Demi, convince you that Peanut will not be lonely and that Georgia will not miss her little peanut. HAH! Do YOU have any children? Do you have any teenagers? Well, for those of you out there who DO have teens - or will in the future - let me share this bit of sage advice I received as mine was growing up: God gives us the teenage years so that when the time comes for our children to leave home, WE ARE READY FOR THEM TO GO! In the wild the BFF is a solitary animal. The kits leave home on their own. All the research on them supports this. I have seen them in the wild and sure enough, only one comes out of that hole! Do you have any ferret that fight when they are together? Well, the BFF is much more muscular - can you imagine? I did see one ferret with a hole bit clean through the leg - wow! Some of them can get pretty beat up - and still they survive! In the wild, those ferrets get to explore and see places they have never seen. It is an adventure for a young ferret - if (s)he survives). They come together just for mating. I mean, don't you know people like that? I travel a lot and see things and do things some people will never get a chance to do. I am single and for a long time I noticed that a lot of the people who enjoy doing the same things I do were also single. We would come together and have a great time and then we all went back to our own little corner. Wouldn't it be great if we could go home together? Well, some people just don't like to do that. They like the quiet alone time. BFFs are like that, too. Little Peanut will get the opportunity to reproduce from now until he retires - a pretty cush life for any male if you ask me! All his needs met and someone else is doing the cooking and cleaning! Think movie star! I mean, what teen wouldn't like a lifestyle like that? And, since you brought up the ZOO! Usually the last day of the symposium people who want to go to the zoo go as a group. This year that is not planned because of the distance and difficulties involved in getting there. So, instead, there is a function at the hotel. BUT, you give me the opportunity to share that the National Zoo is part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Members of other AZA affiliates can use their membership card and get reduced or free access to sister zoos. So, if you are a member elsewhere, pull out that card. And, if you want to visit the Pittsburgh Zoo on your trip to the Symposium, bring it along! So, Demi, did I convince you? Will I get to meet you in Pittsburgh in November? -- Renee Downs "Eventually we will realize that if we destroy the ecosystem we destroy ourselves." Jonas Salk "The most effective way to do it, is to do it." Amelia Earhart It's amazing how much can be accomplished if nobody cares who gets the credit! Ferret Emergency Response, Rescue & Evacuation Team (F.E.R.R.E.T.) http://www.ferretemergency.org [log in to unmask] International Ferret Congress http://www.ferretcongress.org American Red Cross http://www.redcross.org [Posted in FML 6106]