testing the waters gingerly with toes... What about tattooing MF ferrets' toes as a means to keep track of birth year? Every ferret born in 1997 could have a dot on the left toe on the left front foot, the 1998 ferrets could have a dot the next toe over, etc. At twenty toes, you're not too likely to have any overlap. The only information this would give you would be birth year, of course, but that would be better than nothing, and it would provide a reference point for every ferret (and maybe make life a little easier for those who run shelters as well). No new equipment for MF; they would have to maintain and hopefully make public the list of what dot corresponds to what year. It would then be up to ferret folks to gather lifespan and health data, if MF was not willing to put any further work into it. Anyway just a thought, from a tattoo oriented individual ;) Now for Hagen-- one thing I will say for them is that they do provide a four page booklet with their ferret starter kits, with some more or less accurate information, including strong warnings about blockages. Now if they'd only give up on the wood chips... The query is, do Hagen ferrets in Eastern Canada come all the way from Manitoba? Amelia's a Hagen ferret purchased in Quebec, so I'm just curious how far that little fuzzball had to travel. Hope everyone is well and keeping cool if you're anywhere hot-- Regina and Cully and Amelia too! [Posted in FML issue 1985]