Linda, after reading your reasons for needing to find your ferrets a new home - and knowing that it is better for them and the rescuing groups as a whole to have them stay with you - I have an idea and a proposal. With a range of 5 - 10 ferrets in my home, always rescues, I am often overwhelmed. With the responsibilities of work and home, not to mention having a personal life!, I find myself overwhelmed with the amount of work to take care of the poop, the meds and the foods, not to mention finding time to enjoy their company. At this point, I can afford to pay my sitter to come in once a week and just clean their room. This has not always been the case. Now, though, with her help, I can spend time playing with them instead of cleaning their poop all the time. We have fun together. As you are about to have surgery, I am sure the stress and the bills are probably a concern and you may not be able to afford to pay someone to clean. But, I will bet there are people in the Lawrence, KS area who would help you for a while. If a few volunteers from a local club or some ferret owners could help once or twice a week, your ferrets could stay in your (THEIR) home, you would meet new friends and the ferret foster homes and rescues keep their space. My proposal. If you are a ferret owner with contacts in the Lawrence, KS area, perhaps you could volunteer, or contact someone who can an hour or two a week to help these ferrets stay with their mom. If you need help in the future, you will have already established a network. Is there a shelter in the area? I believe so. Maybe the shelter mom has contacts who can help. Y'all, we know people around the world because of our ferrets. We learned that last weekend! I am sure that we can join together to help out. Linda, if this sounds like an option for you, why not check out local clubs, post to other boards (if there is permission to crosspost, others on the fml may be able to do that), call your vet, check out a local rescue to see if their volunteers would help. renee :) & The Poop-in-the-Corner Gang and 2 Little Poopers way down in south Texas! [Posted in FML issue 4299]