My ferrets love cockroaches!! Of course here in the Caribbean the roaches are 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. We always say they are eating roaches on the half shell because they don't eat the wings. I have small drainholes along my back gallery to allow water to runout when the rain blows in. Of course the roaches like to come in the holes as do some small mice and lizards. The ferrets go from hole to hole to hole hunting! Because of the ferrets we don't have a bug or mice problem. The lizards are smart and run right up the walls and always get away. We like the lizards anyway they keep down the misquitos. Do ferrets get mellower with age? Sometimes! Odie who just turned 9 will tolerate you holding her for maybe 2 minutes. She has always been independent and always runs around like she's on important business. Tyrone use to follow me around and always lay just out of reach. He would slowly move closer and closer until he would put his head on my foot or in my lap. If I petted him, he moved back just out of reach. Jack reminds me so much of Tyrone, except Jack will let you pet him, and loves to be held. But he will not sit in your lap. His whiteness loves to have his neck scratched and will stay in your lap as long as you are scratching him. Stop and he leaves. My ferrets do seem to slow down around 6 years, but none of mine have slowed enough to actually sit in my lap. Maybe my lap ferret is still waiting for me out there! Amy and her 6 non-lap fur snakes [Posted in FML issue 2794]