As people who care about ferrets, we would all prefer that ferrets were obtained from shelters and reputable breeders only. But for many reasons (advertising, convenience, price, availability, location, inexperience, etc) most ferrets are purchased at pet shops. Here is a simple inexpensive thing we can ALL try to help improve the lives of those ferrets. Go to your local pet shops that carry ferrets. Ask to speak to the manager or person in charge. Offer to bring in some FREE literature for them to show or give people who are interested in buying ferrets. (DO NOT complain about or comment on how the ferrets are housed or being cared for unless you see something very wrong. In that case, bring it up as if it were an oversight on their part: "Oh I just noticed the little dears drank all their water, I can help you refill it!) Print a copy of Pam Greene's mini-FAQ (http://www.ferretcentral.org) or similar ferret care booklet. (The full FAQ is too long and few customers or employees would bother to read it.) Put contact info for the local ferret club or shelter on the booklet. Buy an inexpensive binder for it and put the name of the pet shop on the cover. If you can find a way to punch a hole and attach a short ball chain, so much the better. Also print copies of PG's micro-FAQ or similar one page brochure. Again, add local contact info. Take a bunch of copies along with your bound booklet to the store and find the person you talked to before. CHAIN the booklet to the ferret cage and find someplace convenient to stack the one-pagers. (Note a one-page brochure will NOT cut into their sales of ferret books if they stock them.) Check back a week later. If your booklet is gone, express concern (NOT anger). After all, you are trying to help them out at your own expense. Make another if you have to. Check back periodically and bring in more one-pagers as needed. Over time, maybe the employees will read the stuff and learn something. Linda Iroff North Coast Ferret Shelter West "The Raisin Retreat" Oberlin, Ohio http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html [Posted in FML issue 2411]