Hello everyone! I've been looking in for the last month or so, but this is my first posting! My fiance Scott and I have two little guys, Oakey and Mojo. Oakey was our first ferret... he's about 9 months old now... he's a lean sable that we bought from a local pet store in upstate NY. He has two blue dots on his right ear, and we suspect that he might be a "Marshall Farm Ferret". He's been very healthy so far, nothing unusual... are there any particular conditions that we should be aware of, or should we not worry about it? Oakey is a sweetie, when he's not trying to pull down the phone by the phone cord... he loves to grab it in his teeth when I'm on the couch talking on the phone, or to watch it sproing up and down over the table edge. We're very comfortable with him around the house, and are confident that he would never nip at anyone. He loves to chase and wrestle with us and his little bro... his mission in life is to successfully dart past us and explore the mysteries of the basement... the final frontier. Mojo, however, is another story! He's about 6 months old and is already quite a bruiser. He's very muscular and especially furry... when we got him at Path Valley farm in southern PA, they called him a silver mitt, but we're not sure what color he is... a mix of white, gray, black, and yellow, with white paws, and black eyes... really beautiful and affectionate. Mojo is extremely playful, and rowdy... and needs to be playing with someone at all times. It's really fantastic that he loves us so much... but he has recently decided to get our attention by tugging at the wires from the computer, if we're working on the PC. The place where the computer is isn't easily blocked off from everywhere else. This is a recent activity. We've been letting the ferrets run the house much more lately (they have a room to themselves normally). Needless to say... it nearly gives me a heart attack to see Mojo with his teeth so close to electric current! He hasn't left any marks on the outside wire... so I don't think he presses hard. He is a much more nippy ferret... he's gotten better with people, and has his chew-toys, but this behaviour with the cord really bothers me. We're planning on trying bitter apple.. but it would give us some peace of mind to hear that other ferrets haven't bit through wires, and any suggestions would be helpful. Also, I've read in the FAQ and here about hairballs, and misc. swallowed objects. Mojo always has a dry cough, and sometimes coughs up his Iams after he first eats it, but doesn't seem to be bothered by it much. We thought that he just didn't chew enough, or he wasn't drinking enough water. Could this be happening because he has a hairball, or a blockage. He's been coughing since he was a kit, so I don't think he just swallowed something. Is there a specific hairball remedy that someone has found to be the best for ferrets? Thanks in advance for the advice! Kim, Scott, Oakey & Mojo [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1119]