Hi! Would like to first mention that I made the trip down to Manhattan Sunday with only a few problems (missed my exit big time!). I met Linda, her husband? and Sandy (or was it Nancy?, sorry...I'm horrible with people names!) at Linda's place. There were six fuzzies still there waiting for transport and I was quite anxious to see which two were mine. Linda had mentioned that I'd be picking up a 6 mo dark sable gib and a 2 year albino sprite. She also mentioned that they were in the same cage and sorta got along. They'd temporarily named them Bud (have to draw out the u!) and Spotty. Names are now Cocoa and Crystal(as in Sugar). Cocoa was absolutely gorgeous & very friendly, if not a bit wary of Crystal. He's around 3 lbs, good teeth, paws looked fine (if not a bit big!), very little evidence of his recent neutering...with one of the softest coats of fur I've felt in a fuzzy! I was very pleased to note the wonderful condition he was in. Crystal was a different story. I'm so happy to be able to help this little girl. She weighes just a bit over a pound, has yellowish fur (shaved in the tummy) and several bite(???) wounds in her side. One of her ears is a little ripped and I think one of her canines has the very tip broken off. Also looked like a rash on her side where she'd been shaved to expose the bite wounds. She was very protective of her bed and personal space, lashing out at Cocoa when he came near. But she'd allow people to touch her, pet her and pick her up. She'd even try to 'grab' a person and drag him/her around. Linda was kind enough to provide me with a spare carrier due to the squabbling between the two. She also insisted I take Crystal's bed. Some kind soul also donated a tube of Nutri-Cal...thank you whoever you are. I brought a teddy bear for I also had time to stop by and say hi to Troy Lynn. She seemed to be more attached to Cocoa and Crystal than Linda was! Was nice to put a face to the voice/emails. The trip was very uneventful and I had the two fuzzies in my place by 6:30 Sunday evening. Both of them must have been 'holding it' the whole trip, as the carriers were clean & my bathroom floor got it almost right away *grin* Was a real wonder that both fuzzies were willing to play the towel game! They dooked, danced (mostly Cocoa...but Crystal is super cute when she hop/dances) and Cocoa was eager to wrestle(gently) with me. Crystal is getting Micatin for her bite marks and they're looking better already...though the whole area is red and swollen. Since I have mondays off, they were allowed to explore the rest of the place then. Both of them loved plastic sacks, running through tubes and chasing the feather-fishing pole. Cocoa is real good at that! He beats my other fuzzies on cornering and speed. Not to mention the pounding the floor gets!! Neither one seem to adapt at eating/drinking out of J-feeders or water bottles, so the cage clips are available. I think Cocoa's problem with the J-feeders is that he's curious as to how much water/food he can get out of the things! Re: Sea Minks. What? Never heard of a Sea Mink? Probably because they're extinct. They were a rather large Mustelid and were hunted to extinction for their coats around...oh...1918 if I remember right (wouldn't bet on it though). Where in the world do I find clear dryer hose?!?!?! Maybe somebody who has a supplier could help me and my fuzzies out? -- Chris, Cookie, Chip, Cocoa, Crystal(as in Sugar) and Candy [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1730]