Hi, everyone. Ferret math hit me hard a few weeks ago, so I went to the pet store "just to look". I had every intention of looking into adopting one of the Fredonia rescues, but The Fickle Finger of Ferret Fate had other ideas. There were I'd guess about 15 ferrets on display the evening I visited the store. They were in the usual fish-tank and pine shavings set-up. Most of them were tiny--8 to 12 weeks old--and all were MF. There was one poor guy in this tiny tank--a dark sable male with a little white bow-tie who looked to be about 6 months old. He was huddled in one corner trying to *hide* from the rambunctious babies. He looked as if he might go right 'round the bend at any moment. When I lifted him out to give him a break, he looked *so thankful*, and my heart was his in an instant. He was fairly calm in the store while I held him and looked him over, but the minute we got in the car he was all curiosity. He wanted to see *everything*! I was pretty horrified, though, at the conditions under which he had been living for most of his life. the fish tank he was in with so many other ferrets was no bigger than 2 ft. x 2ft, and when I got the grubby little guy home and into the tub I was appalled to discover a wad of *chewing gum* stuck to his little backside to one side of his tail! I had to cut it out, so now he has a bald spot! :-( The next thing I noticed, and this is the vet question, was that his stools were *very* large and dry. I talked to my vet about it when I took him in for a check and a distemper booster, and she thought maybe it was "Mega-Colon" (?), a condition where the colon is enlarged due to prolonged constipation. She said she'd seen it in cats, but never ferrets, but thought maybe that's what we're dealing with. Her Rx was an eighth of a tsp of Metamucil in his ferretone until his stools look more normal. I just wondered, since Metamucil is vegetable fibre, if a) this daignosis sounds logical to the FML vets, and b) Metamucil is a good treatment. He is eating Marshall's, and probably some Sci. Diet and Iams, since I am mixing the three. (finicky ferrets...) Other than this, and a little cough, (related?? I'm calling my vet Mon. a.m. to discuss it.), Bongo, as I've named him, is settling in very nicely. He takes *absolute* advantage of every opportunity to dook and joy-dance and wrestle with his brother and sister, who are enjoying getting to know him. Any suggestions about Bongo's doodles :-> and coughing will be much appreciated! Thanks in advance! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Didi Anderson [log in to unmask] an' da fuzz-babes, Rascal & Dandy and now Bongo! "It never pays to kick a skunk." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Posted in FML issue 1736]