(litter and food question is at the bottom for those who are not involved
in the animal advocate email)
 
Okay, well I've recieve 3 responses, two posted and one personal email.
I want to reply to all of them so here's the combined reply.
 
Wolfy: Hehe thanks so much for the encourage reply.  It made me feel
great.
 
Mary: *kudos to you*  You have a point and a good idea, which from
experience I know works.  Also from personal experience I know it is
possible to pick an animal that the reciever would like.  True Example:
My best friend's parents decided to get their youngest daughter a kitten
for Christmas, she had been wanting one for a while now and they decided
it was the right time to get one.  They wrote me asking if I could look
for a Silver Tabby with little or no white on that was friendly and would
make a good pet.  That was the color that their daughter had wanted.  The
mother had cleverly gone through pictures of kittens with her daughter
and found out what color she wanted without giving away that they were
getting her a kitten.  I found the color cat and personality cat they
wanted, and gave it to them for their daughter.  The whole thing worked
out great and the cat is happily living in a loving home.  You do make
a point though, without specifically knowing what the person wants and
knowing that you can get what they want a certificate would be the best
way to go.  I do think that a lot of people would keep the animal no
matter, but you are right.  There are people who would rather get rid
of an animal because it is not the color they want than to keep it even
though it is a wonderful animal.  I know that from experience also.  I
think you make a good point, and I think that it is a great idea.  It
is one more option to consider if the situation calls for it.  I do not
think there is a set in stone group of rules for every situation.  I
think that each should be judged according to the people and animal
involved and the option chosen should be taylored to fit each situation.
But I say again.  You have a good point!  Thank you for adding it.  I
am jealous that I did not think to include it myself!!
 
John: I am hurt by your comment.  You do not know me, and so I wonder how
you can say that I am not a ferret owner (which was the thing that got to
me most.)  I own two beautiful ferrets.  A chocolate sable Female named
Julliet and a Champange (i think) Blaze/Panda (doesn't quite fit either
category.  Thank you shelly for helping me figure this out! LOL) named
Romeo.  They are my babies.  I have wanted ferrets for years, but it has
taken me all of those years to convince my parents to let me have them.
I used to spend hours online doing reasearch on ferrets.  I was also a
member of this list for a short while years ago.  Right now Julliet is on
the 3rd level of her Marshall's Ferret Mansion house staring at me and
scratching (like they always do..  itchy critters) sitting on a pair of
old jean shorts of mine next to a sleep sack I was sent during the 4th of
July Card Exchange (THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT if you're reading this.)
I do have two ferrets and Shelly has seen pictures.  You can also see a
picture of my Romey on the ferret of the month contest.  I would also
be happy to send you pictures of my babies.  I will also be mentioned
(if not also have my picture in it) a Ferrets USA magazine article (the
2005 Annual or something like that) in January.  I would not be in this
article if I did not have ferrets.  If my picture is in there, you can
see both my ferrets.
 
As for the money comment, I HATE money.  I hate that lives are run by it.
I hate that families fight over it.  I hate that this country is run by
it.  I hate that it makes people think they are superior to other people.
I hate that some people can't get things basic to survival let alone
comfortable living because of lack of it.  I hate that animals suffer
because of it or lack of it.  I hate that crimes are committed over it.
Money is the root of all evil to borrow the phrase and I hate it.  I
don't even want a career "when i grow up." I want to be a stay at home
mom with maybe a hobby buisness or small home based buisness.  I don't
want to be a CEO for a big company making 6 figures (no offence to those
who are).  I couldn't careless about the money.  I'd rather be at home
with my family and animals.  I'm 17 so I have a ways to go before that
but yea.  I really don't care about earning lots of money.  I am only
thinking about it because it is nessicary in this country to survive.  If
everything on that animal advocates thing and others were granted many
pet stores would go out of buisness.  Not the big chain pet stores, but
the small non-chain local pet stores, most of which are wonderful stores.
Many pet stores have people who genuinely love animals working there who
give the animals the best care that they possibly can.  What happens to
the people when you shut that store down?  What happens to the animals?
You can't protect animals without protecting the people also.  If there
aren't people there to give them great care where are the animals left?
In bad places with little or no care.  Or homeless on the street, or
maybe if they're lucky, in the aspca, where they'll either find a home
or live the last 30 days of their life with food and water provided to
them or if they're really lucky they'll end up in a no kill shelter.  I
am trying to protect the animals at the stores, while making it possible
for the stores to survive, so that the people can survive and go on doing
what they love to do.  I don't care about the money, but it I have to
consider it.  Without it, no animal would receive the kind of care they
deserve.  If one wants to protect animals, one must think about the
people and the money behind them.  Everybody and everything must work
smoothly together.  No one side can win.  If money were my underlying
cause, I would not care if animals that were too young were sold.  If
money were my underlying cause, I would not do the work I do.  If money
were my underlying cause I would not make sure i budget enough money to
care for my animals.  If money were my underlying cause I would not be
on this list.  This list provides me no way to make money.  BUT it does
provide me with want I want.  Access to information about ferrets and
mostly friendly and caring people who love their ferrets and want to help
others with ferrets.  I can provide you (if okayed) with my father's
email address, best friends email adress, email address of the nature
center where I volunteer, etc. etc. and you can ask them if I really
have ferrets and really care about animals.  I am not afraid to do that
because I know that they know me.  I also believe that Sukie and Wolfy
would stand up for me and my Character, and perhaps others on this list.
 
Now, I do not know you so I will make no judgements on you.  I will also
trust you that that is the opinion you drew from my post.  Perhaps I came
across a way I did not mean to, I hope that this clears that up and that
you can see how much I care about animals.  I really would be happy to
send you pictures of my animals, and email addresses of people who you
can ask for yourself (as long as they say it's okay.) Please let me know
if this is what you want.  (btw, julliet is now sleeping on the sleep
sack and romeo is on the ground floor sniffing around just checking to
see if there's anything new in his cage from when he went to sleep)  Oh,
I will also most likely be at the Philledelphia Pherret Phestival in
november as a vendor and to check out the shows and enter in best dressed
and best cage.  If I am, you are welcome to come talk to me.  I would
gladly talk to you and show you my babies.
 
Hey okay now that that's over with.  My baby Romeo is in his terrible
two's stage and I need help!  He is not using the litterbox properly.  He
keeps going over the side or not in it at all.  I have now had to stick
two boxes right next to eachother in the cage to keep it from having poop
all over it.  He's also had a few accidents on the floor out of the cage.
I think it might have something to do with where Julliet poops, like if
she goes there first he can't go in the same spot.  I would like to try
an enclosed litter box, but when I got a long john (so he wouldn't poop
in the 2 other corners of a triangular one) he just would still go over
the side or not in it at all, so I'm not sure that he'd even go in a
different one at all.  He was wonderful with litter when i first got him,
went in the box right away, hardly any accidents, but it's gone down
hill.  Does anyone have this problem?  I'm open to any suggestions.  He
also digs in his food dish, and it annoys Julliet to no end because she
ends up eating food off the shelf or out of the litter box (ew!..  i duno
why she'd do that when there's more food in the bowl) I have tried a
lipped dish, and am going to try a food sack, but I am afraid that a food
sack would get really dirty or that they won't eat out of it.  Does
anyone have any suggestions?  Thanks so much!
 
- Jules
[Posted in FML issue 4624]