Hello all-- This will be a number of little notes, but I'd like to begin by commenting on the idea that FMLers are "family." I've just come back from Christmas/New Years holiday with my RL family & frankly, for the most part, I think FML interactions are conducted on a kinder, more interesting level than are family interactions. (Don't get me wrong -- I have a great family, not one of those disfunctional, miserable ones. But family members inevitably have all kinds of vested interests in the goings on of other family members--lots of old alliances, hurts real and imagined, competitiveness, etc.) Instead I think we are what we should be: a caring community with a shared interest (okay, so it's a passion bordering on obsession). I've enjoyed getting to know your voices, your concerns, and your senses of humor in the months since I subscribed. And I'm tremendously grateful for the information and wisdom that my fellow FMLers have shared so generously. Maybe we're "ferret pals," kind of like pen pals. SULKING: Momo also flops down on his belly pretty frequently, but I don't think he's pouting. Sometimes the weight of the world is too much for his four little legs to hold up. He sighs & reconsiders his philosophical position & when he's remembered why it's fun to be a ferret he hops up & goes about his fuzzy business. HUMANE SOCIETY: I didn't keep the post outlining the society's position on ferrets, but there was one point that stuck in my mind. It seems that they are suggesting that ferrets are special animals who, if they don't get owners who understand that they are not kitty cats or puppy dogs, are likely to abandon them. Someone else posted saying that the % of abandoned ferrets is relatively small. Are there any numbers on this? Ferrets ARE different from the domestic animals most people are used to. They do require owners with a special attitude toward animals. I wonder if the Humane Society might not be right on this one. Every time I go into a pet store (as often as I see one -- just to check out the ferrets & the condition they're kept in) and here people cooing over the kits & buying them because they are irresistable, I worry. Most people won't tolerate poops in the corners -- even on paper -- and don't want half a dozen litter boxes. Many pet owners want animals that are really trainable (not that ferrets aren't, but there are degrees. I'm not about to try to teach Momo to sit and stay). So when I see someone buying a ferret in a pet store, I have a great urge to stick my nose in & let them know just what they are getting into --- the very good along with the not so good (from many people's perspective) aspects of weasel ownership. COLOR QUESTION: Charlotte is (I think) a black sable, but she has a wide dark grey/black band running from her nose right back between her ears to where it joins the rest of her coat. Is there a name for this coloring? SHIVERING: When Newton wakes up, his whole little body quivers for a minute or so. Anyone know why this is? DR. DUTTON: I just moved from Henniker to PA. Wish I'd known you were in the neighborhood while I was there. We may be returning, in which case you'll have the pleasure of meeting Charlotte & the bad boys. Okay -- enough for now. Happy New Year! Dina Stevenson [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1431]