To Jen Meyer: My dog was over three years old when he met his first ferret, and they get along just fine. I think it has more to do with the personality and inclinations of the individual dog than the age of the dog. In fact, I don't think I'd be as likely to trust a puppy with a small animal as I would an adult dog. Most puppies are much larger and stronger than most ferrets, and could hurt a ferret during play without intending to. Adult dogs (most anyway) have developed common sense, and realize that they have to take it easy with a smaller critter. I've had a problem with Alfalfa, one of my fuzzies, "snorkeling" in the litter box after I've cleaned it, and he sends litter flying everywhere! I've discovered that he is less likely to do this if I put less litter in the box so it isn;t very deep. The box then needs cleaning more often, but then Tor (my dog) is always willing to help with that! (Yech!) Nicknames: Most of the time we call them Squirts. My female, Clover, is also known as "the stealth ferret," because she always somehow manages to remove the bell from her collar. And she is so good at turning up where you least expect her! (Is this what I've heard called teleporting? But she has black feet!) All the best from the gang: Clover & Alfalfa (fuzzies), Tor (dog), Elsa & Skywalker (cats), Cory (parrot), Tim & Nancy (humans) Cheers... Nancy +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1386]