OK I know you said don't say "get him to a vet", but I have to say it. Let me tell you a little story: This spring a ferret I adopted to a dear friend started losing weight. His stools were soft, sometimes liquidy, but not ece-like. It was more than just spring weight loss, and I wondered about a partial blockage. She took him to a vet, who did a brief exam, but just recommended some laxative and to keep an eye on him. After a bit, the ferret gained some weight back, and seemed healthy and active, although he still had soft stools. A few weeks ago, he went from being fine to being dead in the space of two days. An autopsy showed 2 tumors in his abdomen, one of which had ruptured. It was encroaching on his intestines, and was undoubtably the cause of the soft stool. An xray in the spring might have shown these tumors and might have saved his life. I hope Ricky gets well quickly. Linda Iroff Oberlin OH [Posted in FML issue 2867]