In responce to your statement that Illinois requires small animals to be
bedded in pine shavings, I did some checking.  My name is Mary Oyer, owner
of Peoria Area Ferret Connection.  It alarmed me when I read this.  I called
the city of Quincy - both the animal control office and the animal warden.
Neither of them knew of any such requirement.  I called Adams County Health
Dept., they knew of nothing either.  This led me to the USDA office in
Springfield.  They knew of nothing stating that ferrets are required to be
on pine shavings.  The only requirement that the Dept. of Conservation (our
ferret regulating body in Illinois) has is that you apply for and pay the
fee for a license to sell ferrets.  They do not do inspections, that's up to
the USDA.  Apparently, the pet store people you spoke with were merely
trying to brush you off.  If you can give me some names of the stores, I can
supply them with the medical research materials that pertain to ferrets
being bedded on pine shavings.  In Illinois, ferrets are classified as
"exotic" which means they are not regulated the same as "small animals" such
as a cat or a dog.  I am new to the FML - I've only signed on a couple of
times.  I opened a ferret club in the Peoria area this past fall to get
ferret information out to the people who need it.  If you have any other
questions, or need help getting through to the pet store people, give me a
call - I'll be glad to help!  Phone 309-263-7603 or e-mail me back.  I've
liked what I've read so far on the FML.  A lot of good advice and great
stories!!
[Posted in FML issue 1465]