Dear Friends and Foes, Well! My post certainly stirred some emotions, didn't it? It was pretty much as I expected and also why I posted annonymously. There were several suggestions that I ferretproof my home. Folks, my home IS ferret-proofed (and my other ferrets don't get into this much trouble)... however, I don't think ANY home can be Ferret X proofed! All the chewables ARE put up/away but alas he can FLY! He can scale walls, counters, tables legs. He can leap barriers in a single bound. He's faster than a speeding bullet.... OF COURSE we put things away before we let them out! I am not stupid (as some implied). The problem is when he escapes his cage while I am work. Not anticipating the house being ransacked, chewables, stealables, spillables, rippables, et al, are not put away. Even if they WERE, I assure you, ferret X would find a way. In one single leap, he can land on the desk where he has attempted to gnaw the hot buttons on the keyboard. I swear, he's part helicopter, part ferret! Nearly everyone suggested finding a new home for ALL the ferrets... My goodness... I never said I hated ALL my ferrets. I am merely frustrated with THIS one. I love the others dearly... I love them as the rest of you love yours. It's this ONE who is a miscreant, who is incorrigible. I have pondered finding him a new home where his destructive behavior will be viewed as endearing and adorable however, he came to me (from someone ELSE who couldnt' tolerate him either) with a buddy. I couldn't bear to part with Ferret Y in order to find a new home for Ferret X.... I also couldn't separate them. Also, rest assured that Ferret X isn't abused or neglected. His life is not in danger. I was merely VENTING. (I do believe that was the FIRST sentence of my rhetoric) Haven't any of you any SKIN kids... times where you just wanted to scream?? WHere you called your mom or your best friend and said, "Oh, my GOD! We're having a really bad day! I just want to run away! Susie drew on the wall, wet her bed, spilled her milk, had a tantrum in church, bit the dog, poured water in the computer, put a sandwich in the VCR, ..."???? The ferrets have daily time out, they reside in a HUGE cage, they have more toys than my children, they eat TF, their nails are clipped regularly, their ears are cleaned, they go for walks outdoors, their shots are up to date.... They get kissed and loved and get belly rubs. No, they are not neglected or abused or bored. I was MERELY saying, not every ferret-to-human match is perfect and I think people should know this. To reiterate.... ferrets CAN be destructive. THe damage that ferrets do CAN be costly. And I think this is probably part of the reason that so many ferrets are dumped in shelters. I DID do my research and homework before opening my heart and home to ferrets. They fit in quite well with our lifestyle... except for Ferret X. Yet, I won't part with him... I'll just complain when it seems overwhelming and then I'll go back to accepting him for what he is. In short, most everyone was compassionate. Thank you for your concern for Ferret X... as I said, he is not in any danger of any kind. Just a personality clash, I suppose. I still love him. I pick him up and look him in they eye and tell him, "It's a good thing you're so damned cute!" and then I smother him with kisses. Sincerely, Ann O. --------- A special note to KATE COPPOLA--- (who graciously took the time out of her mundane life to pen a NASTY note)---- My dear, you are hostile and your "suggestions" were not at all helpful. You even resorted to name calling. (You also lack spelling skills) You presume that I did not have the foresight to ferret proof. You neglected to see the word "venting" and furthermore, (and most sadly) you lack compassion. You said, "I am not one to judge quickly, either" Really? Hmmmm.... appears to me, that indeed you DO judge rather quickly. Another quote from your obnoxious post..." ...I must go back to my fantasy would full of cute little ferrets who are given free run of the house and then their owners complain when they destroy things..." ---- First of all, that sentence made no sense whatsoever. I'm certain your English teacher would faint dead away if you submitted THAT mish-mash of composition. (Please, kindly show me where I said my ferrets were given free run of the house. I NEVER said my ferrets were given free run of the house) "How *ucking stupid are you??" was the eloquent and ladylike way you concluded your rhetoric. Based on your poor sentence structure and spelling, you should ask *yourself* this age-old question. Yet another quote "The thousands of owners, breeders, shelter owners, vets, and other ferret fanciers in the world live very much in reality and you should learn to respect that." And you, my dear hostile, obnoxious friend, should learn to respect OTHER'S right to say what they FEEL. You failed to recognize the message in my original post which was... (one more time for those who are slow...) The REALITY is that ferrets are alot of work, they can be destructive, they CAN be time consuming, they can be costly..... and the reality is that SOME ferrets are more destructive than others and not all ferret-to-human matches are perfect. My HONEST post would explain the reason there are so many ferrets in shelters all over the United States. I trust I wont' be hearing from you again as I hope you will be enrolling in an English composition class and a Human Relations course. "Weezil Girl" is your signature. Indeed! At least on this point, I couldn't agree with you more. Good day! A.O. [Moderator's note: Actually, with the exception of Kate's note, I felt most responses were quite civil and I thank the FML for that. I do want to apologize for letting through Kate's response -- I clearly didn't pay enough attention to it (was a 04:00 night again... sigh) and it should NOT have made it onto the FML. BIG] [Posted in FML issue 3582]