Hi Fellow Ferret Fanciers! Did I miss a post... I'm wondering if Mo' Maggie has posted White Fang's new name. ERIKA posted about trying to find a HARNESS FOR SMALL FERRET. I have ordered (and not yet received) a figure-8 harness for Oliver. From the description, I believe it to be like one I saw on a ferret recently - it was all one piece and worked by the two loops (one around the neck and the other under the arms) being "joined" together through a ring between the shoulder blades. Thus, the harness is completely adjustable. It's a great way to teach a ferret to "heel" better and respond better when on a leash. Also impossible to get out of... the harder he pulls, the snugger it gets - without choking him. I ordered it from <[log in to unmask]> They come in tons of colours and are under $10 U.S. as I recall. TO DENNIS GENTRY: I tried to e-mail you a sample Pine Marten letter but the mail was returned to me - twice. Reason was "unrecoverable error". If you'd like me to try again, please send me your e-mail address again... maybe I got it wrong. BIG: Thanks so much for letting my Pine Marten post go through. I was so high up on my soapbox when I posted that it never even occurred to me that such a post might be considered taboo. I'm glad you felt Pine Martens (being musetlids) are close enough to our fuzzies to be FML-topical. Again, sincere thanks! NEW YORK A FERRET-FREE ZONE????? Someone posted recently that they thought New York City was a ferret free zone. I'm currently looking into attending a school in Hyde Park (spelling?), New York. The program would take two years, so of course Oliver is coming with me. Is this going to be a problem? I understood that the FML came out of New York, so I'm rather confused. DEAR BLANCA Martinez: I always find it so difficult to read posts about little fuzzies who have gone over the Rainbow Bridge. Tears every time. When I read of your little Ollie's passing, it really hit home for me - since my baby is Oliver (Ollie) for short, too. Please know that I'm thinking about you. Dooks to all, Andrea Maunder Kisses & Nosenibbles from Oliver: "I'm so excited! My Uncle David is staying with us for a while. He LOVES to play with me and his skin is so much tougher than Mom's! Slurp!" [Moderator's note: Yes, the FML comes out of New York City, though there's nothing illegal about *talking* about ferrets, I suppose. Ferrets have a fuzzy (pun?) legal status in NYC - a health department administrative ruling considers ferrets to be "wild animals" -- and wild animals are prohibited in the city. Just last week or so the city was trying to prosecute someone else for housing yet another wild animal -- a goat being boarded at a horse stable. So obviously the health department will spare no expense when it comes to protecting the citizens of New York from vicious beats. On the other hand, unless there is a bite incident or a complaint from someone politically important, "authorities" care little about ferrets. You can see ferrets playing in the park, there are even some ferret events, and the Animal Medical Center - right in the heart of the city - has a steady stream of ferret patients (and some darned good ferret-hip vets). OK, I have heard of police issuing tickets and there have been a couple of confiscations, nor are ferrets sold in pet shops in NYC, so draw your own conclusions. But in my opinion, you'd be more likely to be attacked by a wild goat than your ferret confiscated. Of course, I'd rather be attacked by the goat tho :-( Speaking of NYC - hmmm... Paw Paw... Dr. Williams... what was that about the Atlanta Braves? ;-) BIG] [Posted in FML issue 1734]