http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/7114984.stm Information on hoarding which is often from a mental illness but can also be from a profit motive without caring about the animals. Many hoarders actually believe that they are the ONLY ones who can properly care for animals even while they destroy them. Hoarding, MBP, misuse of animals to get drugs, and other Animal Abuse: AVMA: http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/oct02/021015a.asp Tufts site with extensive information: http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/ Psychiatric journal article on hoarding: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p000425.html HSUS: <http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affecting_our_pets/behind_closed_doors_the_horrors_of_animal_hoarding.html> Pet abuse database: http://www.pet-abuse.com/database/ http://www.jaapl.org/cgi/reprint/30/4/520.pdf http://www.vet.utk.edu/violence/pdf/munchausen.pdf http://www.animaltherapy.net/Vets-abuse.html http://www.vet.utk.edu/violence/pdf/accidental.pdf http://www.veterinaryireland.ie/ivj/july%2005/peer.pdf Cruelty to animals becomes cruelty to humans (useful info for cases brought against abusers): http://www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/ascione_3.html Animal Welfare Act: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/awa.htm USDA publications to find regulations: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/publications.html Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 5804]