Hello all, First I would like to extend sympathy to all who have lost their precious little ones in the past month, and I would like to thank all that wrote to me on Finny's behalf and on Gus's arrival. This is most difficult, but the millenium just isn't cooperating with me very well. I've spent a week in the hospital for typhoid fever!!, cmae home and both of my rats were very sick, then noticed Gus had an episode of bloody urine. Took him to the vet's the next day, got an x-ray, and...a bladder stone. This was Sat. Scheduled for surgery on Wed., but, he never made it. Monday morning, after an uneventful, playful evening Sunday night, I found him dead, curled up in his usual sleep spot. I still, can't believe it. Today, the coroner's report came back, my little baby had liver cancer! FIVE MONTHS old....just a baby, and he's gone....four of those months spent at a stinking pet store.... I vaccilate between sadness, confusion, but mostly...anger. Why does a company continue to breed a line of cancer-ridden ferrets? Why do I see so many suffer day in, day out at my job for the sake of a buck? I don't know what can be done, but I've got the feeling that if somehow, we could get the large pet-store chains like Petco, Petsmart, etc. to stop carrying ferrets, it would put a big dent in the profit sales of the ferret mills. I've never had a desire to "get political" so I have no idea about how to go about this....but these chains do NOT sell dogs or cats, for a GOOD reason...heck, did you know that they don't even sell RABBITS for the same reason. I would like to start a petition, at this time I have no printer so it would be fruitless to send in signatures yet....but if we could get the stores to open their eyes to this "mill effect", I'm sure they would listen, like they did with dogs, cats, and even rabbits...(ps...I love rabbits too...so no flaming). I am so sorry that little Gus-gus is gone, what a fat, sweet baby he was... deaf, blazed, hx of resp. infections...bladder stone, and gee...CANCER. Wouldn't you be angry too? It's time for all of us, all of us who love our ferrets much more than just as a "fad exotic pet" but as valued family members....to pull together and shut these mills down. It happened in the eighties with dogs and cats....it can happen with our kids too. Any suggestions on a direction to go with this would be GREATLY appreciated. This time, let's not make this topic a flamefest. Gus-gus....you didn't die in vain. I promise to make a dent, somehow, so that more babies don't have to die needlessly for the sake of turning out a high end quota. Michele With Figgy, Colin, Whitney, Murphy, Ralph, Nick and Sarah.....always worrying about you all...who's losing fur, who's maybe got a low blood sugar, maybe a lump on the neck? WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS! Missing Finnegan and Gus-gus.....take care of him for me Finny..... [Posted in FML issue 2957]