DOH! Just a slip of the typing fingers, i guess. Of course I have babies. Three of them, actually. One long skinny, hairy one; one not too bright, furry one with pointy ears: and one really big goofy one (also pretty furry....). Course, all married women have at least one;) I don't beleive in declawing animals. It really does hurt them and it messes up their equillibrium(sp?). It also deprives them of one of their defenses. Especially if your ferret is descented, you should realize that if he ever escapes, it would be very hard for him to get away from, say, a the neighbor's husky who thinks he's a toy. Chances of finding a lost ferret alive are low enough. Don't make it harder on the fuzzy. The only way I would think declawing would be a good idea would be if it is in the best interest of the animal (NOT the owner, you have responsibilties). AI knew someone whose cats were practically trying to kill eachother, so the owner had them declawed. If it is better for the animal's safety, then consider that top priority. About Bitter Apple: I've heard a lot of people talk about trying bitter apple to keep a ferret out of a certain corner or to keep them from clawing up a door. Bitter Apple is a product that tastes bad and is used to teach them not to bite. It will not keep them away from somewhere. You have to try 'Get Off my Garden'. (Well, it probably won't help either, but you might as well throw your money away on the right product:) It may also be called something like Indoor "NO", or 'Indoor/outdoor pet repellant(doesn't that sound terrible?) Oh yeah, I thought the Borg quote was great, too! Indeed, resistance is futile.... Bye for now! -Barbara *********************************************************************** | your name here | | [log in to unmask] | *********************************************************************** [Posted in FML issue 1349]