My sympathies go out to all of you who have recently lost your best friends. I sure wish there was a way we could make them live many more years... I have a problem with one of my "children" that I need help with. Riker, my 13 month old terrorist, lives with his 7 friends in a triplex. He gets very impatient that I don't let him out exactly when he wants out and digs all of the food out of the bowls. This is very annoying to me (I spend a lot for good food!) and for the other 7 who sometimes have to eat off of the floor when he "rearranges" the pen. Riker gets at least 4 hours of exercise daily (chasing me and the other 10 ferrets) and has play toys in the pen. I have tried a hopper but no matter how I secure it, he gets it off the pen. I tried putting a hood over the dish but he still manages to get all of the food out of the bowl. I also have tried putting a very large garnet (rock) into the food bowl. Most of the time he can still dig out the food and several times he has also removed the rock. Does anyone have any suggestions? Yes, I am willing to admit that he is smarter than I am. Also, I am looking for covered litter pans similar to the covered cat boxes but about 1/2 or 1/3 the height. Has anyone seen these for sale? Thanks. -Carla Almaraz Portland, Oregon [Posted in FML issue 1197]