I think that most of us probably agree to some extent on responsible pet ownership and that yes, crises arise and anyone may end up not being able to keep their pets. So there's no need to denigrate anyone. That said I would like to make an observation, especially to people who are relatively new to ferrets. In the 2+ years I have been faithfully reading FML I have seen a phenomen(sp) and seen it off FML as well. People get 1 or 2 fuzzies and are so entranced they become almost obsessed (I think all new owners go through this to some extent). Some people will go off the deep end a little though and end up with 5 or 6 or more in the course of a year (jokingly referred to as ferret math). Some of these people (not all) end up burning out, getting in over their heads and end up having to find homes for all but 2 or maybe all of them. Hey - its very understandable - their so darn precious! This is not a flame. But if your new to ferrets or relatively unsettled in life try to resist the urge to take on more than you can reasonably handle. Fostering may be a good way to scratch the urge and still be responsible. Mary, Boris and Giesela [Posted in FML issue 2089]