Chris - Sorry to be so late in responding. Retching and vomiting, or gagging can occur with blockage. Distension fo the bowel often causes vomiting, even if the distention is in the rectum. It's tough to say what you saw, but the signs would have been compatible with marked bowel distention - the same signs that we see with blockage. It's good that he has passed whatever it was - (I know this sounds distasteful, but in a case like that, you should pick up the stool and pick it apart in a bowl of water - that way you can see if there is a foreign material or hair that he is passing. When my ferrets have pased objects (usually rubber or plastic bags - even though we are SO careful), they usually are sick for 12-24 hours prior, may pass some loose stools (occasionally with a little blood), and gagging is not uncommon. But after they pass it, within an hour, they are their old selves again. I caustion everyone - don't throw out those abnormal stolls without going through them and seeing if their is any foreign material in them. It may sound "gross", but it can tell you if your ferret is eating somethin it shouldn't. Bruce Williams, DVM Department of Veterinary Pathology [log in to unmask] Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (202) 576-2453/2454 Washington, D.C. 20306-6000 [Posted in FML issue 0937]