This is an e-mail to me from a friend that I sold a cage to and who got three ferrets from a local rescue shelter. ::: Thanks for asking about the ferrets! Yes, I did get three from Ferret Haven By The Sea this summer. I have their pictures on a digital camera, I just have to load them into my computer. Right before school started, I moved from my house into the dorm, and the administration said I couldn't keep them in the dorm. That surprised me, since people have kept dogs in the dorm. I was told that ferrets can be an allergy risk to the students living in the dorm, and that any animal that lives in a cage couldn't be kept there. I called Dr. Zucaro in Richmond to see if this was true, and he told me that ferrets pose less of a risk than cats or dogs. He even told me that the school could call him to verify this. When I went back to the administration with this information. They refused to listen, and told me I had to leave or get rid of the ferrets. I then asked if I could keep the ferrets in the biology lab, where snakes, lizards, rabbits, and other animals have been kept. They told me that there is no place on campus for me to keep my ferrets. Basically, they couldn't give me a good rationale for anything. I was about to quit school right before it started, but my mother (she lives in Maryland) didn't want me to lose my job, so she's keeping my ferrets temporarily. I asked Marlene from the Richmond shelter if she could help me find a foster home for them until I get out of school. The plan is to get my ferrets back during school breaks, when the girls are not here, and them get them back for good at the end of the school year. I would then leave St. Margaret's and find a job where I'd be able to keep my ferrets. I have confidence in my mother to take care of my ferrets because she has rescued her cat and dog and understands the value of their lives. I told my mother the most important things she needs to know, and I call her everyday asking about their poop, their diet, etc. She has an enclosed balcony where she takes them out to play, and they have plenty of toys and tubes and stuff. They also like to climb the cat's scratching post, which towers to the ceiling. One of the ferrets climbs to the tip top, and can't seem to get down. I told my mother to stay with them when they're out playing to make sure they don't get hurt, and she always has to take the one ferret back down to the ground, at which point he climbs back to the top! I told Lisa at Ferret Haven about my situation, and she wanted me to return Kaya, the 6 y/o ferret to her. She said that Kaya shouldn't be moving around to all these different places because of her age. I agreed, but I cried when I gave Kaya back to her. Kaya had been with Lisa the longest anyway, so I didn't feel that bad about doing it. So that's the story. I told Marlene that I'd like to have them in foster care in Richmond at the end of September or beginning of October. My mother, however, seems to be having a great time with them and may keep them longer. Gayle [Posted in FML issue 3538]