Dear Ferreteers, I promised an update on the Arcadia ferrets & here it is. It is disjointed because I am so tired, but I could not possibly wait until tomorrow to share this experience with you folks. All nine neutered ferrets in a total of 4 cages are sitting happily on my living room floor.They all have thick coats, clipped nails, and appetites. As far as I can tell, they are all healthy. I have so far seen no fleas. Poops are orangey and loose - probably stress/poor diet, but I'll be watching (CAT FOOD!! UCK) Per Mr Reynolds, all these guys are descented. Some are napping now, some eating. The ones who had litter boxes used them! (Yesterday's News) The count is as follows: 1 Choc Panda (gorgeous!) M (spoken for) 1 Dk Sable F 4 Sable F 3 Albinos M (1 spoken for) My experience (except for Heidi von Fredonia) is limited to MFs, but these babies are appreciably larger than I'm used to. Perhaps Carin Riley & Karen Braithwaite noticed problems I didn't - I hope they will comment. The nail clipping happened without incident, thanks to Karen's skill, Mr Reynold's handling of the ferrets,and Ferret-vite. They lived in an open air shed, in cages with little houses they crawled into to sleep, water bottles and food dishes. Lisa and I filled up Barbara's camera, but unfortunately mine refused to work. I was verrry disappointed, to put it mildly. All told, the packing up & loading took @ 3.5 hrs, I think. Mr Reynolds sent Mike & Lisa home with a bag of fruit, and seemed genuinely fond of the ferrets. I hope we hear from Mike about the Gainesville end of the operation - they had to get to G'ville before Dr K closed. I'm rounding up my brood to cage them so I can try to let the new ones out for a run & some exercise. I'll be here tonight for questions/comments/Yahoos! I think it's important to note here that Mr Reynolds seemed genuinely fond of his animals. He interacted with them well, he knew all their stories, he was proud of the ones he hand raised, the cages were well maintained (given their structural limitations), and the ferret-dudes themselves are magnificent. For all the discussions of backyard breeders here, I have to state this gentleman was a responsible and loving caretaker. When he realized he couldn't meet their needs for socialization & companionship, he accepted a way to make sure his ferrets were cared for by people who could.Because of the lack of bite training, some of these babies are biters who will need work & hand training. They'll get it. The ferrets in Gainesville will need their surgeries and shots & exams... They'll get it, as well. Again, email me for adoption information & please be patient - nine new ferrets in my house need time! Send $ donations (those surgeries/shots/exams will cost!) to Barbara Ludt or Dr Kemmerer. Send goodwill & best wishes to all of us who love ferrets and are willing to work for them - Carin, Karen, Mike Jordan, Lisa Jordan, Susie Sherman & the inestimable Barbara Ludt. Best ferret wishes, Paula Bryder [log in to unmask] Donations: Barbara LudtPO Box 984 Penny Farms, Fl 32079-0984 904-284-9232 904-284-6998 (fx) Dr Kemmerer West End Animal Clinic 103 SW 140th Terr Newberry Fl 32669 For the Arcadia Ferrets/non-tax deductible Best, Paula [Posted in FML issue 2158]