We went to the home of the would-be breeder Friday evening. The ferrets were kept in a shed about 15 feet square. There were dozens of rabbits and guinea pigs, some with babies, in cages. Two small ponies shared a little stall. There were several dogs in a large run between the house and the shed, and the man had chickens and pigeons as well. There were 2 pairs of female ferrets, a single female and a single male. The ferrets were on wood chip bedding with a couple old t-shirts for snuggling in. There were no litter boxes, they used the corners of the cage. The man said he decided to keep the male and one female, but that he wasn't going to breed them. Didn't have the time. We bought the 2 pairs of females because he said the single female didn't get along with the others. He said she even beat up the male when he put them together! I asked if he was going to have the ones he keeps neutered. Eventually, but he didn't seem in too much of a hurry. In fact, this one is just going into heat now and he'll have to wait til she goes out. I was surprised when he showed me the single female had a swollen vulva, and wondered why she would be in heat now. He guessed it was because he had been keeping the lights on 15 hours a day for the guinea pigs. I wished then we had picked her. After conferring with our vet, I will have Richard call him and say the vet said he didn't need to wait til she was out of heat and that she should be spayed asap. So we brought the four home. They are very skittish and nippy (HARD nipping!) Two little sables are about 5 or 6 months old, the others about a year older. Two are scheduled for spaying on Monday, two on Tuesday. We would appreciate any assistance anyone can provide with the vet bills. As a small operation, we are still smarting from 3 surgeries in the last couple months. Please send any donations directly to the vet, and write North Coast Ferret Shelter in the note line. Thank you. Douds Veterinary Hospital 12115 Leavitt Road Oberlin, OH 44074 I will post more on the girls as their personalities become known. Linda Iroff North Coast Ferret Shelter Serving Northeast Ohio http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html [Posted in FML issue 1742]