Mark, what I always found useful years ago was to avoid the standard meeting places like bars completely, and instead to volunteer at places which have similar interests, depending on what in the area. For you, I'd guess that would mean looking for ferret shelters which can use a volunteer (and most can), and if there isn't one then your local humane society. If you ned someplace with more people: natural history museums have people who tend toward critters as do zoological parks if good ones. Typically, I have found that people I've known who rely on the standard date finding places have poor luck, but I never had any problems at all thanks to my volunteer work; in fact, I got to have some grand other things happen, too, like travel when helping with some things, getting on air regularly on a college station (at a college I didn't even attend), working behind the scenes at concerts, and getting to go to an excellent university (because I had come to know the admissions director who asked me to apply due to his coming to find me intelligent while participating in the Unitarian diversity lecture series) though I had to prove my abilities by at first being non-matriculated. Volunteer work often has many unexpected perks. This might not be right for you, but could be worth a try. At the very least you'd help some ferrets and a shelter. Gina, might those scaling gloves break or pull teeth? We've always just put up with it figuring that they need to learn hands, but know that sometimes the situation is just too extreme as can happen in pain and abuse cases. Would the gloves hurt or cut skin or tug on fur? Like you I just don't know. Hope someone here knows details about them so we can all learn. Eric, you sound like you have heart as deep as the ocean. She couldn't be in better hands, but wishes are still going out! GENERAL REMINDER: The FML is NOT a substitute for vet care. If something might need rapid care don't wait 24 hours or more to learn more about the general category of problem. Ask your vet! (It also helps to have references around and to save Bruce William's posts, and keep useful websites handy.) >besides, this coming year is the year of the Dragon, and I love dragons) Actually, we are at the tail end of a Golden Dragon year! [Posted in FML issue 3282]