I know that I have read in many places that pine shavings are bad for ferrets' respiratory systems. My question is: Are pine shavings still dangerous if they are below the grate in a typical ferret cage where the ferret cannot actually stick his head in them? Finnegan's cage is lined with linoleum (very easy to clean) & the other day I noticed a particularly bad smell. I cleaned his box, but that wasn't the source. The smell was coming from under the linoleum, in the drop pan. A bunch of Finn's food had fallen into the pan-- no big deal. But his water bottle leaks, and the combination was pretty rancid. I was considering putting some shavings down there to absorb the excess moisture, & thereby solve the problem. Since the shavings won't be moving a lot, there shouldn't be a great amount of pine odor being emmited. Any thoughts or comments? Thanks once again! Elfyr & Finnegan [Posted in FML issue 1259]