The other night/early morning the ferrets found a large 1 lb. bag (half full) of Skittles and proceeded to feast on them. My daughter found many individual pieces in the carpet, each chewed so the candy coating was missing, she found where one of them had upchucked some of them, then she heard one of the ferrets eating under the chair...where she found the bag and many more pieces safely hid with them. I have no idea how much either of them actually ate, and I know that the sugar is not good for them. If they ate the chewy inside part, will that dissolve and pass through their system, or cause a blockage? We live in a mobile home and my washer and dryer is located in the hallway so there's no way I can put them in a separate room or block them off. However, I am wondering how I can keep the ferrets from crawling inside the bottom of them. I also worry that they may pull the dryer's exhaust hose off and get under the trailer. Any ideas on how to protect the ferrets? Because it's in an open area, I need ideas that won't create an "unsightly" scene... I have had my two ferrets for 8 mos (the 10 mo. old) and ~ 6 weeks (the 2 yr old), and so far they've been healthy. However, it sounds like the 2 yo may be congested. He was in his pen last night near an open window and it got a little chilly during the night. He wasn't sleeping on the floor in the blanket, but on the hammock--no covers. Also, he had knocked the water bottle out of the holder and onto the floor outside; who knows how long he was without water. I noticed this morning that he sounds congested. I'll have to read the archives and medical FAQs to see what I can do to help him...sure hope he doesn't get sick! Thanks to everyone who offers suggestions on these. [Posted in FML issue 2388]