I currently "only" have 3 ferrets. But I also have 3 cats and 2 dogs, so it's all relative ;) Gannon is the oldest and longest resident - he turned 3 in September. He's an albino MF that was part of a group of 8 ferrets and several guinea pigs that were literally left on the doorstep of a Petco in Chicago. An acquaintence of mine, Jackie, worked there and knew that I had just lost my ferret Joey (adopted from the GCFA shelter when I was a volunteer there). At the time we also had another ferret named Sarah (also adopted from the GCFA) who was now without a cagemate. I asked Jackie if any of the ferrets were white males and she said yes that one was an albino male. I said "I'll take him!" and the next day drove to the city to pick him up. Sarah and him were never as close as Sarah & Joey had been, but they kept each other company until Sarah joined Joey at the bridge the following March. Our cat Gimli - at the time our only other pet - kept Gannon company and became his best friend & playmate after Sarah's passing. In July of that year (2004) I was at Petco - where I *never* go for pet supplies but was nearby one and needed some dog food - when I saw Cameron. I always "check on" the kits at Petco to make sure they're not sick and to say hello to the cute little babies. I saw Cameron and fell in love. He was a 2-month-old dark sable (from MF). I *had* to have him. He came home just a week before we got our first dog, Vegas (a black lab puppy, born the day after Cameron). Gannon & Cameron became fast friends although Cameron gave Gannon ECE :( Gannon got over the ECE after a few months and is now healthier than ever. Nearly a year later (in May 2005) I was at a street festival in Chicago when I saw people carrying around a baby ferret. They were very VERY intoxicated and had purchased the ferret from the Petco nearby. I tried my best to educate them with the noise of the bands and their intoxication making it difficult for them to grasp all the important facts I felt obligated to share. Later on they asked me to hold him while they went to get more alcohol (sigh) and didn't return for some time. Rather than subject the little baby to the unbearable noise from the band on stage, I went to the side of the stage where my boyfriend & others prepared to play later on that day. I never saw the people again and finally at the end of the day I was forced to take the baby home. I had given them my business card with my home office phone number on it and they'd called it several times accusing me of stealing their ferret but they never left a number to return their call or I would have explained my reasoning behind taking the baby home. I was not all that torn about keeping him, though, as they'd probably purchased him while under the influence and (I assume) didn't know the first thing about raising a ferret. I still, to this day, feel guilty about what I did but in the end I know that Oz (the baby - now 9 months old and the biggest, fattest boy of the bunch) is happier and healthier as a result. He is a panda/blaze crazy champagne coloring with "blue" eyes. TOO CUTE!! Now for the names: I found Gannon's name on a baby names website - I was looking for something that meant "white" or "polar bear". His name is Irish and means "fair complexioned" LOL! Cameron was named after Matt Cameron, the drummer for Soundgarden & Pearl Jam and also director Cameron Crowe. Oz was named after Ozzie Guillen, manager of the WORLD CHAMPION Chicago White Sox :D When I was holding him on the side of the stage, he was curled up in my boyfriend's White Sox Jersey. He's also named after Seth Green's character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although not updated in a while (Oz isn't even on there), you can check out pictures of the kids and see Joey & Sarah at http://www.neenerbean.com/animal Amy [Posted in FML issue 5090]