I am writing on behalf of us "kids" (I am 19) who have owned pets and have been responsible with them. I noticed in the FML there has been some discussion about this. I hope BIG will print my letter so you can see that some of us are very responsible. I got my first four pets (goldfish) at the age of around five or six years old. We also had a cat at the same time, but she was a family pet -- in fact, she was a pet between us and our neighbors since she arrived as a stray and both of our families claimed her! :o) Three of my goldfish died right away, but the fourth one lived for -- get this -- twelve years. This was my first individual pet. My second pet was a guinea pig. I took SUCH good care of her that she lived to nearly nine years. Yes, I took care of her, but when I was younger my mom helped a bit with cleaning the cage. She got sick and died from old age last year. I took her to the vet to get his opinion on whether or not to put her down. Instead of doing that, he gave her medicine and said she was too happy -- yes, too happy! to put to sleep. She was determined to live because she was happy and satisfied living with a "kid" as her caretaker. Since then I have also had other pets live long enough to be a shock to everyone I tell. I have been their primary caretaker. It is true that SOME kids do not take good care of their pets and are not responsible. But classifying everyone in one lump group doesn't do a lot of us justice. Remember, "one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch." I take time to play with my pets. My parents do share two of the pets as "family" pets, but the rest are mine, and I believe I take care of them very well, and I'm sure they would agree. :o) To kids and college students wanting to get a ferret, I do have five good questions: 1) Do you have enough time? Remember a ferret takes a long time to care for, play with, give baths, etc. If you have a lot of extracurricular activities, you may not have enough time to take care of the ferret. 2) Do you have a job, or will your parents help you with costs? You will need an allowance, budget, and/or job in order to take care of the ferret. With your parents, write down expected costs and figure out who will cover what. For example, your parents may not want to help at all, or if they want the ferret as more of a family pet, they may be happy to help with some of the costs. Remember that once you move out on your own YOU will be responsible for the costs. Figure out whether or not you can afford the vet, food, etc. costs on your own. 3) Do you think "If I don't like the ferret, I can get rid of it?" If so, don't buy a ferret, or any other animals. Animals get attached to their owners -- you should be in it for the long-haul. 4) Have you completely thought this through? Sometimes we see ferrets in the mall or see other people with them. As young folks, we are influenced by peer pressure and fads. Make sure you know for sure that you want this ferret! 5) Have you done a lot of research? Before making a final decision, READ and do other research. I read 300+ pages of ferret-related information before I decided to adopt one. After you have decided to purchase a ferret, you may want to go to a show in your area and see what other people think of their pets. Remember, everyone, some of us are very responsible and are wonderful pet owners! :o) --------------------------------------------------------- Get Your *Web-Based* Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com --------------------------------------------------------- [Posted in FML issue 1743]