Curiously...
- how many of you, had no close pets as children, but  later in life
became animal and ferret people?

I had no close pets as a child because my mother and brother were both
allergic to cats and dogs.  So, we had fish.

- how many of  you, had a couple of standard pets such as dogs or cats
as children?

None.

- how many of you had close contact with more unusual species of
animals as children?

My brother had newts (named them both Newt Rockne).
[Posted in FML issue 5269]