Today, I caught my little gal with something in her mouth. She has always been the feisty one of the group and now I can say "I have a ferret that likes to sneak into the garbage in the early morning hours and bite the used ends off of q-tips!" This should make for a very scary campfire story (lol). My hubby missed the garbage and she found it on the floor. I think I will tell him she likes his ear wax and that we don't need q-tips anymore because she can clean his ears for him (yuck), who knows, he just might enjoy this! Yes it made me laugh but I was not being careful enough and it could have resulted in a bad situation - BAD MOMMY! To the gentleman who asked "what kind of nest egg do I need?" Here is my experience. Depending on the vet, you will be faced with various expenses. Some vets still consider ferrets "exotic pets" so they justify charging more while others who see many ferrets, are reasonable. Make sure you can afford quality care. It is not easy to put a price tag on how much you will need but I can tell you that just basic care - annual exam, shots, etc...will run you about $75-$100 depending on your vet (don't jump on this people, I am only relaying what I have seen in my area). If your ferret has an emergency or develops cancer, etc...you can expect some high amounts. The main thing is that you provide lots of attention, love and care. If you are new to the ferret thing, make sure you do some research about ferret care. You have already come to the right spot to begin the process. Ferretcentral.org is a good source for other information. For supplies, theferretstore.com is the BEST place to go - they are cheaper than stores, very friendly and very helpful. You are looking at quite an investment if you consider the food, toys and a cage (assuming you are getting a cage, which is always good for a first time ferret owner). You are definitely on the right track and it sounds like you will be an excellent ferret parent. I just recd a sample of theferretstore food, and here is what I discovered. My female LOVED it, and the others just regarded it as ok. I am going to mix it in with Totally Ferret and Innova, for a more complete diet. I have always done this because I got burned once before when the food I was feeding, went off the market - that was fun. Hope all is well for all of you and yours. DMC [Posted in FML issue 3093]