To Russ, concerning ear mites: Russ - the stinging that your ferret probably felt is the esult of a mildly abraded ear following days of ear cleaning (which is often unavoidable if you're doing a thorough job, followed by instillation of ear mite drops (which generally are alcohol based and will sting a bit. You are cleaning the ear the way it is supposed to be done. Put a little of the ear cleaner (which dissolves the wax) in the ear and massage. Let it sit for about a minute. Your ferret will probably shakes it's head, sending wax all over you and the floor. Use a Q-tip and gently collect the rest of the wax from the ear canal. You won't hit the ear drum, as the ferrets ear canal is roughly L-shaped - you will just be cleaning the vertical part of the canal. After you have cleaned the wax, put the ear drops in. Make sure that the fluids that you are using are body temperature - put them in your shirt or picket for a few minutes before using. No one likes cold water in their ears!!!! Clean every day for a week to 10 days, stop for a week, and go again for another week to take care of mites. If your problem is just dirty ears (some ferrets have a lot of wax - just use the ear wax remover (also called a cerumenolytic) once a week. Re: hairball medication - If you give a lot of this stuff, you will see loose stools. Ferrets that get it regularly generally have no problems with it. Remember, your ferret may be getting into something else that can cause loose stools, also. Try discontinuing the Laxatone for a day or two and see if the stools firm back up. P.S. We use a product called "Nature's Miracle" for cleaning our white rugs. Bruce Williams, DVM Department of Veterinary Pathology [log in to unmask] Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (202) 782-2600/2602 Washington, D.C. 20306-6000 [Posted in FML issue 0975]