Christy, Don't worry about Han & Leia - they'll turn affectionate in their own time. I've found that even the most aloof of my ferrets has to break down and show me lurve every so often. :) However, there are a few things you'll want to do to get it across to your kits that affection, not squirming and nipping, are the ways to go about interacting with you. Make sure you hold them LOTS. Support their rump with one hand, and place the palm of your other hand under their chest, wrapping your fingers around their upper torso so that their front legs stick out between some of your fingers. It's a pretty natural ferret-holding position, and it's a good one that keeps them from squirming too much. Train them several times daily by picking them up like this. When they squirm, say NO! and when they sit still, praise them. After a minute or so, let them go when they've sat still for a few seconds in succession. NEVER put them down if they nip you or when they're squirming. They must learn that when you pick them up, you hold them until you want to put them down, and that you'll only put them down if they're behaving. This sort of training makes it easy for you to do all sorts of things later on - clip nails, inspect the ferret for signs of ill health, hold the ferret for cuddling, etc. I've found that males are more likely than females to curl up in your lap for a nap, but females are more likely than males to do something cute like crawl into your sleeve to sleep. Melissa and the gang of four, in which the 8-mo-old Easel is a veritable tasmanian devil of bounciness amidst the slow, sluggish older ferrets. ;) ___ Melissa Litwicki __ [log in to unmask] ___ By the whole newsgroup devoted tennis showing it after scarfing fork and laughters [P.S.] Oops, I think I forgot to include this last bit: Christy: I've noticed that after ferrets reach a year or so of age, they settle down lots and become a lot more cuddly - almost overnight. Enjoy the first several months of wildness - your ferret will never twirl and frenzy in quite the same way again. :) [Posted in FML issue 1889]