You know, I haven't been on the FML for very long. I live in an area that has no private breeders advertising their ferrets for sale. If you want a ferret and don't know about purchasing online, or are afraid of having the ferret shipped to you, buying from a Pet Shop (usually a Hagen ferret where I live) is really the only option. We have 6 ferts now and I love them all dearly. We bought kits and adopted abandonned ferts, even sick ones. We do our best in an area that really has little support for ferret-owners here. We bought Hagen ferrets and I have to say it was the only way we were to get a ferret here (being unaware of breeders elsewhere - I didn't even have the internet then!) A while back a lister posted an enquiry about Canadian Ferrets and asked if anyone else had any and were they more prone to be aggresive as kits, biters. I have six and have noted that they were fairly aggressive at first, and did nip a lot. We did, with love and NO SCRUFFING, train them to be more gentle and all of them are sweet as can be now. But, I understood where the lister may have encountered some more aggressive kits/ferts from Canada and that she just needed some advice, or just an ear to listen to her. I replied on the FML and metionned that in MY EXPERIENCE, my Canadian ferrets were more aggressive when they first came into our home. I did not say ALL Canadian ferrets, nor did I belittle any Canadian breeders of ferrets, other than mentionning that Hagen had been the breeder of the ferts that I purchased/adopted, so I could only really remark on their personalities that I had experienced first-hand. I jokingly mentionned, in terms anyone with a glimmer of a sense of humour would recognize, that perhaps it was the cold climate in Canada that caused the aggressive nipping. Knowing full-well that most of Canada has the same climate as the Northern US States... I received a nasty flame from an aggressive Canadian breeder of ferrets that suggested I read a book on Canada before making comments about the climate. That I was giving Canadian breeders a bad name and their ferrets a bad rep. Which I replied to with the same kind understanding as was shown to me by this fine example of a (THIS) Canadian ferret breeder! I mentionned that I was a Canadian, first of all. That I was speaking only for that which I had knowledge of and that it was only my opinion, which even though others may choose to disagree with it, I'm still entitled to! I mentioned that the climes in Quebec might vary greatly from those she experienced in BC. But mostly, I just commented on how little compassion, and how strong an urge to flame, was shown to me by this breeder. I am not one to mince words and if I'd chosen to comment negatively about ALL Canadian breeders, I'd have done so, without any qualms! My point is that it seems really sad to me that this wonderful list is being torn apart by people who should learn to count to 10 before they flame, and preferably to 100 most times! That perhaps some listers should not take everything so seriously and as a personal insult. That Bob should be entitled to his opinion, as should I, and that we should be allowed to express them on this list if we feel it serves a community purpose. I may not agree with all of the sentiments posted to this list, but I do not flame the individual ON or OFF the list! We are supposed to be here to help and support each other, to share information about the care and medical issues of our most beloved fuzzbutts! We should perhaps wave the olive branch and begin afresh with a compassionate acceptance that we don't all have to have the same opinion to get along, and...we should all feel able to post to this list without fear of flaming of ANY SORT! Flaming is hardly a mature way to handle a difference of opinion. We live in a society that believes in freedom of speech. We are from countries that fought for the very freedoms that enable us to freely discuss our varied opinions. We need this forum to discuss important ferret-related issues, let's not destroy a good thing, please. Carrie and the furgang [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 2790]