Among the people I have known most were not raised with animals did not get animals later, but there certainly are exceptions. I was always around many types of critters. Some were our own. There were wild rescues who tended to be passed on to me. We had a veterinarian next door who let me help some times. There was a farm just across the field across the street, and two sets of relatives had farms. I doubt that is unusual among ferret people. Later I went into studying primatology and working for an anatomy department, but a neuromuscular illness cut that short, which is why I have undergrad credits and degree and some graduate credits but... (Hey, life just sits on people some times.) -- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my private posts) Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love them: Ferret Health List http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth FHL Archives http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ AFIP Ferret Pathology http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html Miamiferrets http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ International Ferret Congress Critical References http://www.ferretcongress.org [Posted in FML issue 5269]