>DOH!!!! They really need some info on ferrets in CaCa land. Yeah they do! Took mine to work the other day, (asking my co-workers to all to write letters for me, so I figured they should meet the animals they were trying to make legal...) and 90% of my fellow employees had no idea what they were. The first sentence out of just about every ones mouth was "oh, those animals bite, don't they?" And interestingly enough, almost all the women said "they are so cute, can I hold one?" While MOST of the men, didn't want any part of em'. (One guy said (jokingly) "get that rat away from me!") Jeanne was interviewed by my morning show team the other day...the interview should air sometime next week. Wish I could tell you what station I work for! My jocks said she was very interesting and well informed...I guess she'd pretty much have to be, huh?! >You know your ferrets are truly spoiled (and you're insane) when: LOL!! I relate to all of em'. Can't tell you how many times I've been late to work because I wanted to give em' a few more minutes of play time out of the cage. Or missed dinner and drinks with co-workers because I needed to rush home to "let ferrets out." My boss says I come to work everyday with animal hair on me. No matter what I wear, he says he sees it everyday. Even if I have a big meeting and try not to go near them before I leave, even if I go over myself with the "pet hair" brush, it still clings to me, like a magnet. Here's a few more: You drive 20 miles to the nearest "Wal-mart" type store, and spend 30 bucks on a huge, clear, plastic storage box and potting soil, so your ferts can "go digging" and bring the great outdoors - indoors. (You ought to see my kitchen floor.) You don't even notice the newspaper on the floor anymore. You adjust their body position in their hammock while sleeping, because one doesn't look "comfortable." Your very expensive down comforter is a fert "sleep sack" now, and you WANT them to have it. ("TAKE it, it's YOURS! Anything else I can get for you while I'm up?!") When your house is quiet, it makes you extremely nervous. You cut up toilet paper and paper towel rolls BEFORE they go into the trash. You have more fun in "Petsmart" then you do in "Macy's." The ritual of ferret proofing...and you do it about six times a day: -Trash can up off the floor. -Board in place under fridge. -Kitchen curtains tacked up. -Laundry room door closed. -Cupboards tightly shut. -Closet doors velcroed closed. -Check front door and make sure it's closed tightly. -Jewelry tray moved to top of high dresser. -Remote control, cigs, ashtrays, soda's, keys, make up, nail polish remover, all moved to high dresser. -Plants moved to living room. -The cat food moved to kitchen counter. -The socks with the elastic they love to eat, pulled out of laundry basket and hidden. As my SO says at least once a day..."why do our lives always have to revolve around FERRETS???" because honey...we are ferret OWNERS, that's why! CA DJ, Boo-Boo, Lil' dude, and our new addition....big, fat, fert - Bear Boy. P.S. Positive ferret health - never any problems with mine, except a minor skin rash. They just had a check up yesterday...my vet says my guys are some of the healthiest animals he's ever seen, strong and lean, hardly any tarter, bright eyes, good coats. They've never had fleas, parasites, or ear mites even. (Proud mama.) Probably many ferts live out their lives with no major diseases or injuries,,,you just don't hear that much about em.' [Posted in FML issue 1881]