My ferrets seem to be adjusting okay which is a good thing. I was a little worried for a while. What I have noticed is that there are no books readily available nor much information about ferret _behavior_... and what they do and why they do things... like cats and the way they move their tails as signs of moods etc... For instance, my two girls have a habit sometimes when I try to stroke them to turn and try to bite which I have heard as being interpreted as a playful motion for a ferret, to turn and nip and then wrestle, quite difficult since my hand dont move in weasel ways... and then they sometimes jump backwards as if alarmed, still being cautious about being around me as they are still getting used to me and me them. So. What kinds of things can I try to do with them that they will interpret as playful? What kinds of things can I do to interact with them in a playful manner to help them get to know me etc...? Secondly, Helen happens to be a bit of a carpet biter... pulling up strands and eating em or something... so I have been giving her some kittymalt in hopes that that will alleviate any hairball or intestinal blockage problems. However, it is not going to stop her from munching. What can I do to try to stop t his type of behavior? For one, I dont want my carpet ruined, it comes out of my sec. deposit if it gets real bad... (its nowhere near noticeable now) and second, I know its bad for them too. I tried some bitter lime but they actually seem to LIKE the darned stuff!! Thirdly, they have been scratching lots lately which appears to be a case of dry skin. I bought some FerretSheen with Aloe and Jojoba in it which should help but asthey are still becoming acquainted with me, it may be difficult to bathe and shampoo them... what is the best way to go about getting this done in as stress-free (for the ferrets and me) manner possible? I have been trying to train them to poop in one corner of the room and have been leaving a single piece in the box as a reminder to them as I have heard from here and elsewhere that this isa good method. Unfortunately they seem to go in whatever corner they darned well please and I have tried hanging around and waiting for them to poop and then picking them up and putting them in thebox and then rewarding with linatone. This works to a point but... sheesh they're smart. They actually waited for me to leave the room tonight and then proceeded to go poop right next to the litterbox... I know someone out there has been havingtroublew ith a little "poopinator" as well. If anyone can suggest any other ways besides what I am trying now, to reinforce this preferable behavior please let me know. (ifnotI will just get more litterboxes orsomething *chuckle*) Also, can someone email me the phone number or address for a ferret toy catalog? Thanks muchly! Dave Welch Helen & Ceridwen [Posted in FML issue 1310]