I have seen several letters in the past asking about ferrets who scratch a lot. Neither of my original two guys scratched much, so it was really a puzzler when i inherited Turnip and he scratched like crazy! He scratched so much that he got bare and/or thin spots in the fur around his neck! It seemed to me that bathing him helped keep him from scratching so bad....for about 24 hours, then it would start up really bad all over again. So, for a while, I just bathed him daily and this kept him somewhat in check. Well, I recently took Turnip to the vet and asked her about the scratching. After lots of tests, she said she thought it was allergies, possibly to his food or environment. I felt I should get a second opinion, so I then took him to another vet in a larger city who specializes in ferrets and she said the same thing.....allergies. She put him on a food called "Limited Veterinary Diets" (vennison) and said to use Waltham Select Protein feline as a substitute for A/D. She also suggested daily bathing with Epi-Soothe shampoo and rinse with Resichlor. This was only about 3 weeks ago, so I don't have any astounding results yet (she said it may take up to 6 weeks to notice a difference), but thought I would mention it in case someone else is wondering what might be causing their ferret to scratch so much. It's a possibility anyway - maybe the information will help someone else's itchy little one. I also changed to a laundry detergent for "sensitive skin" with no additives, change their blankies and vacuum cage more often, and added an air cleaner in front of the kids' cage. Is there anyone else out there who has little ones who have allergies? I am interested in comparing notes. Maybe you have suggestions I haven't tried yet? I know of a good veterinary allergist that I take my dog to, but hope to get this under control without that expense, as money is very tight right now. Feel free to e-mail me...........thanx! jacquie & the boys (Loki, Morgan & Turnip) [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 2544]