Well guys, thanks for all the private (and public) posts offering info on my ferret questions. I think this is going to be a lot of fun! So, it seems there is a really good chance that operant conditioning will work will with a ferret, and that I will be able to provide a diet that is natural and still balanced, but still have a commercial option that sounds very good in Totally Ferret. Now I have two more questions to trouble you nice folks with. 1. My ferret(s) will be staying in a cage when we're not around to supervise, so I want their home to be a roomy and comfortable one. I have seen something called a Marshall Penthouse at the Ferret Store, which seems to be the biggest. Is that made by the Marshall farms people, and if so should I be supporting the sale of ferrets to the pet store trade by buying one? Opinions please! :-) Any better ideas for a very nice ferret house? 2. As soon as the new cage arrives, I can begin to look for my new addition(s). I have (tentatively) decided to try to find a pair of ferrets, with the emphasis on temperament and not looks or age. It seems there are many "ferrets with friends" looking for a home, and since two are more fun than one, well, why not? Does anyone have any input on finding a reputable shelter? I would be willing to drive 4 hours or so, so anything within a few hundred miles of say, Louisville, Kentucky would be good. (I live in a small town about an hour south of Louisville, and no, there are no ferret laws...heck, we don't even have a leash law here..) Any ideas? There aren't any shelters in Kentucky on the lists, so I'm getting a little out of my area and don't want to mess this up. I did find a contact name in Kentucky, so I'm contacting that lady, but I'd like to talk to a couple of different people. Thanks again for all your kind help. Kristina Pattison Kristina P. and the pack, U-CDX Kristina's Own Zowie, CDX, TT, HIC*, and 1/3 AD (cocker boy, futility star, and herding wanna-be, even if the AKC doesn't want him to be) "Zoo" Kristina's Own Frannie Frekl, CD (cocker girl, full-time old bat) "Frannie" Delta's Bumpy Ride to K.O., CD (crazy black standard poodle boy) "Turbo" and the baby, Sunset and K.O.'s Final Frontier, HIC (super-terv, the herding machine) "Jean-Luc" [Posted in FML issue 2455]