I just want to say that I am laughing real hard about the post saying that the people on this board are sooo mean to their ferrets. Why am I laughing hard? Let's see, it's wrong to cage a ferret? Well, does anyone here let their kids run in the street? How about letting your dogs roam the neighborhood freely? It's for SAFETY! I don't make my children stay in the fenced yard because I'm mean, I don't cage my ferrets at night when I can't watch them because I'm mean. I do it because I care! I dare you to tell me I am mean for making my kids stay in the yard and NOT play in the busy street, or tell me that I am mean for making my ferrets be in the same place every night so I know where they are. And since when is it a USER ERROR when anything gets sick? If my ferret has some disease, unless it's one I caused directly, it's not a user error. In the same respect am I abusing my kids if they get a flu? Come on! And if you want to call people who give up their ferrets to shelters nincompoops, well that's fine with me. But the way I see it, they deserve more credit than being name bashed. A nincompoop would let the ferret go in the wild and say screw it. A caring person would turn their beloved pet to a shelter, not let it go wild. Is this person who wrote this ridiculous email realize that they are putting their ferrets in "Human conditions"? What is having a ferret in the house? Gee lady, I don't know any ferrets that own homes. Or ferrets that kill chickens and grind them up. Shoot, I don't even know any ferret that even make their own soup. So you are putting them in your own human conditions. Let me know when you got a ferret for me to talk to who is under NO human condtions. Which would mean they are either in the wild, or they are home owners or rent a place, make thier own food, etc etc. Sounds pretty stupid doesn't it? Yeah, well that's what I thought when I read yours! You can't tell me for a second (not that if you did I would belive you) that you never leave your ferrets unattended? If not, your lying. (you have to sleep sometime!) If you do, then what do you do? leave them to run wild? Real smart. So to you I say, if you are leaving your ferrets unattended for any length of time (this also included sleeping at night) you are the one who is a nincompoop. I don't leave my ferrets, dogs, KIDS, alone or unattended. They stay within eye sight. Why would you let them freely roam all day if you are not watching thier every move. I don't care HOW ferret proof your home is. My house is baby proof and ferret proof, but guess what? Every day in homes all across the country ferrets, animals, kids etc get hurt or in trouble of some sort in the most perfect of homes. And don't EVEN try to say you are the expection, that in your house everything is perfect and nothing ever goes wrong. Not possible. And as for you having ferrets for over 40 years, I'm very sorry that so many ferrets have been forced to your "CONDITIONS" for that long. Jessica Exposing my ferret to human condtions EVERYDAY! (and loving it!) [Posted in FML issue 3744]