I need some info on the following : Sometime ago , I read a book from a vet , her name it's Wendy something, that claims that when your ferret is shedding you could hold them ( scruff them ) and pluck their dead hair . ( guard hair ) She assures that it's painless and it helps the animal not to swallow so much hair . She does her own neutering and spaying of her ferrets . She has 2 different books, and has even come in the Dave Letterman show. I have been doing this for almost 2 years , and it works . My ferrets yawn time and time again while I pluck away. Of course they are used to this already , but when I first started doing this for the first time to them at first they hissed. Much like when I would clean their ears with a Q tip and baby oil. But now they don't mind at all . I wanted to share this with all of you , for those of us who have experience taking care of ferrets . It's better in a long run , they swallow less hair while they groom themselves , and they look so white and SOFT when you are done with them . Then you can really see the new hair in the bottom of the skin coming out . This is only to be done when your ferret is changing coats . When the hair is falling in your clothes mercyless and the hair feels dry dead literally comes off in your hands ,,, that's when you help them out . [NVJ] [Posted in FML issue 1754]