Sorry that we are behind in everything. Had to catch up on some chores and deal with a bug we both got. Will get down to more thank yous and mail as soon as possible. Steve and I wanted to let you know that today we traveled about 450 miles round trip to pick up a little gray sterling mitt at Path Valley, Meltdown's, Ruffle's, and 'Chopper the organic helicopter's breeders. They also had a little boy whose mother was new to whole rigamorole of giving birth and took off some of his toes when she groomed him at birth (We'd specifically requested one with handicap if there was one needing a home and did not know till we got there what that little one would be like in any way.) He came home, too, as an adoption; Path Valley adopts out any with handicaps and pretty much everyone who works there has multiple handicapped individuals of their own. Betty in their office has five including one without use of either rear leg. (Oh, and they neuter them later than they used to when Meltie was done, as well as waiting a few weeks longer for any which are tiny.) The little girl looks a LOT like Meltdown. The little boy is basically like a sable except that he looks as if he might not have a deliniated mask and he's got a white stripe running down his throat. Both are only 7 weeks old so they still have mostly deciduous teeth and they are therefore a bit chewy to help them teethe, and they have those short-short infant tails and bulgy infant round tummys. (The little girl likes to recline on a person's palm while she eats and one can feel her belly grow like hard ball during her gluttony.) Both discovered kissing on the trip home and LOVE it, plus so far there was only one "I am a baby and you must be a ferret so let me bite your face to begin play with you" incident, but none since they found how much fun kissing is. The little guy decided on the way home that cheeseburgers are fun, especially the cheese part, but he did not "yip-yup" like Meltie did as a kit when she first tried one. We almost "lost" him at the vet hospital since two of the folks there wanted to hide him in pockets and smuggle him to their homes; nothing like missing digits to get the sympathy vote without any serious handicap, is there? Oh, the little girl loves to sleep on her back with her tongue out -- always cute as can be. No names, yet. Have to see their personalities. Someone asked about tooth eruption sequences. According to Fox's vet book: Upper: C 50 days, P2, 3 and 4 60 days, M1 53 days; Lower: C 50, P2 60, P3 67, P4 74, M1 50, M2 74. For those looking for removable plastic cage shelving: Discount Master 1-800-346-0749 now has some. The 24" ones are #1990133S and are in stock though are not in the catalog. Some should get here in a few days to augment our 24"x24"x around 5 and 1/2 feet multilevel communal cage. (Boy, what will the little ones say when they move there from their baby cage? What will they say about the romp rooms?) Sukie [Posted in FML issue 1905]