Laural, Just a few suggestions if I might. The toilet paper roll can be dangerous to ferrets (as can wrapping paper rolls ect.) Anything large enough for them to get their head in, but not their body. We found out the hard way, finding one of our ferrets on two occasions (a different one each time) with his head stuck in the tube, in a state of shock, bleeding from lacerations on the tongue and mouth, barely breathing. At our house the rule is that all such tubes get ripped lengthwise before disposal. The diarrhea that you discribed is likely from the change in food. When we change foods we do so very gradually. I'd strongly suggest not putting ferretone directly on the food if you plan to leave it out more than a few hours. It does tend to make the food rancid and, from what I've been told by people who've raised ferrets a lot longer then me, breeds bacteria. Kelleen, We went through the same problem with couches - ferret restrooms. Futons work great; and double as a spare bed if you ever have people visiting overnight. Cost a little less than a couch too and the covers are washable. Someone asked about "malnourished" ferrets. If you do have a thin ferret that doesn't seem to gain weight, you might have your vet examine a stool sample for signs of round worm. Easy to treat, but will really do a number on a ferret if not treated. Andre, RE: Ferret teeth cleaning. Trying to scrape a squirming ferret's teeth can lead to injury to the ferret's gums and even infection. There are substances out there that are supposed to make the cleaning easier, but I've never tried them on ours. If they eat a constant diet of the hard kitten food, and an occasional tiny dog bisquet for a treat, it seems to lessen the tartar buildup, but you may have to just fork over the money at some point and have the teeth cleaned before they develop a gum disease or abcess. Dick B. [Posted in FML issue 1359]