It has been interesting already reading about how people got started. I was invited by a friend to attend a farming show in New Zealand. An aside to this was to visit a ferret farm, which I must admit I didn't know existed or what a ferret was. We travelled down and in the afternoon I met my first furry boy. He was an Albino who was to be taking a long sleep, and being a sucker for the underferret I vowed he should be allowed to come home with me. I walked around with him in the deep pocket of my big coat, he popped his head out every so often for a looksee as we chatted around a gathering by a fire, on one such pop out, a little piece of cold ash landed on his pink nose, from then on his name was Ash, he was to small at the time to come home, so 2 weeks later we went back and home he came, my wee runt grew to be a half metre long and 1.8kgs, in weight. Slightly short sighted he often leapt for us when we weren't in range, he would bounce up and off he went to have another go. We had 5 wonderful years with him, and he was the start of 14+ years of involvement and still on-going. I even worked for a time as Farm Manager at the ferret farm exporting kits around the world, sadly that is no longer around, but the love for these happy givers of laughter and happiness, bundled with mischief and frivolity and total lunacy have kept my world continuing, where would our world be if not for these lovable rogues, who help those especially who have special needs as humans? I have shared them with Autistic and emotionally challenged people who come across very different when they meet a ferret. I have been through happiness and deep despair with my ferrets, each and everyone is etched upon my spirit, and will dwell within it forever. From working with a thousand kits to just one or 2 they are the light in my life. And I pray they will to the day I die. Michelle, and "Da Wee Clan" [Posted in FML 8171]