Hello all!
 
Well, first let me tell you that I never actually subscribed to "Modern
Ferret", but I did buy many back issues from them.  I had a subscription
to "Ferrets", but I canceled it a while ago.  Even though I liked features
like "Ferret mailbag" and "Reader Questions/Reader Answers" in these
magazines, both offered just a few articles that I found relevant.  Don't
get me wrong.  I like reading personal ferret stories from other fellow
ferret-lovers, but I can get that kind of stories from the FML or the
web.  The reason why I wanted a subscription to a ferret-related magazine
was to find the latest news on things like how to prevent/treat diseases,
training tips, etc.  That is, things I didn't know all about already.
I've learned a lot about ferret behavior just by having them around all
the time, and most articles I read in these magazines (and most books out
there) were things I already knew.  These were great for beginners, but
that's not the kind of information I personally need, and that is why I
cancelled my subscription to "Ferrets" (and didn't buy more back issues
or subscribed to "Modern Ferret").  I periodically buy some issues of
"Ferrets USA" just to see what they are up to.  For instance, one very
useful article to me was one a couple of years ago that talked about
traveling with ferrets, by Solveig Fredrickson.  Flying in particular:
airlines that allowed them in the cabin, as baggage, on cargo, or not at
all; fees, telephone numbers, etc.
 
Most information I currently have on ferrets comes from personal
experience, what all of you have taught me, and the few good articles
I've been able to read (I've read a few journal articles about ferret
research in a couple of veterinary medicine journals).  I'm surprised to
see how difficult it is to find people doing research on ferrets.  As
time goes by, I gain a little more experience, learn more through this
excellent source of information (FML is great), but I don't really have a
lot of time to look for journal articles, and I wish there was a ferret
magazine out there that could regularly compile information from these
sources and present it to me in a concise form.
 
What I ended up doing was getting my own copy of Biology and Diseases of
the Ferret, by Dr. James G. Fox.  My own vet asked what was I doing with
a copy of such book that even most vets don't fully comprehend.  BTW, I
was going to give it to my vet and then found out that he owns a copy,
which made me feel better.  I think it is a great book.  I haven't had a
chance to look, has Dr. Weiss published any ferret books?
 
As you can see, I can ramble a lot, and therefore I wouldn't be a good
editor, and that's why I admire Mary and Eric who I only know from the
pictures I've seen in their magazine and the comments I've read here.
Mary and Eric, if you read this, I wish you the best and hope that Eric
gets better soon.  Good luck with everything.  Sorry guys, but this is
not personal.  I know that publishing a magazine is not an easy business,
but that's what it is, a business, and it should be treated as that.  I
know they don't do it for the money, but because they like to provide
information to the people out there who need it.  But, lets be honest,
if you embark on a difficult enterprise such as providing accurate (and
sometimes vital) information, and you are not able to sustain a consistent
flow of it, maybe you should consider a smaller publication that you can
sustain without excessive effort.  Hey, even an electronic newsletter
requires a great deal of work.  Right BIG?
 
I remember reading a post where Melissa Kauffman (by means of Sukie) said
that she likes to monitor the posts here at the FML.  Melissa, if you read
this, or someone else who knows the answer, what is the difference between
"Ferrets" and "Ferrets USA" (besides the fact that Ferrets USA looks more
like a commercial magazine than Ferrets).  When I was a "Ferrets"
subscriber I received invitations to subscribe to "Ferrets USA".  Aren't
these two from the same publisher?
 
Thank you all for listening.  I just needed to get it out of my system.
 
Joe
[Posted in FML issue 3740]