Greetings, fellow fuzzy lovers! I must admit I have been a lurker on the FML for a few months, but I had some thoughts on recent events and decided now was as good a time as any to introduce myself. I am the proud owner of three fuzzy terrors. My roommate, Tim, and I share the critters and the responsibility, and we both love them. We decided to get a ferret on very little information, having only spent a day with a friend's critter. Lucky for the ferrets I'm an animal lover and have a sincere desire to be a responsible pet owner, so after talking to a few people and buying some books, we brought home Mayonnaise, our lovely albino boy. He was a pet store purchase, and we unfortunately bought him from a less then informed salesperson who knew nothing about ferrets. We were very lucky, as we knew nothing either. The only thing I think we got gypped on is his age...they told us he was 8 weeks old, but he is absolutely huge and is very mellow, and was even then. I'm betting he's a few months at least, and could even be older. He came home and was very well adjusted immediately. He played with Cindy (our friend's ferret), but when she went home he seemed very perturbed and kept looking for her, so ferret math took over, and home came Clover, a then 6 week, now 21 week old MF pet store sable boy (from a pet store that seemed much more informed). Two weeks later came Luna, our silver mitt girl, who's about 19 weeks now. All are very well loved and well cared for, and are very happy here. I discovered the FML shortly after we bought Luna, and am extremely grateful for the wealth of info on this list. I'd love to donate my time to a shelter or ferret group in this area, so if anyone knows of groups in Illinois (I'm in Urbana-Champaign), please e-mail me privately. Anyway, I decided to write today regarding thoughts I've been having (provoked by Cleveland's killer ferret, Phoenix). I've been very active with my fuzzies, taking them out with me all the time on walks, bringing them around the community, even taking them to class with me sometimes! People love them and have many questions for me, but since the bite incident, I've had many people come up to me and say "yeah, I heard a ferret attacked some kid in Cleveland!" I was even on the phone with a culinary academy representative in Pittsburgh, and he asked me about it when I mentioned I had ferrets. Naturally, I set everyone straight wit the details as I know them, and thankfully no one has gone on about the evils of ferrets and has been willing to listen to me. It's profoundly disturbing that news of this single bite incident has traveled so far, and that people only know the negatives. I don't want to belittle the incident, but if it was any other kind of house pet (ex: a dog), it's likely the story would not have spread so far. It's a shame that we have to work so hard to unravel all the myths and preconceptions about ferrets that are built up by stories that center mostly around human negligence. I guess the key is in prevention, because by the time we need a cure, it can be too late. I know how hard everyone works to expand knowledge of ferrets as pets in their communities, and I think it's wonderful. If we keep working hard, maybe some day soon people will begin to accept fuzzies as the playful pampered house pets most of them are! OK, I will stop rambling now. I'm sorry this is so long, I just wanted to get involved in the list and say a few things. Keep up the good work everyone, and thanks for all the help you've all (perhaps unknowingly) given me! PS - please, anyone involved in ferret groups/shelters near Champaign IL, contact me! Kristi and the Mustelid Musketeers of Mayhem Mayonnaise (mm, raisins mommy *beg* oops, I'm fat and fell over) Clover (huh? what? hey, what's that over there?!) Luna (gotta get that big mean old couch *spaz!*...get those toes now!) [Posted in FML issue 2237]