sorry if comments seem curt. i am on a borrowed computer and short on time. about prevention of hairballs, has anyone considered what i do for my babies? a daily brushdown with a good, stiff-bristled brush when they start to shed. i have 7 babies and almost no loose hair in my house. haven't seen a hairball yet. about hairloss on tails, look for blackheads, they clog the folicle and cause hairloss, and prevent growth (so i am told) a friend of mine (after making sure it is not adrenal-related) just leaves them alone/or uses oxypads. i havent had this prob yet, so let me know if you have had a similar sitch. no flames. about digging in carpet or at doors, i havent tried it, but supposedly there is something that was on here abt a month ago called a scatmat? anyone had any experience with them? ferret toothbrush=cheweasel!!!! rice & ferts----please, please please keep a close eye on your babies if you do this. i thought it was a great idea at first too. and that's all i have to say about that...... deaf ferrets- IMVHO, slinky, our fert who is deaf gets by great. the only issue we have is that she plays too rough with the others because she can't hear them holler uncle. we treat her like a toddler, if she gets into mischief, we simply remove her from that sitchyashun, and turn her attention in another direction. now, i have a very controversial idea, if you want to flame go ahead, i am pretty thick-skinned. aloe vera is 99% water. it is a purgative drug (which means it purges 'morbid matter' from your system. people drink it, it is in calorad. it is mentioned in the bible. nicodemus used it for stomach disorders, alexander the grt, used it on his men. it is used by burn centers for treatment of burn patients. it has been used to treat feline lukemia (sp) why could it not be used as a preventative measure against cancer and other illnesses for our babies? i have 7 babies, and have started adding abt 1 tsp to each water bottle when i fill it. if anyone is interested, i will certainly tell you what i know about it. and i will keep you all posted to let you know if my babies have any problems with their health in future. Robbie Slinky Chance Boots Cinamini Taz Star Patches [Posted in FML issue 2861]