OK fellow ferret friends and lovers (FERRET lovers I mean!) .... "IT" happened before I could even realize what was going on but needles to say I think I have "crossed the line" and am now "officially" CONVERTED and have become one of YOU GUYS! This is how it happened - This past Jan. I became a new first time fuzzy mommy when I adopted a pair of beautiful 4 1/2 yr. old fuzzies (one albino male and one sable female) from a local shelter and since then I've been trying to educate myself as much as possible about virtually everything a fuzzy mom needs to know because these are my BABIES, MY PRIDE AND JOY, and I just love them to pieces! How can you NOT love a fuzzie that falls asleep on your chest almost every night and cuddles up around your neck and gives you ferret kisses on demand without fail???? ANYWAY ... Well, about a week ago I'm in my local pet store "browsing" for a ferret toy and I see that they've actually got 2 young ferrets in a cage (not common because I live in a rather small college town) - so of course just HAVE TO take a look-see ...(PREFACE: Obviously I'm NO EXPERT by ANY means but I have been reading and listening quite a bit and already know some of the basic "do's" and "dont's"). So what do I find???? Two cute little fuzzies, probably not more than a few months old at best, hanging out. First NO-NO however: Wire cage with absolutely nothing on the bottom to protect their cute LITTLE paws and they were having a very difficult time trying NOT to fall through the floor! Plus there was nothing else in the cage except their sleeping cube, water bottle, and food dish! NOTHING! Not even a blanket to snuggle in!! Second NO-NO: One of them just happened to allow me a very good look into his/her ears b/c it was standing motionless for a little bit in the front of the cage and I could definately notice ear mite debris because I had just finished treating in my own little fuzzies for the same thing about a week ago - UGH! Didn't see any "dots" on either one's ears or any other markings so I have no idea where they came from (should have asked the sales attendant). THIRD AND POSSIBLY WORST NO-NO: I looked at their food dish and noticed it was GERBIL FOOD!!!!!!!!! NO QUESTION ABOUT IT and I even asked them (to verify my unspoken suspicions), which the innocent young salesperson confirmed!!!! AND THEY EVEN SELL FERRET FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since I didn't know if they would bite and wanted to leave with all my digits, I didn't put my hand in to pet them but instead gently put the end of the ferret toy I was purchasing slightly into the cage and one of the fuzzies TOTALLY CHOMPED right down on it (NOW I understand how much of a pain, literally, this can be - my guys do nothing more than occasionally and playfully nip rather softly). NO DOUBT he was a biter, not surprisingly, with as young as it was. By now my tolerance level is beginning to wane because of how poor the conditions were for these cute little guys. THIS is when "IT" hit!!!! All of the sudden, without warning, my mind went into warp overdrive and ALL I could think of was planning how to KIDNAP these babies and get them taken care of!!! I mean I was totally serious! Since I'm currently unemployed but am able to take care of my fuzzies just fine with savings, I knew I couldn't just do the right thing and BUY them so I wanted to be a superhero and KIDNAP THEM, imagine that?????? My heart just went out to them and I wanted so much to take them home but knew it just wasn't feasable at this time unless it was via a "mercy rescue!" :-( NOW NOW NOW I understand how everyone else feels who sees similar situations and what it must be like for all of you who take in the strays and rejects and unwanteds and my heart now breaks EVEN MORE because I want to save the entire ferret world and never EVER have to see another fuzzie suffer! It took several days to get the image out of my mind of what I saw that day but I won't ever forget it! And I'm sure this is actually GOOD compared to many other conditions I've read about recently!!!! Well I just wanted y'all to know that I am now on your side, like some rite of passage or something I guess. I don't advocate for fuzzies BECAUSE I love them; I LOVE THEM REGARDLESS and WANT to advocate on their behalf :-) Peace - Jennifer, Sasha & Snowball [Posted in FML issue 4095]