To Tanya and Ted: Oops, I forgot the last of your questions. Irregular heartbeats are not uncommon in ferrets, and most make no difference in young animals. If he had just developed one and was an older ferret, I would be more concerned. During the neutering, you may want to have your vet hook up the EKG (many do anyway during surgery to monitor heartbeats), and take a look at the patterns, jsut to be on the safe side. 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 1066]