Danial~ Your post was very upsetting to me, but you are a very brave soul posting that incident on the FML! I hope nobody flames you. It sounds like you learned from your mistake and that you are very sorry. Your friend, in my opinion, acted out of stupidity. Why would anyone think that an animal could survive without air? Boy, that is really basic and your friend should have known that about living things. I feel very badly for you. It sounds like you are a student and possibly still in high school? It might be a good idea to wait until you are an adult and on your own to obtain another ferret? I don't have the answers but it is obvious to me that you miss the little guy, quit beating yourself up over it. You tried, and we all make mistakes. Those who don't learn from their mistakes are the ones that I have a serious problem with. Anyway, my heart aches for you. Regarding the post from Mary at Modern Ferret, what did it have to do with ferrets? I am sorry if Eric is having medical problems, but why post about it on this list? My understanding is that this list is for and about ferrets? You have my sympathy - Crohns is a terrible disease but if I started posting about all of my health problems, etc...this list would no longer have anything to do with ferrets. There are many on this list with health problems, that we don't hear about. Again, it is not that I don't have sympathy, but I just did not see a reason for the post to go on the FML. There are TONS of bulletin boards for health-related topics. I AM sorry that you are experiencing this right now. I am about to give up hope that my newest will ever adjust and integrate with my other ferrets. I love this little guy and would NEVER part with him, but it sure would be nice if I did not have to seperate him. It is very difficult to have to make sure everyone gets enough play time when they have to be taken out in "shifts". I also feel bad because he cannot get to all the wonderful toys and stuff in the rest of the cage. He is probably so bored during the day when we are not at home. Warm fuzzy hugs to all! [Moderator's note: I strongly feel the post from Mary at Modern Ferret is totally appropriate. For one, the FML guidelines *do* permit subscribers to announce major events in their lives. And for another, I can't think of too many people who contribute more to the ferret community -- any news about Modern Ferret is ferret-related practically automatically. BIG] [Posted in FML issue 3146]