Hello all, "Ideally", IMO, the perfect place to obtain a Fert would not be a "backyard" breeder, but an 'old friend', who has maybe 1-2 "Indoor" litters a year,....who is very Ferret knowledgeable, maybe 'shows them' (or not) and let's you have one with maybe unwanted markings they wanted, and that Fert could turn out to be that "#1" fuzzie that only comes around once! I mean healthwise, longevity, etc... I'd love it! But those kind of things are just 'wishes'.......... We've all maybe been 'introduced' to our first little 'smile species' by a purchase at a Petco or Petsmart, I have3x. But in 18 yrs. of Fert roommates, 8 of my 11(+/-), were 'rescues/surrenders'. THE most humane & 'correct' thing to do is to adopt them from our "Ferret Rescues" & Shelters 'because' most of them probably came from those two stores! I've always wanted a pure bred "German Shepherd",....but other than the aforementioned Fert Rescues & Shelters, all of my Dogs have come from local spca's &/or aspca's, etc.,,.....and they have always been great!....Just like my Ferrets have been! I'm glad to hear that Petsmart is stopping the selling of Kits. And MF, a 'wart' on the Earth's Butt in my book & opinion, may be the better alternative to the recent HUGE backyard breeders that have literally "gone to hell", from illnesses, etc.... My solution?, take one day at a time, and keep an eye open, (Not in Petco,(lol)), and visit "Petfinder" for the closest "Ferret" &/or "SPCA" shelter!,...no better company anywhere! One thing, I do consider Petco & Petsmart to be the top 2 in everything but the "live animal sales"........... Many local Mom & PoP stores have stopped selling animals,...hopefully some day it will all equal out......"Supply & Demand"....just enough born to match the # seriously wanted!.....ahh, the perfect world,......someday,....someday. DOOKS to you & yours, John Rich & the gang of '1' in n.j., USA. john rich <[log in to unmask]> [Posted in FML 5892]