Hi all, My name is Tracie and I'm new to the FML and wanted to introduce myself and all my babys. I'm from CA., now transplanted in VA. I never saw a ferret when I was growing up being in CA. not even on TV! When we moved to VA we went to Eden Farms in Goochland co. btw... they make great cages! and saw our first ferret. Well, needless to say, we fell head over heels in love. I bought my husband our first lil bundle of joy, Mittens, for X-mas 1998 and she was 6 weeks old. I found our local ferret shelter, Richmond Ferret Rescue League, run by Marleen Blackburn, and wanted to help. We helped by fostering 3 of her shelter babys, Missy, Otto, and Buck. We loved it! we were a business, and one happy family! We took all the ferrets to the VA State fair and our Mittens won first place for panda/blaze, yes, We have the prettiest panda/blaze in the state of VA! Several of our others won various prizes, too! A couple of weeks after the fair we lost buck, our vet isn't sure w/o an autopsy why he went over the bridge, it happened so fast, he quit breathing on the way to the vet. We brought him home and the whole family fell apart. We have a huge memorial in our back yard for him and visit it often. We all miss him terribly! He was a very mischievous guy...would steal toilet paper, shred the whole roll, and make nests under our bed for all his buddies! He was also a daredevil..wouldn't think twice about jumping from any height he could climb to..even with a whole roll of TP in his mouth! We included a TP roll on his memorial to honor him..! I bought another large cage for mittens and you know what that means! "empty cage syndrome" hit.... Back to Marleens! We are now baby-sitting Mac, Misha, Wacky, & Sheika. And are they ever great fun!! They go back to their parents in May, when they graduate college, and I'm gonna miss them! We also have 2 other babys, Trinity was a foundling that someone found in their dog pen and turned into the local pet store, I just happened to be there and said I would love to take her! Trinity, Mittens, Otto, and the newest member...... Scooter Elliott get along famously. We bought Scooter Elliott for my 12 yr. old sons b-day, and is just like Buck!! Steals everything! And he's just as much the daredevil that Buck was. Thats our business story, as it stands today...but as soon as we get a bigger house, and more cages...we'll be expanding our business by leaps, bounds, and "DOOKS" ! Maybe we'll even start our own shelter on our side of town...who knows? We hope you enjoyed our story, and we're excited to be part of the FML! Dooks to you all!! Tracie, Lorne, Todd, Rochelle, Jaycen...and the "Lump-in-the-rug Gang"... Mittens, Otto, Trinity, Missy, Scooter Elliott, Mac, Misha, Wacky, and Sheika Oh, and we can't forget "dumb-dog"...Coco, who thinks she's a ferret! She grew up with Mittens. Pictures are available! e-mail me at [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 3302]