't think Stanley is panting actually when you are playing with him but just making a panting sound which is normal for ferrets in their "attack mode". Cindy Sooy [Posted in FML issue 0856]