Hey all! I've been lurking for some time and want to say just how wonderful this list is! I've already learned a tremendous amount and can't help but cry every time I read about someone losing their baby, my deepest sympathies to all who has lost their fuzzies recently! I've been owned by ferts for about 10 years now, and this list is invaluable! Anyway, I have a couple of questions I'd only trust you "experts" to answer, there's some background, so bear with me. We (my husband and I) have two ferts right now, a boy (3 1/2 years) and a girl (2 years) which we've had since they were tiny. The boy was an only fert for 1/1/2 and is therefore VERY bonded to us (He'll fall asleep in our laps!) and almost completely ignores our little girl. She is much more of a ferrets ferret and would MUCH rather play with him than us. When we try, she'll play for a bit, but then lay in the middle of the floor and sigh. We're afraid she's depressed and bored much of the time. I've finally convinced my husband that maybe we should get h er a friend about her age and here's where we get to my questions. 1. Does this sound like a good solution? 2. I've heard a lot about quarantinning a newbie, but I've also heard that you should take your fert to "pick out" their new friend? We'd like to do the latter, but don't want to risk our babies health. 3. Will our little boy resent the new one, would a boy or girl be better, or is this a 'personality of the ferret' thing? Here's another thing...neither of our kids have gotten their shots. Before you flame, it was on recommendation of our vet who was recommended to us by our local ferret shelter and DOES know his ferrets. Since they NEVER come into contact with other animals or go outside (they just don't seem too interested) and we very rarely have people over, the vet said the risks are so low, he'd recommend against the shots. I feel a bit wary about this, but...This, of course, is a big concern when you start thinking about introducing a newbie. That's where I stand, any advice would be GREATLY appreciated! THANKS and great job with the list BIG! Dooks to all! -Liz in Denver [Posted in FML issue 2791]