I am so sorry to hear the little guy is all cooped up. However, I have an idea. If the person who told you that this family has a ferret knows the ferret's sex and color (even just light or dark), you could have this person say they found the owner and even bring along someone to pick it up and say, "Oh, Bandit I missed you." Then the ferret would be away from these mean people and you could proceed to try and find the owner and if you didin't you could place it up fo adoption. In any case, the poor ferret would be out of someone's dank, prbably nasty and dark basement. I will offer any other ideas I can think of. I will be traveling and will not be able to read the FML, but you can reach me at 302.563.5790. If I don't answer, you will hear a stupid recording about..."customer you are calling is not available, Message 20." Just try again later. Hey, even if you don't know the sex, you could play dumb and say something that meant you coulndn't tell what sex it was. Or maybe, they don't know either. Let me know if you want help. Jacki [Posted in FML issue 2267]