Hello all. Russ Hazzon- I can't say much about telling whether a ferret is fixed but I do know that my female does a lot of butt sniffing. Since she is spayed and the ferret she sniffs on is also spayed, I would say it's like dogs, a type of identification. Nothing unusual I would say. I personally wouldn't want to have to sniff someone to know who they were, but if it works for them, so be it. Something sad, funny, interesting happened yesterday. I bought a squeak toy for Alex but she didn't like it because she couldn't get her teeth into very well, so I went back and got her another that is softer and has more available tooth holds on it. Well, she got kinda psychotic when we squeaked it at her, promptly (very gently) grabbed ahold of it and dragged it into a hole she has made in one of our chairs. I wanted to watch her play with it, so I dragged it back out and started squeaking it at her. She rushed to it and made maternal noises at it, like her mother used to do when she was a baby. It was just like she thought this toy (by the way, it's shaped like a high heel slipper) was her baby. Again, she gently grabbed the "baby" and took it under the chair into the hideaway. I was surprised with her behavior because normally, she loves rubber and will tear into it. Also, she's spayed, so I didn't think she would have maternal instincts. It made me feel bad, like she must be really lonely and then I started thinking about if I get another ferret. Is she going to start dragging the new kid around by the scruff of it's neck, sticking him/her into various nests? She doesn't do this with her sister when she comes to visit. Could it just be the squeaky noises the toy was making? I suppose it could sound similiar to a baby ferret. I was totally mystified with her behavior. Has anyone ever had a ferret adopt something as their child? Should I be concerned with a new ferret in the house? Have a great day! Tracy, Matt, and Alex (with new baby in tow) [Posted in FML issue 0976]