To Penny-- My oh my! Now I guess we can all see how collector's might begin!! Great to know you have found your number! We must as owners, caretakers, take measures to put out feet down, or to stand up for ourselves and our pets or -- soon there are 20 some odd ferrets in need of vet care. I bet you can relate to this!!, or have seen it. There is a problem with ferret ownership, not uncommon to other species of companion pets, always folks tire of responsibility. Unfortunately many folks with great big hearts end up condemned because they could not bear to see ferrets without a home facing death by euthanasia or other means. So this prompts a sheltering question -- "If" you had 20-30 ferrets that no one wanted-- they all had compromised health problems-- would it actually be cruel to let them live without hair -- without surgery (which may or may not cure the condition?) as long as they were eating, playing and happy? Or is it better to let them be euthanized without sever helath compromise ( cosmetically) because you can't afford the surgery? Many folks today would like to hear the answers to this.... The majority of ferret shelterers are in the no-kill audience, but many times that means that the animals they acquire require extensive medical care-- which we all know by now, is costly. I think I would be able to overlook an owner with an accumulated number of ferrets -- which by the way are known to develop certain distinct cancer conditions -- and agree the animal would be better off being loved and cared for -- without extensive surgery, if there was a financial concern -- especially when we all know there are no "guarantees" on recovery. I however cannot personally condone collectorship -- and if someone truly is a "rescuer" they need to license and register their business. In my *personal* opinion it is for the good of the animals! Alicia and her 3-4 cents worth! [Posted in FML issue 2603]