I've been reading this thread for some time and finally decided to add my
$0.02 worth.  I've posted before that in my house are 4 cats (ages 1 1/2 - 6
yrs), 4 ferts (ages 9mos - ~5 yrs), various other birds and fishes, and
three humans (one of which is 11 years old).
 
My daughter did an excellent report for school on the black-footed ferret
when she was 6 1/2 or 7 years old and she fell in love with ferrets
(plastered her room with fert pics).  We had three cats at the time, but
this was before we were owned by any of the fuzzies.  (As a side note, some
professional ferret people (breeders, sellers), I have shown the report to
have requested copies of it.) Anyway...6 months or so later, it happened
that Kelli went with me to the pet store to get some fish supplies and there
were several ferrets in a cage.  Well, to make a long story short, we came
home with a cute little (10 week old) sable female (looked like a
black-footed).  Kelli named her Tina because she was so small.
 
Kelli has taken care of *that* ferret and the other three (ferret math)
additions, as well as the 4 cats since that time.  (She has even used her
*own* money to buy two of the additions!  She's good at ferret math too!)
She feeds/waters, bathes, plays with/trains, empties litter boxes/cleans up
misses (the carpetsharks have the run of the 7 ferret-proofed rooms of the
house when we are home).  She even medicates (when necessary) any of the
above.  (And still has time to make all A's in school for the last 6 years!
Nah, I not proud of her.) She does this: 1) because she loves the critters,
2) she knows it *is* her responsibility and 3) it is part of her chores to
earn her weekly allowance.  (11 year olds need money to do whatever it is
they do).
 
(Step up on soapbox) But anyway, children *can* be responsible when it comes
to owning ferrets.  It is the responsibility of the *adults* in charge to
determine if their children display the correct maturity level needed to
have *any* kind of pet, even if it is just a *pet rock*!.  ( "I told you not
to let your pet rock fly through store windows!") ( Off my soapbox now).
 
        Keep on dooking!
                Ken
 
        Ken, Donna, & Kelli (the Human pets)
        Tina(~5yrs), Sassy(2yrs), Aggie(1yr) & Pepper(9mos) (The Ferts in
Charge)
        Pinker, Gandy, Tatoo, & Sabrina (the tolerant Felines)
        MotorMouth & TOO (the clueless Parakeets)
        and too many fish to name
 
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      Ken L. Kinard                      Phone: (404) 894-6977
      Ga. Tech / GTRI / AIST         Fax:    (404) 894-9875
      400 10th Street
      Rm 316B
      Atlanta, Ga. 30332-800
      [log in to unmask]
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[Posted in FML issue 1751]