It's been a long and nerve-wracking day for me. Allow me a brief introduction. I was first introduced to the joys of owning a ferret 20 some years ago, back when there were still arguments about what kind of shots, etc etc etc. As luck would have it, I was allergic to my little guy. I painstakingly found a good home with a breeder for him, where I hear he became quite the young stud. Being that I am also allergic to cats, and keep 5 of the critters.. I now get weekly shots. So what's one more tiny allergen on top of all the rest? And so I took the plunge again and bought a wonderful little guy (may he rest in peace) after Christmas. Yes, he died. Very suddenly. No warning. We buried him instead of having an autopsy though. His death left such an empty void in my heart.. And so I entered the joys of ferret owning again.. only better armed this time, thanks to the FML and the Ferret FAQ's online. (Thanks to all the kind folks who provide this service.) Monty joined our family on April 17, 1996. A bouncing baby boy. Enter Sylvia on May 4, 1996. Both are Marshall Farms ferrets, and both were 6 - 7 weeks when I bought them.. which puts Sylvia around 12 weeks now, weighing in today at 1.2 pounds. :) When my husband went for the evening ferret time last night, little Sylvia was limping. Her tiny front leg dragging along as she moved about. Undaunted, she still wanted to play. This morning, I took her into the vet's. X-rays showed that she had fractured both of those tiny little bones above the paw. The vet said he would need to put her to sleep ( gas would be the easiest for her) long enough to splint her leg. He called a short while back to say she was ready to come home. :) :) :) So far, she seems to be tolerating the splint well. He is hoping to get three weeks from this splint. I've set her in a separate, single story cage for the time being. I know Monty misses her already. I have Bitter Apple handy in the event she decides to start gnawing on the splint. I would love to hear from any of you that have had the experience of having a little fuzzie splinted. Advice for keeping her calm would be GREATLY appreciated. She really wants to play. Do these kinds of fractures heal well? We have no idea what happened. Monty and Sylvia have a ferret cage from Midwest.. mostly plastic, not wire mesh. I keep the bottom lined with old flannel nightgowns and I use Yesterday's News for litter ( keeps the sneezing down when the little fuzzies decide to go digging.) I have three different hammocks and sleep sacks hanging around for sleep and play. We can only think either she got caught up somehow and pulled too hard.. or possibly fell from an upper level. And how can I keep Monty consoled through the recovery period? When we first bought Sylvia, I introduced them slowly. When she was away, he literally seemed to pine for her. Her absence will upset him I am sure. The vet anticipates 5 - 6 weeks of keeping her activity level on the quiet side. *sigh* You know.. I knew Sylvia would be a handful. She's so inquisitive and eager to get into everything. Something tells me this is but the first of several trips to the vet for her. The splint is a very pretty shade of hot pink though. :) I just hope my nails can survive this all. I was terribly worried about the anesthesia part.. she's only a baby. I'm just delighted that she is allright and thankful for all of you for the insight and help this mailing provides. I guess even a ferret proofed house is still not assurance of injury. Trish Monty (Hey... it's lonely! Where is my Sylvieeeee????) Sylvia ( Who drags her splint around in a most ladylike fashion) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Susan "Trish" Ny ConFurence East 1996 11037 Henning Dr Nov 15, 16, 17 Chardon, Oh 44024-9796 Home Page: http://www.tigerden.com 216-285-2207 email: [log in to unmask] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [Posted in FML issue 1585]