Debbie said: >I have been to many and noted as many as 30 ferrets at sleep, eating and >playing together. They keep them as 2-5 or more in one cage. Their >residence could be from 1 month to a year in this situation. A customer >comes in and is advised they are able to adopt one. The one he picks has >been a cage mate for many months. Does the shelter advise this can cause >stress to the others?" How many shelters is many? Because honestly, to me..it doesn't sound like you know too much about how most shelters operate in terms of how the animals are caged, and the way they are adopted out. I'm sure there are exceptions, and apparently you've found them, but nearly all the shelters that I know of keep cage mates together not only in the shelter, but when they are adopted out as well. This isn't just a preference, at least at our local shelter it's a strict policy. If a large group of cage mates comes in together..they are adopted out together, no exceptions. This may mean that it takes longer to find a home that will take multiple ferrets but it does happen, and it IS in the animal's best interest. It also makes a difference if the animal is suffering from some kind of ailment to begin with, as many animals brought into the shelter are, and how long the ferrets have been bonded together as to how much stress that animal is going through. Why cause them any more grief, or risk their well being if you don't have to? As far as how long a ferret may be in residence in a shelter while bonding with other ferrets, this can be weeks to months, to years..to forever. Are you suggesting that all ferrets who come in without cage mates should be kept separate from all the other ferrets without any other ferrets to play with until the day they are adopted? How realistic does that sound to you, especially in a shelter like our local shelter that has over 50 ferrets? Having a ferret mingle, play and even sleep with other ferrets doesn't automatically make them bonded. Yes, a ferret can be stressed out by the loss of a cage mate, but I think that is putting it a bit mildly. And like people, every ferret is different and will react differently from the loss of a cage mate. I know there have been ferrets who have passed away in your household, have none of your other ferrets shown any signs of grieving? Perhaps it makes a difference since your business really haven't been together for much more than a year, and some less than that. I know for a fact (because I've seen it myself), that ferrets who have been bonded for even short periods of time can grieve to the point of making themselves quite ill despite any special care they are given to help ease the process. You can give as much duck soup as you want to, but it cannot mend a broken heart. If you don't believe that it's possible for a ferret to grieve to this extent, you're mistaken. The examples that you gave honestly..make no sense and don't really support the point you're trying to make. There is a difference between bonded animals, and those who are forced to be together and fight, and when some people offer to split up their ferrets for adoption it is often because they had two separate groups of ferrets to begin with. Households with larger businesses often have two separate out times for their groups, and separate living quarters. While they all live in the same family, these are not necessarily bonded animals. More often than not when someone tries to find their ferrets a new home, if they care at all about the animals, they refuse to let them go to any home where they won't be kept together. Yes, you can separate bonded ferrets if you feel you must, even though you know it's not in their best interest, and you can belittle the stresses all you want to. I don't think it's wise to advocate however, that it's all right for other people to do so. Robynn and the toothsome threesome [Posted in FML issue 2959]