Hi all! 1. Have you had Randy checked to make sure he's not blind? I have a ferret who has no fear of heights and sometimes takes a tumble. When we adopted Baron von Ferret from the shelter, he had cataracts in both eyes and has very bad eyesight now. He will probably be totally soon. I've read that not all cataracts are visible. Maybe the vet should check him? 2. Our shelter uses a couple of drops of Children's Vitamin C liquid to help ward off any bugs that are going around. But be aware that too much Vitamin C for ferrets could probably cause the same reaction that it does in people - diarrhea. 3. In 1988, my job transferred me from New Mexico to California. Of course I had ferrets. I freaked out and cried for days! I too smuggled my ferrets successfully into the FFZ. We had a 160 pound Bullmastiff dog sitting next to me in the front seat who captured the attention of the inspector. Is it worth the risk of possibly having your ferret killed at the border? From documented reports, they are pretty inhumane when they kill ferrets at the border. If you try to smuggle ferrets across the border, remember that the inspection station to watch out for is the "agricultural inspection station." I've never seen one located directly on the border and are usually 1 to 10 miles into California. Even though my ferrets are precious to me, having them live is more important. I don't think I could try to smuggle them in again. It would kill ME to have them destroyed! Call the California Domestic Ferret Association or Ferrets Anonymous for up to date info about California. P.S. I DO NOT live in a FFZ now! 4. Baby gates - I've had a total of 14 ferrets in 6 years (11 currently). Thirteen of them just tried to climb the baby gate. Number 14 (also known as Riker or D.S, whichever is more appropriate at the time) is intent to destroy the soft, rubbery ends on the baby gate. I've tried Bitter Apple (he licks it off) and hot stuff (he paws it off before chewing on the rubber). Any suggestions? 5. Dr. Kawasaki in Woodbridge, Virginia would be an excellent choice for surgery. Good luck. - Carla Almaraz [Posted in FML issue 0976]