Just had to let everyone know we're the proud parents of 2 new babies! A silver mitt male (Hop-a-Long) and a dark sable female (Calamity). They're only 6 weeks old, and they're the first "babies" we've had, since Phoebe and Charlie were older rescues. The lady we got them from isn't really a breeder, but had a female and male, and....... So they let the female have one litter (this one), and she had 12 kits. Isn't that a bit unusual? We saw the mother and she was VERY tiny. The father was HUGE! This next question may be covered in the FAQ (which is around here someplace) but what is a good age to spay a female? I know MF does it early, but is there an optimal time? How about neutering the male? I want to do this right, but I certainly don't want to end up with a litter of ferrets because I didn't do it soon enough. (Not that I wouldn't love a bunch of baby ferrets, but I'd keep them all and probably go crazy or bankrupt..or both!) It's probably just a fluke, but neither one of them bites (yet, anyway!) So it was a very happy 4th (no pun intended) for us! Linda Phoebe....I like to lick these new babies. They're yummy! Charlie....Hey! That's MY tunnel! Hop-a-Long....oooh! Look at this! and this! and this! Calamity....zzzzzzzzzz [Posted in FML issue 1993]