In countering the negativity against ferrets as biters, let's suggest people consider the statistics on animal bites and parental supervision of pets and children. I'll use dog bites statistics for an example as they come up more often than others, but a web search can reveal other types of companion animal bites. Anyone is welcome to use the following as they deem fit. http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html A CDC survey reported 4.7 million dog bites in the US each year. <http://blog.dogsbite.org/2011/01/2010-us-dog-bite-fatality-statistics.html> In 2010 there were 33 fatal dog bites with 61% being children 11 years and younger. http://www.dogsbite.org/bite-statistics-fatalities.htm In 2009, 32 fatal dog bites, 20 being children. In 2008, 23 fatal dog bites, 16 being children. http://www.dogbiteclaim.com/statistics.shtml A CDC study of fatal dog bites found 80% in 1995 and 1996 were children under 12, including 3 infants under 30 days, all killed in their sleep by the family dog. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5226a1.htm In 2001, an estimated 368,245 people were treated for dog bites, highest rate for children aged 5-9 yrs with 45.3% of injuries occuring to the arm and hand. There are many families with ferrets and children that do not have biting issues, just as there are with dogs and other companion animals. It is not typical for this type of situation to occur with ferrets. If the ferret was starving and the baby had formula or food on it's hands and when the baby started crying and flailing that may have caused the ferret to react in a non-typical manner. This incident leaves many unanswered questions. Where were the parents that it took so long to intervene and why was the ferret out of it's cage in the first place when the baby was on the floor and the parents were said to be sleeping? It seems to be a heartbreaking case of parental neglect to both the child and the ferret, combined with ignorance and whatever else caused the delay in time to intervene. tle www.ferretfamilyservices.org [Posted in FML 6943]