DISTEMPER: Do not blame the Chicago show for the distemper problem. THe ferrets in question 'were' vaccinated by a vet AND appear to have been appropriately vaccinated. The timing is right for the infection to have occured in Chicago but that is not a certainty. Regardless vaccines are NOT 100% successful. They typically are (I believe) only around 85% effective. If a ferret gets a heavy exposure to Canine Distemper Virus there is a chance it will get infected. This applies to Fervac wwhich HAS been tested in ferrets. The effectiveness of the others such as Fromm-D and Galaxy-D is certain to be no higher and possibly but not certainly lower. The 85% effective rate is for tested vaccines (I'm pretty sure I heard Imrab was 86% effective in ferrets and 85% in dogs and have been told that other vaccines fit in the same range, if some one KNOWS the correct figures I'm sure we'd like to know for Fervac-D). The judges at the ferret show who examined all the shown ferrets did not see an animal that appeared sick. The vet who did the vet check did not see a sick ferret. But a ferret could shed the virus without showing any symptoms. The virus in this case could also have come from a sick dog at a interstate rest stop. It is unknown. No other distemper cases have been reported ferrets that were at the Chicago show. MINK & POLECATS: Bob seems much more authoritative on the issue so I'm revising my understanding of the domesticity and Mink issue. The ones I've come across are down right mean though. But Polecats... The closest wild relative of the domestic ferret is the European polecat. There are those who cross breed ferrets and polecats - I'm staying out of this since I do not want wild animal strains in my ferrets but this has gone on for many years in England. I understand that there are some of the differences between ferrets and polecats that Bob discussed between ferrets and polecats. The polecats I've personally seen do appear differently around the head and ears. TEMPERATURE FOR FERRETS: Ferrets actually thrive better at temperatures BELOW what is the normal room temperature. It is probably better to keep ferrets in rooms with lower temperatures than people are comfortable in. Ferrets can survive in the warmer temperatures but are not as comfortable just as people can survive in hundred degree farenheit (fifty something celcius?). We keep our ferrets cooler and have little problem with disease - fortunate maybe or possibly we're taking a good approach. bill and diane killian zen and the art of ferrets [Posted in FML issue 1382]