>From:    Jim MacDonald <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Black-eyed whites and digging
>Also, my Male is a deviant, and the girls followers.  For this reason I have
>decided to have them declawed, and buy a new sofa!
 
Stop, Mr. MacDonald and consider the ramifications of what you are about to
do.  Declawing is not an option for ferrets.  On a ferret, declawing means
unnecessarily mutilating them by removing the toes at the first knuckle.
Think how you would be hampered if each of your fingertips were removed to
the first knuckle.  What you are proposing is nothing less than cruel.
 
If you feel that declawing is your only option, then I strongly urge you to
reconsider whether you are suited to be a ferret care-giver.  Not everyone
is suited to have ferrets as companions.  There is no shame in taking your
ferrets to a shelter and asking the shelter to find them a home where their
particular habits are better understood and accepted.
[Posted in FML issue 1864]