>From: fuzziehuggs <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: adrenal gland disease and love and ownership I can only comment on my own feelings though I feel that the others mirror mine as well. My opinion and a buck will get you a cup of coffee. It isn't a matter of saying not to own a ferret. It is just a needed piece of information regarding the ownership of them. I myself preach the same sermon. Too many people rush into ownership without learning the pitfalls. I have had a wide variety of animal over the years. Presently it consists of two dogs, four cats, and three ferrets. Ferrets are by far the most maintenance intensive and expensive pets I have owned. This is NOT a complaint merely an observation. If people are aware of the needs of a ferret then they have no right to complain. As to financial down turns, this is not the idea at all. That same logic could be applied to owning a new car, a house, or anything else of value. "You pays your money and you takes your ride." In the case of financial disaster I can assure you that everyone will understand and be willing to do what they can. HOWEVER, going into ferret ownership on a too-limited budget and 'playing the odds' will not be met with the same outlook. "I bought it and now I can't afford it" is in no way the same as a loss of income. All but a lucky few have been down that road at one time or another myself included. Best regards, Fred Schroeder [log in to unmask] Home page: http://schroeder-family.us NRA Life Member Behold the superfluous. They are always sick. They vomit their gall and call it a newspaper. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche 1844-1900 [Posted in FML issue 4537]