Domestic ferrets are currently the 3rd most popular domestic pet in the US only behind the dog and cat. There is so much legislation to protect dogs and cats but none to protect ferrets. Ferrets are intellegent, sweet, loving, wonderful pets! We must protect these wonderful sensitive animals. Ferrets are routinely shipped at 5 weeks old! This is too young, these ferrets are infants at 5 weeks old. The breeding farms take these poor infants from their mothers at 3 weeks old, when most do not even have their eyes open, neuter or spay them and descent them. Then they are stuffed into small crates and shipped all over the country with little to no provisions. They sit on tarmacs in airports, are shuffled and tossed around in cargo holds, subjected to all types of weather, all the while they are still looking for their mommy to nurse! These babies are not even weaned yet! Many of these kits arrive at pet stores with prolapsed rectums, unhealed surgical incisions, sicknesses and behavioral problems. Then they are purchased by inexperienced customers and end up physically abused, abandoned or given to a shelter. The shelters are overflowing with these "throw away ferrets"! The general public and most pet stores have no idea how to care for a sick ferret so the ferret suffers and dies a needless agonizing death. If the breeding farms were forced to comply with an 8 week old rule for shipping ferrets there would be so many senseless deaths of ferrets averted. There must also be humane shipping standards institued and care standards for breeding farms. If we can have standards for dogs and cats then we MUST protect the ferrets. These breeding farms must be held accountable. The ferrets deserve the same protection under the law and we must help them since they can not speak for themselves. Roary I am #30! [Posted in FML issue 4973]