well folks, I've been officially moved back into my parents for one week, and things seem to be going ok. The ferrets adjusted fine, as I expected. They've visited before and are pretty used to be moved around and going for road trips. The cats were freaked, but they have been pretty good and have made themselves right at home. TOO at home, actually. Boo has chased my mom's cats twice and her two cats are really freaked out and have taken to living in the basement. Ah well, they'll adjust eventually. No blood has been shed, just a few hisses and a little fur flying. :) We're keeping the ferrets upstairs. Their cage is at the end of the hallway, and I modified a baby gate so they can't get over it, and they run around up here when they're out. They've got three good sized bedrooms, a hallway, and a bathroom to explore, and they'll have to be happy with that until we move because I can't ferret proof the rest of the house. Problem is, they know there IS a rest of the house, and are trying to rip down the thick vinyl I put over the gate. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they breach it and I have to come up with a new solution, but it's working for now. :) My parents think they are starting to smell bad, so it's bathtime today. This should be fun. :) But they also think the ferrets are quite cute, and my dad stops at the cage and talks to them all the time whenever he walks past, and my mom loves to play with them. She was upset last night when she went to bed though, because they've taken to tunneling under the covers on her bed (they're not used to seeing a bed made, OK? hehe), and when she went to bed and pulled the covers over her, it smelled like ferrets. :) As far as dancing and singing with your ferrets goes, I think it's a prerequisite to ferret ownership. I do it with mine all the time, except I sort of make up words to whatever song happens to be on the radio or in my head at the time. This also works situationally, as certain things they do will remind me of song snippets, and I modify them and sing and dance my ferrets around. For example, last night they were all crawling inside a box on the floor (the byproducts of moving, lots of boxes!), and I started swinging the box around and singing "weasels, weasels in a box", instead of "solid, solid as a rock". I don't even know the rest of that song, or for that matter most of the song snippets I sing at them, but they don't seem to mind. :) I've sung to them about having fleas, I've sung to them about having the greenies (you say you've got the runs baby: modified REO Speedwagon), I've sung to them about pooping in corners and hiding in the couch. :) Is there something wrong with me? Probably, but that's why I love this list, because I know there are several thousand people out there with the same disease. :) Kristi (Kitchen Consultant with The Pampered Chef) and the Mad Menagerie: Mayonnaise, Clover, Luna, and Loki (Mustelid Mob of Mayhem) Boo (the cat) and Casey (the kitten) (see the crew at: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/4093 ) Reach me by ICQ. My ICQ# is 194656 OR by yucky AOL: My IM name is EmaniaE ferrets are like potato chips...you can't have just one! [Posted in FML issue 2579]