>we talked to a gentleman that was shopping with his 3 ferrets.  2 in the
>cart (playing) and one dear older lady with cataracts tucked in his
>shirt....
>
>I mentioned we had just recently obtained our first (2) ferrets,
>commented you should always have 3.
 
I think the guy who told you always to have at least 3 ferrets was probably
thinking like this: If you have 2 ferrets, then if one dies, you've got one
lonely & mourning ferret (yes, they do mourn!).  Then, when you get another
ferret to help perk up the survivor, in addition to being upset about the
disappearance of his familliar partner, he's got to deal with the upset of
an unfamilliar stranger eating his food and touching his stuff!  If you
have 3 and one dies, the other two still have each other.  If you then get
another ferret, the other two may feel less threatened by the interloper,
kind of a "well, there's two of us and only one of him..." kind of
mentality.
 
I agree with your point about not taking on more animals than your budget
can handle.  That is part of the responsibility that comes with having a
pet.  Otherwise, you've just got a "collection," and the quality of their
lives becomes secondary to quantity.
 
Chana
[Posted in FML issue 3455]