I'm amazed at the amount of mail a single "I might have a problem" post generates. Thanks all for the thoughtful letters concerning Crystal. I now have the "good-news/bad news" message. Went to the vet (good news). Spent $50 (bad news). Vet did ultrasound, extremely nitpicky exam, and blood work (good news). Spend another $100 (bad news). Yep, Crystal was in heat, itiology unknown (Good News) Vet noticed a strange swelling in pelvic region (Bad news). Suspected swelling as a ....uterus! (Not sure if good or bad news) Records search from Oregon came in (Good News) Crystal had, ahem, slipped through the cracks and had, can I say it?, never been spayed (Good and Bad News). The upshot is that I now have a lovely female in heat, who has spent considerable time in the company of a non-neutered male. I feel there is a lesson to be learned here, but I'm not sure what it is yet. After hours on the phone to several friends and vets, we have decided to allow Chrys (the boy-dude) to bring Crystal (the girl-dudette) out of heat, which has probably already been done. If she comes out of heat and is not with kit, she will be spayed. If the belly grows, well, I'll be a granddad before my time. Part of the reasoning here is that Crystal is easily stressed, and we chose to that the least stressful approach. Now, before anyone who knows where Crystal came from starts saying nasty things about them, please don't! I was there when these wonderful people were taking in lots of retired breeders, saving them from permanent retirement if you get the drift, and Crystal simply slipped through the cracks. It was a simple mistake with no malace intended, and could have happed to any of us. They are really good people, and do not deserve to be flamed over this. In other matters, it has come to my attention that many parts of the USA are in a ferret glut and others are in a ferret vaccuum. I understand that The Oregon Ferret Shelter has just gone over the 100 ferret mark, with more due to come in soon. You can get the number from the operator (They are in Oregon City, Oregon), or you can e-mail me and I will give you their number. David and Christine Mathis house the shelter in their garage, laundry room, kitchen, dining room, and front room, and whatever space is necessary, and do a great job with help from a number of dedicated volunteers. Contact them if you want to donate, adopt, or ship one of those lovely ferts to a loved one instead of the annual dried out fruit cake. Take it from me, adoption is the best Christmas present you can give yourself! Mo' Bob and 16 Wide-eyed Weasels, 1 Smug Sable, and 1 Crack slipper (Missing Gus) "Honest Dad, I didn't know the gun was loaded...." [Posted in FML issue 1744]