So many posts lately have been talking about ferrets who are afraid of the vacuum cleaner. Wow. Robin used to love to ride around on the vacuum, and my current boys Felix and Moses both love it. Moses will hop right up and ride around (either a hand vac or an upright), and Felix will just attack. The hose and tile attachment is the most fun to attack, I guess; he's just a little one and I think the vacuum itself, which I use on carpeting, is a bit too scary. Anyway, it's really a pain (but I love it...) to vacuum with those boys hopping all over the place. For the new ferret owner who posted about cedar vs. pine or aspen shavings, I guess I would say nix on all three. Leaving the issue of whether or not aspen shavings are safe completely aside, because as far as I know they are fine, I would like to comment that a reptile has smooth skin which will not pick up shavings. If nothing else, how irritating to have to brush your little one off every time you want to hold him. Also, it's so much fun to walk around on solid surfaces in the cage every once in a while...much easier to play certain games... I guess I would say that your best bet is to put t-shirts or some kind of cloth bedding down. The ferret will do what he wants; either leave it as a "carpet" or scrunch it all up as bedding or whatever. Also, just as a side note, I have a sensitive little guy who sneezes if ANYTHING gets in his nose, and if yours is anything like him, the wood dust would be an irritant. To the eyes, too! Finally, just wanted to share that Moses (the little angel), who has always been a jumper, has recently expanded his repertoire of fun places to be. Of course, these all fall under the heading of places Mommy won't let him be. He can get up onto anything under about 2 3/4 feet high, and is fairly creative in moving onward from there (ie chairs to desks etc). The other day I found him in the kitchen sink (heart attack!), and yesterday I heard my computer dial in to the ASU system as Moses had apparently decided to check my email for me. He also turned on the printer. So we are having an off and on ferret rodeo around the house right now. Oh well. I love the little guy, and as much as I don't want him to eat my stuff, I have to admit that his climbing is REALLY cute. I've gone to new lengths to ferret proof, of course. Oh well.... Kirstin Hendrickson, Moses (I'm 5 months old today!), and Felix the lil' Wonder Woozle (I got more shots today! I was good...I didn't cry or ANYTHING! Just yawned...) PS...Felix was a little wild at the vet's office while waiting for her to come in, and since Moses has taught him about the fun of climbing, he was really wanting to get up on my head. Finally I let him, and kept a hand on him just to be safe, but he just lay there like a fert-skin cap (tail hanging over my face). Several minutes of this, and then of course the vet walks in and starts laughing at me. She kept complimenting Felix, after that, on what a nice hat he was, and (after weighing him), what a nice BIG cap he was (gained almost a pound in 2 weeks!!!) [A P.P.S. to above] I was just reading over my post about vacuums and realized that I hadn't made it clear that I DON'T let my boys get anywhere NEAR the end of the tube or the vacuum head itself; I figured I'd get flamed for that if I didn't straighten it out. Actually, Moses will never go near the head; he rides up on the vacuum bag. Felix will only ever go near the hose attachment, which has a tiny little head with fuzzy cloth on it that there's no way he could ever get injured by or sucked in to. Also, it stays very flush to the floor. No potential for accidents. Just wanted to straighten that one out so I didn't get a bunch of letters.... Kirstin Hendrickson, Moses and Felix the Lil' Wonder Woozle (all of whom are well versed in vacuum cleaner etiquitte and safety!!!) [Posted in FML issue 1711]