Special Birthday-It sounds like Midget has led a very full life so far. I would like to wish her a Happy Belated Birthday, and hopefully many more to come. Velcro-A couple of my ferrets have a thing for velcro also. I was in a car accident about a year ago and had gotten a neck brace and an arm brace from the hospital. Needless to say they have both become ferret toys and are located somewhere under the bed. Unknowledgable Ferret People-I have this same problem at work. They call my fuzzies rats, rodents and weasels. (Well sometimes I even call them weasels, but lovingly.) I don't have any children like the other girls in my office, so on my desk I have a picture of my ferrets. Which everyone is amused by. I also have a grandmother who is horrified that I own such creatures. She said that when she was growing up they used to get into the chicken coop and kill all of their chickens. (Not that its any different than the fact that they were raising the chickens to eat anyway.) She also said that it was a good thing that I kept them in the cage at night, because they might attack me. She said they will bite your wrist and suck all your blood out. It is kind of a shame that these people don't know how wonderful these animals are. Like most pets they love you unconditionally and rely on you to care for them. But unlike most pets, they have an endless source of energy and curiousity. They are beautiful, intelligent, energetic and happy animals. And they say that happiness is contagious. Stephanie [Posted in FML issue 1881]