Tracy-- I agree with you 100%, too many people buy ferrets (substitute "kitten," "puppy," etc.) on a whim and have no idea what they are getting into. This is exactly the reason that the bill to legalize ferrets in Mass. (WHEN it passes, hopefully sometime this century!!) prohibits pet store sales. In my opinion, the best thing you can do is try to educate people. You can devote as little or as much time to this as you want--ie, one very well thought out article or letter to the editor of the college newspaper may have a lot of impact. From there, you may want to get the cooperation of the pet stores (some will be more helpful than others) in distributing something informative like the mini-FAQ for potential ferret buyers. Or link up with the humane soc. to start an educational campaign, etc. etc. Just talking to people can go a long way; also, posting simple but informative fliers on campus bulletin boards. I think you can do a lot of very effective things, and hopefully other people will join your efforts. As anyone who rescues animals can tell you, preventing the problem is a lot easier than trying to adopt everyone's castoffs. Sadly, it's an age-old problem with companion animals, but I do think education goes a long way. I think it's great that you want to do something about it--Good luck! Re: ferrets washing themselves Ralph also likes the bathroom rug for cleaning himself, only he prefers a variation of the hamster method: using both paws at once to rub over his face and head while laying on his back, then just laying there looking adorable--it's so cute I can't stand it! :-) --Ronnie [Posted in FML issue 1358]