I live in Colorado. And from what I keep reading, Colorado is different than the rest of the world. There are actually a few good pet stores here. Oh yeah we have bad ones too - but most of us seem to go to the pet stores that treat the pets good. I just thought in light of all the recent negativity on pet stores I might mention two in my area that may cheer you up. Pet Palace - not sure if they are a chain or not. This is the place to go to buy goodies, they have it all. They have ferret tents, about 10 different styles of hammocks, toys (not a single foam ball in the store), ferret highways, water botteles, food dishes, carriers, beautiful cheap cages, food, litter and I'm sure I'm still missing a lot. They also have ferrets for sale and no I haven't seen a kit in there yet. And the cage that they keep their ferrets in - I would love to have it for mine. It has all kinds of toys and space and the ferrets look happy and unlike most pet store ferrets I've never even gotten a nip from them. The have cat litter for bedding on the bottom level - not cedar chips like most every where else. And another unique thing about this store - the staff that works there bring their pets with them every day to work - two dogs and a cat usually. The other store is a chain Pet City. And yes they have another pet city not too far away that is horrible! But the Pet City that I frequent has a very large cage for the ferrets to play in a corner litter box that is mostly clean every time I've been there. And with ten or so ferrets I'm sure that's not easy. The food dish is large and full. They have blankets and some cool toys to play with. (granted they all are marshalls farms kits 7 weeks old) Most of the staff were previous or current ferret owners. They play with the kits. They encourage new owners to read a 34 page booklet that they hand out with each sale on ferret care. They have a deal with a local vet clinic where if you go within one week of purchase to this vet - the visit is free. They also encourage that you take the ferret into the puppy play area so that you can observe how they play so you aren't surprised by their energy level. And they ask that if you have another animal you bring it into the store to meet the new purchase before hand. I know this is long, but I wanted to give some hope to those who feel that there aren't any responsible pet stores a view into a couple of stores that have done this with out any one pushing them. [Posted in FML issue 2201]