Hi Everyone, prayers to all the sick fuzzies and condolences to all that have crossed over. Diane in response to the hic-up question, you are not alone. My Wolf gets them on a regular basis but they don't last long. Guess our ferrets are more human than we think.LOL. Kristin you seem to have a ferret with a strong personality. <grin> I to have one of those. He is a year and a half and only recently has he toned his biting down to not breaking the skin. This of course depends on whether or not you are touching something he feels is rightfully his, you know the cage, the t.v. remote, t.v. guide, and toys. Never have I heard Wolfy dook, however he does get the award for the best hisser contest. I know that mom ferrets hiss at their kits to discipline them and correct their behavior. My answer-hiss back but be prepared. When I do this to Wolf, he thinks I am playing with him and hisses more. It's a battle of wits and strength. Keep trying. I do need some clarification on a statement that Sue made about her contract. You used the words option of taking the furry back. I wasn't sure if this was just a loose term and you really meant that if said person doesn't want the ferret, that it has to be brought back to you. By using the word option (not trying to nit pick) it sounds like the owner can either return the ferret to you or sell or surrender it to someone else. The bottom line is that the owners turned out to be neglecting the ferrets health and well being and thank goodness it was given to someone who can take proper care of it and essentially saved it's life. Had this owner kept the ferret any longer, there may not have been a ferret to have legal arguments over. Why not skip the legalities and just be glad the ferret is safe and with someone you know, instead of being at the Rainbow Bridge (not a flame just my opinion). Don't get the wrong idea, legally the ferret should have been returned to you by the owner if your contract states that. Most adoption contracts I know clearly says that no matter what the circumstances the ferret is to be brought back to the shelter if the owner doesn't want it anymore. Obviously, the owner ignored this and circumstances has the ferret somewhere else, but at least the ferret is safe. I thought the whole idea of things was to all work together for the health and happiness of the ferrets. This brings up another point. In my criminology classes I learned two important things. Always go to the source to ask for clarification, and don't always believe everything you hear, that's how rumors get started. Sometimes on the F.M.L. we have a tendency to jump the gun on issues. It comes from having strong feelings toward what is important to us-our fuzzies, and I have been guilty of doing this myself. I have learned to re-read posts a few times and not to respond when in the throws of anger, not to say I don't get riled over certain issues. There will always be debates and disagreements over things, but it is how we handle them that makes the difference. Kathy and the Ferret Collective-on the flipside of humor [Posted in FML issue 3311]