Gina wrote yesterday about Dallas' fur woes: My ferret Cully is prone to recurring scabs, about the size and shape you describe. Two different vets have agreed that it's not likely to be tumorous, but rather just knots of scar tissue (fibroid something-or-another) that periodically get itchy. He scratches them until they're scabby, then they heal up, stay clean for a while, then he does it again. The scars (he's got three of these things) are probably from old puncture wounds or scrapes. One of them is in a place you wouldn't think he could reach on the back of his hip, but somehow he does reach it. The vets' advice was to clean it when I notice blood (I use Hibitane), and otherwise not to worry unless they start spreading. If you're worried about tumors, Ferret Central has a good section on mast cell tumors in the medical FAQs. The hair loss on the tail-- if Dallas has blackheads, pimples, or an orange crust, then this is probably that normal mangy tail thing some ferrets get. Keep her tail clean, and the fur will grow back. That's the extent of my experience with tail hair loss-- I haven't seen that long line of loss you mention, so I may be way off base here. Regina Regina Harrison [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Lofts/1083 Electra the Brujah's page: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Labyrinth/8096 [Posted in FML issue 2406]