April, I am not disputing whether these things go on in certain pet stores. I'm just saying that it's unfair for some members to label ALL of the pet stores as being bad. I would assume that most of us purchased our ferrets from pet stores. I got my Slinky from a pet store. He was kept in a glass enclosure, but it didn't have a top on it. It was very well venilated and very roomy and too high for the ferrets to jump out of. Plus they were watched closely. It wasn't a tiny box with a holes in the top, but a large enclosure with plenty of room for them to play. This was a shop in Pensacola Florida where I got him from. I don't remember what type of shavings they used for the ferrets because it was so long ago, but I know it looked like they kept it very clean. Besides, ferrets generally like to use the bathroom in the same area each time if able to, so it's not as if they are laying in their own urine and feces. They usually go in corners whether it's a cage or the floor. To be honest, I didn't realize that cedar shavings caused respiratory problems in ferrets. The problem is though I have heard the same thing said about cat litter from the dust, and people have also said that pine shavings are bad. I haven't seen two people agree on this group about what is best to use, so all the different opinions can be confusing. I preferred cat litter with my ferret because he seemed to prefer it over shavings and it was less messy and less smelly. You have to remember that ferrets are natural diggers in the wilds. My ferret loved to go outside in his tunnel and dig in the dirt. He had free roam of the house too, but we also had a really big cage for him to play in when he was outside so that he could get fresh air and sunshine sometimes. Some people on here are so against ever having your ferrets outside at all, because of sensitivity to the heat and so forth. But ferrets NEED to get fresh air sometimes too. I honestly think that some of the common problems people are seeing in their ferrets might be due to being kept indoors too much. A lot of animals also need grass to chew on to help with furballs, but people often forget to give them grass when they are kept indoors all the time. Indoor cats also need sunlight and grass to chew on. My sister has two indoor cats that are declawed, but they had a special fence made for them so they can also go outside and get fresh air and play. It's not good for any animal to be in a cage or indoors all the time. We all need a little sunshine. Too much isn't good, but neither is not enough. My point is that maybe these problems are not just in what shavings are used, but other factors too. But if a real problem has been proven with cedar shavings I will certainly not use it when I get another ferret, which I hope to do in the near future. Thanks for your message and no offense taken. :) ~Blossom~ [Posted in FML issue 3951]