Kathy, if you feel the conditions at your breeding facility are OK, then why don't you allow people to visit the actual facility? While I have never personally tried to visit, I have been told by others who have that you do not allow people to visit the actual breeding facility, which is located somewhere other than your home. When people come to get a ferret, they come to your home, where you do house some, but not most of the ferrets. If you had an open door policy and allowed people to visit the place where the majority of the ferrets are kept, then you might not have the problems with what you claim are false reports. People could visit and draw their own conclusions about your facility. And, whether or not you are required to have a license, the USDA Inspector's report is pretty gruesome. I can't imagine why the USDA Inspector would want to falsify information about you, so I tend to place more credibility on the report than on what you claim, until such time as I might visit your facility and see with my own eyes the conditions where the ferrets are kept. I only live in VA, so I would be happy to drive down for a visit sometime, and report back to the FML what I observed. Other ferret farms like Marshalls and Path Valley have not had the problems with "false" USDA Inspector reports like you claim to have - and they are licensed facilities. They are subject to regular inspections, including unannounced inspections. They are bigger operations than I believe you are, but they can keep food and water on all cages. And, I can't imagine how someone could mistake a pile of leaves for a pile of dead ferrets. Danee DeVore ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more information visit: <http://www.ferretadv.com> ADV - Find out how you can help: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/ [Posted in FML 6809]