I am not at all surprised that the Ferret Store wrote those letters...they do so much for ferrets and the people who love them! In fact, I find them to be the best company around for both customer service and a social conscience. If you have not talked to them, I encourage you to do so! I try to buy everything from them that I need. It is rare to find businesses with practices and ethics, such as theirs. HOOOORAY for you guys! This is probably why they have survived while the others have gone under. Ok, I am giving a shameless plug for them, but hey, they really deserve it! Although I don't know Bob Church personally, I do miss his informative posts on the FML. He appears to be very intelligent. Now about Richard Bach...he is the one who wrote Jonathon Livingston Seagull. Yes, Charleen did get him hooked up with obtaining ferrets two are from the same breeder that my Marley is from. I am friends with his wife, Sabrina, and last I heard, they adopted more and they are all doing well. They are very spoiled from what Sabrina's brother has told me. I have not read the books, but maybe Charleen can loan them out? Actually, Charleen could open a Ferret Library with all the books she has about ferrets. Charleen, if you are reading this, you could make a small fortune (lol!)! I have not rec'd. any emails in response to what Napa Nectar is. I have searched online, and nothing comes up. Also, I was in Petco and they had four ferrets that they were trying to sell (all were about 10 weeks old except for one that was returned to them who was about 6 mos). Apparently, the owner returned him because he was "poofing" and he was supposed to of been descented by Marshalls. I picked this darling cinnamon up, and he did not smell at all, and the staff says he has not "poofed" since they have had him. I talked to the Manager, and she asked me if I saw the babies that had just come in (day before) that were too young to be on display. I suggested she take all of them plus the paperwork to a vet so that the vet can determine their true age. Then I suggested she write a letter to both corporate at Petco and also Marshall Farms about this. I would like to see a vet determine the age and then hear what Marshall Farms has to say about why they are shipping ferrets younger than what the paperwork specifies. Right now, I am working on helping pet stores with this. This is one way to uncover the truth behind what goes on. The Manager was very upset that they were shipped more ferrets since they haven't even been able to sell the four they now have. In fact, she was going to push the six month old (who did not nip at all) to customers over the others. She was very angry about what was going on. Hopefully, with my efforts and the store Managers I deal with, and the help of a vet, we can expose the fact that Marshall Farms ships much younger than what they claim. I will keep all of you posted on what develops. I deal with two Petcos in my area, who frequently call me for help. One other thing... I was watching the news and there was a woman they showed who had her ferret dressed in Mariners clothing. It was the cutest thing! Anyway, that is all for now. Enjoy your weekend. [Posted in FML issue 3478]