Hi everyone...as I sit here alone as Santino is in solitary confinement, just thought I would ask a few questions of my own, and maybe even brag a little. Regarding pet stores, I felt lucky to have bought Santino from one that didn't keep dozens of them at a time in a plexiglass house full of ceder shavings. The one I bought my fuzzy from carries just one at a time, and they even take the time to play with them; at least they did with him. Santino was about 7 weeks when I bought him, and already leash trained. However, I've observed since then that future ferrets haven't even had a bed to sleep in, or a litter box in the cage. And there are cedar shavings in the bottom of the cage to boot. I tried to tell the kid working there that they could be toxic, but he scoffed at me, saying that since the cage (a wire one) had plenty of ventilation and it wouldn't hurt the ferret. He also scoffed when I asked if he wasn't worried the ferret would ingest some of the soft rubber toy they had thrown in with him. There was a stuffed toy in the cage too, which the baby ferret was laying on top of; it was so pitiful looking, like a picture depicting those experi- ments on monkeys taken from their mothers at a young age. To make a long story longer, I was advised to turn the store into the Fish & Game here in upstate NY as they sold Santino to me without a lisenceand I intend to tomorrow. It seemed like they were so caring towards Santino, lucky for him. Now for the bragging. Santino is a Marshall Farms baby, a sable male who loves pepperoni and non-fat frozen yogurt (he's somewhat health conscious). He walks on a leash, doesn't mind having his ears cleaned and his nails clipped, tolerates baths without skinning me alive, and will lay still and let me cuddle him when I'm holding him (though he's off like a shot soon as he hits the floor!) Yes, he is a LIVE ferret, lol! BTW, before I could close (sorry this is so long), could someone send me the article Dr. Williams wrote about ceder shavings? I'd like to have it for the future. Oh, Santino is in solitary for clawing the rug, but I don't think I can take it for much longer :) TJ and Santino the Italian Ferret [Posted in FML issue 1097]