On fat ferrets, well Joy made it through okay with her little operation if I thought she was a jellybelly before she was shaved......... she'd gained 4 oz in the month I had her. The exercise program he has in mind for her, is for ME to walk her on a leash at least once a day, and ME to walk her up and down stairs a lot. I told him she has an hour out in the yard once a day, in which she makes it around the yard once or twice then up the stairs to wait at the door, I take her back to the middle of the yard, she ups the stairs and waits at the door and and.... he says good, keep her doing that PLUS walk her and lots of stairs. Again I felt this is better than trying to change her diet (TF) or cut her food down (free roam) but I already use up 26 hours in a day...just another concession for the benefit of these innocent little intruders of our hearts. For the purplecow's crying baby, how about another ferret or kitten to keep her company - you'd love it for itself too. Time is going to help, will outgrow this "dependency" and you might be surprised too to know, once you leave the house and it is quiet, the little one takes her time to nap it out............... For being able to afford to "buy" a ferret and feeling Dookmother had contributed to a problem. Sometimes it is a problem with the initial purchase price, but the maintenance problems are a little at a time: expensive type foods (TF), vacinations etc. Usually the first year or so is not hugh vet bills but when the emergency comes along, we usually find a way, whether letting some other bill go, talking the vet into letting you pay it out, getting a new credit card, etc. This is a student who is not going to be a student the rest of her life, she is going to be in a better position. She is now bonding with this ferret and hopefully will be at another stage when they get to the big things, if indeed it happens, not all ferrets do. When one wants something THAT bad, they rarely ignore emergencies and the needs of their heart's desire. I admit ferrets are a pocketbook hazard and not for everyone but there was something about the appeal of Meghan wanting this particular ferret and with it acting as she said, there was just something special there to begin with that made you feel she would do the right thing for it. I wouldn't have felt the same thing for just anyone wanting a ferret. I hope someday I can make someone as happy as Dookmother made this pair. Well I hate she had to pay $350 for those wet ferrets, I felt the lady made a killing, got rid of something she didn't want, avoided further actions by the humain society and got money for her behavior. But at least they are where they belong now and that's the bottom line. It will take a little time for them to unwind from the life they had to develop to what they should have been but we are all hanging in there to hear about their progress. THIS IS THE HEARTWARMING STORIES WE LOVE TO READ. Millie & her noble cleaning crew Easy Off: the most perfect ferret in the whole wide world Ammonia: I wanted in the cage, I like being in the cage, its nicer in the cage, GRANDMA, IS MY TIME UP YET????? Cascade: Well, Joy, girlfriend, looks like we don't have anything to argue about anymore. Ajax: Ough Oh, she caught me, found me attached to Easy Off's throat while I was screaming I was being murdered.... Dizzy: Ohhhhhhhhh the whole world looks beautiful, see the butterflies the little floating elephants, the gentle breeze, oooohhh Joy: Yah, Cascade, to be truthful, there wasn't a lot there to argue over before the operation. Dizzy: Very funny, verrrrrrrrrrryyy funny. hohohoho [Posted in FML issue 2457]