Hi all! This is my first post to FML, I just hope it goes well :>). I have read the FAQ, the past weeks postings, and a book on ferrets, but still have a few questions. My ferRAT is named Ottoman (Simpson's reference). I know they are not rodents, but sometimes ... I wonder. I got him 2 weeks ago and he was 6 weeks old. He has all the necessary vaccines and operations to make him pet worthy and not stud worthy. After that wonderful introduction here are my questions: 1) I have been feeding him Marshall ferret food. Most things I have read talk generally about food, I am just wondering if people's experience specifically with this brand have been good. And anyone with any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. 2) Most things I have read say you should give your fuzzy friend a couple of drops of ferratone a day, while on the bottle it says kits should get 4 squirts of ferratone (alot more than a couple of drops) a day. I think it was in the FAQ where I read that too much ferratone could be a bad thing. Could someone please tell me what the correct dosage should be. 3) My little bugger has a biting problem, he never stops. From the minute I take him out he tries to bite everything. I have tried everything: a) yelling when it hurts. (He just seems to ignore it) b) saying NO! loudly in his face (Just looks around and continues) c) hitting him on the nose when saying NO! (he thinks I am playing and starts to bite harder) d) dragging by his scruff and hissing (bites harder) e) time out in the cage. (gets upset, runs around his cage whining, when I finally let him out he still continues his biting) This is starting to get frustrating and worse ( he is starting to bite harder more often). I play with him 4 to 5 hours a day at least and he is constantly held by myself and my girlfriend. Any time I am around he is allowed to explore my room, but most of the time I end up playing with him. He likes to play rough, which is why I think the nose flicking did no good. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. 4) I had originally gotten him some normal non-clumping litter. This stuff was awful. It did no good and I had to change the entire box almost every day. I just bought the clumping kind and think it is great. I read in the faq that this could cause problems in some ferrets. How common is it that ferrets have problems caused by this type of litter, and am I making a serious mistake by using it. It makes my life easier, but if I endanger him I will use something else. Anyone with good suggestions on litter would be helpful. He lives with me in my small room, and I need to be able to clean his litter box easily and control the smell. The first litter drove people away from my room ,the second works great, but again I don't want to put him in danger. 5) A friend of mine has 4 ferrets and said that 2 ferrets make a happy ferret. She said she could get 1 year olds for me for free. I want to wait until Otto gets to be 1 year old before I get another. Will this be a problem, if he has lived alone for a year and then I get another? THanks in advance to all who help me. I am looking forward to being a long time ferret owner. For every once of frustration he causes, he makes up for it with a ton of fun and love. I love pets and can't wait to get my own place to continues my already long list of pets: deceased: 2 cats, 2 dogs, 2 hamsters present: 2 iguanas, 1 ferret Thanks, Sean Marrinan CAIP Center Rutgers University [Posted in FML issue 1239]