In response to Sunny's post...I have a 4 year old daughter, and I have had ferrets since before she was born. She has been taught from the very beginning to be gentle with them and that they CAN bite. I have 6 right now, one of whom was a biter when I got him. None of them have ever done more than jump up at her to play, and she has NEVER done anything to hurt them. Not saying that couldn't happen, but that's why children and pets need to be supervised. I was beyond angry when I read that you shouldn't get a ferret because you have young children. Certainly it should depend upon your child's and the pet's temperament, and how responsible the parent is. Just to be on the safe side, I have small locks on the cage doors. I usually give the ferrrets their long playtime after my daughter has gone to sleep, but I also let them play around her for short periods. How is a child supposed to learn how to treat an animal if they're never around one? And for the record, I run a shelter and I wouldn't deny someone a ferret based soley on how old their children are. If the child is obviously not listening to the parent about how to handle the animal, or if the parent just lets them hang them by their tails, no of course not. But as a ferret lover and a parent, that is just ridiculous. Sorry if I've rambled on, but that really upset me. -Lisa Spook, Buffy, Angel, Frosty, Nibbles, Gypsy [Posted in FML issue 3756]