Hi everybody! Just a few responses: FEMALE NEUTERING >I also asked the vet here in Germany about getting my female, Pris, done >too, but he said that he only does that in cases where her reproductive >organs are actually causing problems. Please do have her neutered. She is very likely to develop aplastic anemia if she is not neutered. Check out the FAQ for more detailed info. COUCHES >The little buggers have torn holes in the fabric just big enough to let >them get inside the couches. You can easily keep your ferts out of the sofa. It's probably safer for them to keep them out of the couch for a variety of reasons. As you mentioned, the flea fogger may contaminate any food of theirs that is in their. Alternately, the springs in sofas can be deadly... Remove the sofa legs if possible. Get an old bed sheet. Cut the sheet to fit the bottom of the sofa. Stretch it tightly across the bottom of the sofa, and use an industrial staple gun to secure the heck out of it. I've also heard of folks using a thin piece of wood and screws to the same effect, but the sheet has kept even my determined guys out. CRAWLING FERT Someone recently mentioned that their young (6-8 week old) kit appears to be "crawling" when he walks. Some ferts, especially when they are in a big, strange, new place will "crawl" and creep low along the floor since they feel unsure of themselves. Keep an eye on him. Until he gets a little bigger, you may want to confine his play space to one room so that he can become familiar with the space (and learn where those oh-so-important litterboxes are). If the problem persists however, I would go to a vet. TOOTH CLEANING >The vet wants to put him under gas anestethic and "work on his teeth". I >don't know what that means exactly. Has anyone had any experience with >this? Ever heard of doing this? Sounds like you have a good vet. By the description that you gave, I would say that your fert needs to have his teeth professionally cleaned, and this is what your vet is doing. The build up of tartar is causing a severe irritation to his gums. (Imagine how your gums would feel if you never brushed your teeth or went to the dentist!) If you can, check out the latest issue of Modern Ferret magazine (write [log in to unmask] for information). They have a great article in there about cleaning ferret teeth. You will probably need to learn how to brush his teeth so that you will be able to maintain them after your vet cleans them. >How long should Bentley go without food and water before the surgery? No more than 5-6 hours maximum. The ferret's digestive tract is 3-4 hours long. MORE TOOTH CLEANING >I think he meant have it done once under anesthesia and thereafter brush >them myself twice weekly. Correct. >I live in a FFZ so I am wondering do I go to a dentist or a vet for the >teeth cleaning. Also I am currently a struggling actress and therefore >very poor - does anyone know how expensive it is to do this procedure? You need to take your fert to a vet where he may use a gas anesthesia to sedate him so that his teeth can be cleaned properly. The sedation may not be necessary, depending on your ferret. If money is a huge concern, you can purchase the supplies to clean his teeth yourself. You can use a tooth scaler, tooth brush, and tooth paste made for dogs and/or cats on your fert. You will need an assistant to hold the fert firmly. Have the assistant lay the fert on his back and "scruff" (hold firmly) the back of the fert's neck with his hand. See the Modern Ferret reference above for more info. CARPET PROTECTION Try nailing down a piece of clear, plastic carpet runner (available at most hardware stores) or a piece of remnant carpeting (available cheap/free at carpet stores) over the area in question. Cheers, Gina the Monkeywrangler and the Chimps of Mayhem: Paleface (Bean), Gunnar the Red (Goose), Daniel Spikey Tiger (Spike), Beau Geste (Bo Bo), Harriet (Hawwiet) and Wienerbutt (Weenie) [Posted in FML issue 1809]