Though ferrets have canines, can walk on leash & fetch a ball, they are not close cousins to dogs (family Canidae). Though ferrets have long claws, love to climb & use litter box, they are not close cousins to cats (family Felidae). Though ferrets (order Carnivora) are quite quiet, enjoy tunneling, hoard food, & sleep in cages, they are not close cousins to mice, rats, squirrels, etc (order Rodentia). So why do so many pet store employees perpetuate the myth that ferrets are rodents? Though dogs, cats, & ferrets are in different families of order Carnivora, why do so many pet store employees assume cat & dog foods are interchangeable with specialized ferret foods? I've seen more and more of this type of misleading (or blissful ignorance) at pet stores lately. I truly believe if someone is going to make a business out of finding suitable homes for such small, dependent animals, they owe it to the public to be educated on the animal's specific needs. Lately I have noticed so many signs at pet stores claiming ferrets are members of the SKUNK family. The family Mustilidae includes weasels, badgers, otters, polecats & ferrets (with duct-like anal scent glands). Over the last decade research studies have established that skunks & stink badgers belong to the family Mephitidae (with nipple-like anal scent glands). With all the molecular, dietary, behavioral, & physical differences (including differences in scent glands & rostrum size/shape), it baffles me that such misinformation is still perpetuated by pet store employees, the same people I'd expect to keep informed on the latest taxonomy, environmental, nutritional, & behavioral knowledge regarding the animals they sell. I believe it falls upon us, the educated public, to educate the pet stores so they can better inform their customers. I encourage FMLers to print out relevent information to give to pet store owners who may seem clueless. References: Dragoo and Honeycutt, 1997 Flynn et al., 2005 Lopez-Giraldez, and Domingo-Roura, 2004 Marmi et. al., 2004 Nowak, 1991 Sato et. al., 2003; Sato et. al., 2004 Vaughan, Ryan, and Czaplewski, 2000 Whitaker and Hamilton, 1998 "Intelligence is like 4-wheel drive. It allows you to get stuck in more 'remote' places." ~ Garrison Keillor ~ [Posted in FML issue 5170]