Erin - By the spelling of your name, I am assuming you are a young woman! If not, I apologize. I wanted to post this publicly, not just to Erin. For anyone who doubted her post and how factual it is, let me say, I have a 9 year old, yes, 9 years old, who is 90% responsible for her ferret. I supervise and help with cage cleaning, but otherwise, this kid takes wonderful care of Snowflake. Snow came home neglected, abused and a bit scared. Why did I bring home a ferret like this for a child, well, the instant chemistry or bond between Snow and Victoria was so obvious when they met at the shelter. There was no doubt Snow wanted to be with Tor and no doubt Tor would teach Snow what a loving human is. At the time of this meeting, Victoria was just shy of her 8th birthday. To this day, Snow follows Tor around like a puppy and has even climbed up into Tor's loft bunk (high like a top bunkbed) to sleep with Tor. No we don't allow Snow to run all night anymore, too much worry about her falling. Snow went from being skittish and frightened to being outgoing and rotten, freely covering Tor's face with kisses. On the other hand, about weeks ago, I held a little albino girl as she died in my arms thanks to the actions of responsible, capable, mature adults. I trust Erin anyday over the 'adults' that let that little girl starve to the point we could not save her. My point is, Erin is so right in saying, don't judge every young person the same. Is she financially responsible for her ferrets?? I would have to believe her! When Tor wanted to purchase Angel, a tiny little kit back in February, the agreement was that Tor paid for her ($99) and paid for her shots/checkups. This kid has already put enough allowance into the bank to pay for Angel's next visit and set of shots, and then some! Erin, you sound like a wonderful person and I don't mean for a young person, I mean regardless of your age. You certainly sound responsible and very loving to your fuzzies. You are also completely correct in stating that responsibility does not come with age. I can show you some 40-something year olds who are worse than any 6 year old I've ever met!! Erin should not be judged by her age or what some of peers might do, judge her by her actions. Erin represents the future of ferrets, she might be the next Dr. Weiss, the next pioneer in ferret veterinary medicine. Best of luck in following your dreams and keep posting, I admire you for your courage to take a stand and defend yourself. Your post was exceptionally written, it speaks volumes about your personality and intelligence! Hugs, Jen and Gang [Posted in FML issue 3070]