Actually, I think this needs to be said, since so many people seem to have
it wrong.  *Not* paying for a ferret does not mean the ferret is worthless.
I got my first ferret literally *tossed* to me, free of charge.  They even
gave me the cage that the threesome had come in (I was only given one of
the ferrets...damn!).  However, I then spent almost $175 on food, toys,
litter box, etc...all the stuph you need for ferrets.  That ferret is
Misti-Ferret... the first of six ferrets and one of my cutest.  She's also
the toughest (I think she was John Wayne's stand in for several of his B
movies) ferret on the block, taking on ALL comers!
 
I bought my second fuzzie (Fuzzer, Godzilla's nephew) from a pet shop where
they were pretty much ignored.  They were in a wood "closet"-type setting,
with a large glass window.  I never saw anyone playing with them and they
couldn't hear anything other than muffled sounds inside.  They always had
food, but the litter was always dirty, too.  I like to think that I
"rescued" him!  :)
 
My third and fourth fuzzies were a "take-over" job.  I took over the care,
feeding and loving of them from a person that was no longer able to do so,
as his new landlord didn't permit pets.  The older of the two (Silver)
experienced sever stress and almost died from it.  However, with some
antibiotics from a friendly vet and some intense cuddling, feeding and
loving, he has come around and is just as bouncy and silly as the rest,
though he does it in slightly slower motion.  His cage-mate, Rusti, is just
as secretive as she's always been.  She will allow you to pick her up and
pet her, cuddle her, etc., but won't initiate it.  She also spends alot of
her time sleeping and cruising the darker passages of the house.
 
My last two (numbers 5 and 6) were another "take-over" job, but one that
came with a fee.  A young girl about 70 miles from me was looking for a home
for her two fuzzies.  She was going to school full-time and had just be
promoted to full-time at work.  This, combined with the hectic schedule of a
young girl, the need to run errands (like buying groceries, paying bills,
doing laundry) and the need to sleep on occasion, prevented her from even
allowing her fuzzies to get out of their cage, except for about once per
week.  She realized that her fuzzies deserved much better.  As a result, I
took them in.  I paid a total of $60 for them and everything that came with
them.  That $60 was money that went to reimburse for the cage (it was a VERY
expensive cage) and the snacks that she had just bought.  Secretly, I would
have given her the money anyway, just because she was a young lady trying to
make things work and I admire that.
 
As you can see, out of the six fuzzies that I am enslaved to, I only paid
full price for one of them.  Yet, they are all extremely precious to me.
Without a doubt, their value was not attributed by what I paid for them.
 
To say that a fuzzie must have a price tag attached to its tail (or other
body part) in order for it to be valued and cared for is irresponsible and
somewhat thoughtless.  The value a person places on something is determined
by the person, not the price (though many people *do* place a value on
something based on it's price...because those people have no ability to
determine that value of anything in any other manner) of the item.  So,
let's just say that a nominal fee should be charged to keep the lab donators
away from the door and leave the rest alone.
 
This is not meant to be a flame or a detrimental comment about anyone.  It
is an opinion that you are all entitled to (mine, of course!) and my fuzzies
made me type everythign but this last sentence!  :):):)
 
Todd and the (too bad we can't type ourselves!) Fuzzbutt Rodeo Clowns!
 
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[Posted in FML issue 2319]