Hello everyone. I've been away from the FML for quite a while so I'd like to reintroduce myself before I make my comment. My name is Melissa and I am the devoted caretaker of three ferrets: Kili, Bumblebee, and our new guy, Seymore. I recently moved back to the northeast from North Carolina so I found the discussion on Southern humor quite amusing. :) My comment, however, concerns rough play with ferrets. Maggie Mae wrote: >It also means that I tend to play with ferrets in a way that most would >consider pretty rough. And since the play I initiate is rough, they are >allowed to play rough with me. It's a relief to see someone admit that publicly! I also play roughly with my ferrets, sometimes resulting in nips and scratches. And, as with Maggie's ferrets, mine are well aware that a loud yelp means they've gone too far. The trade-off is that I cannot allow just anyone to handle them. They are not friendly representatives of the ferret world: they are my pets. This means caging them when guests come over and not allowing strangers to pick them up when I take them for walks. They are sweet little beasties but I've come to accept the fact that I can't tell people that they definitely do not bite. -melissa [Posted in FML issue 2388]