To Paula: >From the tip of his tail to about the middle it is sparse and skinny >looking. If it were at the base of his tail, where it attached to his >posterior, I would think adrenal disease, but it is from the middle to the >tip! Another docent mentioned noticing him chewing on it. Slinky ... >weight and generally be in ill health over the summer. At that time they >were seperated and are still in seperate cages even though Fearless is >better now. Hunter is much younger at 7 months and is aggressive toward >the other two, and has been caged alone since he has been at the zoo. Paula - while unsightly, this isn't a serious problem. Ferrets lose their tail hair when sick, stressed, or often during the shedding cycle. It generally grows bak, unless caused by a systemic illness. Bob, our 5-year-old with cardiomyopathy, has the same problem, but we not even thinking about it - the heart problem is far more serious. I would suggest putting Slinky and Fearless back together and see what hapens - that may relieve the stress and put him back on the road to recovery.... -- Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP Department of Veterinary Pathology [log in to unmask] Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (202) 782-2600/2602 Washington, D.C. 20306-6000 [Posted in FML issue 1335]