I fully expect to be flamed for this comment LOL. While I realize that everyone ON this list is passionate about ferrets, about their care, and about their welfare... please be aware that not all of us are shelter owners, and not all of us will EVER get our ferrets exclusively from shelters. Period. Bottom line. PetSmart is here too, and IF by any chance they do start to sell ferrets, my opinion is "HURRAY... at least a store that SELLS the proper caging, good food, good bedding, good FERRET supplies to go along with that new fuzzy is doing this!!" We have a major pet chain here in Calgary that sells ferrets... a LOT of ferrets, and has absolutely no interest in selling "good" ferret supplies along with them despite the best efforts of TWO local ferret rescue socities to educate them! A person buying from them is likely to be sent home with a single level cage, Hagen Ferret Food, the idea that having the bottom of the cage covered with pine pellets or Yesterdays News is acceptable bedding and sugar-based treats. I should know. I was one of them initially!!! Just as another thought in addition to this, ferrets in shelters and in foster homes are being cared for. They ARE being loved and their needs are being taken care of. These wee ones in the stores do NOT have a home, and in a lot of cases do NOT have adequate care and attention day to day. As a devil's advocate position, WHICH ferrets are actually the rescues here? Dont presume to tell me that if I continue to BUY ferrets at pet stores to remove them from an ugly situation (email me privately and I'll be glad to share my experience with buying to take on vet costs!!) that I'm a " bad ferret owner". I have both "pet store" and "adopted from shelter" ferrets in my home as my beloved furkids... and will continue to keep that mix. Lets be realistic here. You..we.. are NEVER going to be able to stop the sale of ferrets in pet stores any more than we'd be able to stem the sale of puppies and kittens. It is unrealistic to think that we may do so. And it is equally unrealistic to assume that ferrets bought in pet stores will end up in shelters. Bah. The analogy here is akin to plane crashes.. you hear about the spectacular ones but not the thousands that stay in the air... some ferrets DO end up in shelters.. but what of the thousands that go to good homes and stay their for their lifetimes!! If I'm looking for a new fuzzy to add to my business... I will continue to go to the shelter websites in my area.. and to check the petstores here to to see if there's a wee one that would fit in well. So sue me. DookDancer and Her Ferret Collective Barnum, bailey, Cliodhna, Finnegan and Sasha Missing: YokoOHNO! Kami amd their friends Smokey, Bandito, and Nanook. [Posted in FML issue 4705]