Today, I received a call from the VP of Petco (product group) and he told me the story on these bowls. First of all, thank you for Lisette's post and concerns, but it looks as though this isn't all it is cracked up to be. The small bowl with the colored paw prints has NO LEAD whatsoever - so do not fear. The white bowl with the black ferrets and bunnies on it contains lead which is actually in the paint on the outside. The FDA allows 2.0 parts per million of lead. The bowl was tested by them and they found it to be 2.23 parts per million. Petco also used Merchandise Testing Labs (huge product testing lab) and found only .013. Petco then pulled the bowls because of the FDA standards. In conclusion, most likely if your ferret is into licking and chewing paint off the side of the bowl, then I would be concerned. The lead is not internal nor is it on the inside of the bowl. Sometimes lead can "leech" into things, but in such a small amount, it is not likely. Petco will take the bowl back at any of its stores. Clerks are sometimes misinformed when it comes to this, thus creating confusion. What am I going to do? Return the bowl for a different one (probably the paw prints bowl). What should you do? Alert the store manager if you still see the black/white bowl on the shelf. So, it is not likely that this will cause health problems, but as a cautious and overly-protective ferret mom, I am not taking any chances. Feel free to call the powers that be if it makes you feel more secure. Keep fuzzy! [Posted in FML issue 3168]