A note to the owner of crazy silver mitt and badger:
I have two silver mitts, Hoover and Squeegy.  Squeegy is a nut.  He dances
and flips and is full of energy (a little slower now, as a three year old).
He especially likes to flip on his back and bite his own rear end.  :) He
knows how to open drawers, and he answers the doorbell.  Hoover, however, is
not nearly as rambunctious.  He is slower and more methodical.  Not to say,
slow intelligence-wise.  He knows about the third dimension, whereas Squeegy
does not.  Hoover climbs almost everything.  He gets on my table every day
and Squeegy never has.  Squeegy is a cuddler and a lover; Hoover wants to
squirm away from you ASAP.  Hoover is calm and self-posessed, and Squeegy
runs out of his cage every day and does a little spaz dance.  We call him
the Super Freak.  The point here is that I think you are seeing more of your
Silver mitt's unique personality traits, than a trait related to her
genetics and coat color.
 
My problem is, I am fairly sure Squeegy has blackheads on his tail.  My
questions are:
 
1. How do I know for sure they are blackheads?  Should we visit the vet?
2. What causes blackheads in ferrets?
3. How do I treat them?
 
Squeegy always bites his own tail, from the day I brought him home.  I think
it is a little itchier to him, and he has lost a little hair.  Some hair has
regrown.  I do not see any black spots on Hoover's tail.
 
Thanks to any respondents.  If you have had experience with this, I would
love to hear any information.
 
Thank you,
Lori
Squeegy, "Mom, none of the girls like me because I have this, um, skin
problem."
Hoover, "What, I can't hear you, I'm on the table."
[Posted in FML issue 1817]