We have a crisis here. Nancy, Lynda, Kaye and I went to check out the Fredonia Kansas breeder. He has 40-50 ferrets and he wants to sell them. I'd say they range in ages from 1-5 yrs. The males are housed out back in hutches with wire bottoms. He has 10 males and the rest are all females - and 4-5 kits. The females are kept in make shift sheds in cages with wire bottoms and the smell of Lysol makes you sick. Most are albinos. The cages are adequate for now. In the winter he throws piles of straw in one of the sheds and releases all the females in there and mass feeds and waters. The males I assume are left out back in the hutches. Then in spring he goes out and cleans out the straw and the... dead ferrets. He doesn't know why they die, they just do. He has a large bird farm too and talks affectionately about the birds but says the ferrets are mean and just shook his head in amazement when I told him we would rehab the ferrets and place them in homes as companions. There isn't a mean one in the lot. They are only reacting to the way he treats them. They are abused by him. I tried to inform him and left material with him but he's one of those people that know what he is doing and no matter what I say - he is doing it right. I offered to take them all off his hands as he does want to get rid of them, but he refused. He will sell them to us though. I've got to do something for those babies. We need to raise $1500 to buy them, then I'll work out something for vaccinations, shots and I have to find someplace to hold them. I can't bring them to my house with active ECE unless I can't find anywhere else for them. These poor babies have never been vaccinated or received any type of medical care. The stay in the cages day after day, no love, care, playing.... I have an offer of $500 from one person so far. I'm not one to ask but these babies need us! Please, whatever you can send, or however you can help (transportation, foster homes, etc.) would be so appreciated. Please help us help these innocent victims. PLEASE..... 3-4 times a year this man sprinkles them with Tide and hoses them down to get them good and clean. (!!!!!) There was food and water and bedding box with straw in each cage and the majority of them were alert. Many of the females peaked out of the boxes to look at us as we went through. We were looking for old or/and sick ones to buy yesterday. We bought 5. A pregnant, obviously adrenal diseased female, an albino male whose eyes were different sizes, Lynda bought a male that was not a good stud and a blind female, and Kaye bought a mitt male. I'd have bought more if I'd had someplace to place them. As I looked at the tiny faces and imagined what their life had been like I just wanted to grab them all and take them home. But that was not realistic. I also considered the transportation. The males would need to be separate, the females possibly 2-3 to a cage. Some of these females are pregnant. There are no other KS agencies to help us. They would only kill the ferrets. I hope with a plea to the fml we'll get some help here. Vikki in Arkansas offered to take 10-15. I'm considering taking a 2nd mortgage on my house to raise the funds for spays, neuters and vaccinations.... We've got to do something to get them all before winter sets in. It be a wonderful christmas present to all those little ones to have a warm loving caring compassionate home with lots of food medical care and TLC! If you have any ideas or suggestions please let me know. Here's what we need - $1500 to rescue the ferrets Cages and trucks to transport them all in the same day to foster homes or others that will tranport them on to foster homes Foster homes Funds to spay/neuter and vaccinate every one People to rehabilitate them Even if you can only take one it will make a difference. I can't offer you anything in return except the warm fuzzy wonderful loving feeling of helping ferrets that are otherwise destined to live a painful cruel life. Hugs to all. tle [Posted in FML issue 1708]