Hello fellow ferret-luvers!!! I read this mornings postings about different pet stores, so I thought I'd tell you about the PETCO by my house: I go in the store to buy some food and toys, and of course, look at all the animals. When looking at the ferrets, i saw that they were very small. I asked a worker how old they were. He says, "about 3 1/2 to 4 weeks!" I asked if I could talk to a manager, which I did, and I told him that ferrets aren't even weaned until 6 weeks and they still need their mother for a while. So, he said, "Well, there is a high demand for pet ferrets, so we take them away a few weeks early. It's better for business!" He also then told me that they were Marshall Farm ferrets, which are obviously beautiful ferrets, but MF is the biggest breeder of lab research ferrets and dogs :-( , and in an article they talked about how they raise their animals cramped together in high-stacked cages so they can get the "lab feel"! yes- the pet ferrets are raised the same way. just thought i'd let you know. with some places you gotta make sure you ask alot of questions! ( ),,,,( ) ( (o o) ) me and my fuzzer >\o/< [Posted in FML issue 2322]