A recent poster criticized me for not taking Scooter to the vet immediately when he displayed a strange urinary behavior, and asking the list instead. Although it may have looked like I was being lazy or cheap at the expense of my ferret's health, I want to emphatically deny any such impression anyone may have. Scooter did something weird, but I suspected it was behavioral. Therefore, I sought the advice of other ferret owners about whether they had observed a similar behavior in other whole males (they had). That question being answered, Scooter would have been rushed to the vet if the answer had given me reason to be concerned; Scooter did not ever seem to not make it to the box; he just dribbled a lot and started peeing on the furniture. This struck me as being behavioral; a "marking my territory" kind of thing. Other ferret owners confirmed that their whole males had done the same thing. If I rushed to the vet every time Scooter did something odd, I would soon be broke and unable to pay for actually-needed treatment should a true problem arise. By the same token, if I became truly worried about Scooter, we'd be at the vet in no time flat. I love my ferret dearly. He's the focal point of much of my life, and one of my closest friends. I would never neglect his health, either out of laziness or cheapness. To do so would be to betray the trust he has placed in me as his provider and caretaker. Chris von Seggern Bellingham, WA I am Ferret of Borg Bitter Apple is Irrelevant Litterboxes are Irrelevant Your Socks will be Assimilated [Posted in FML issue 0883]