If I may put in a word about all this pet shop vs shelter debate: if it weren't for pet stores, I wouldn't know about ferrets, degus, chinchillas or sugar gliders. I did at one point work in a small pet store and enjoyed it greatly. I was the one who took care of the animals, and they never lacked anything. I think the problem in pet stores that do not take good care of their animals is that they do not hire people who care. You may not know a thing about an animal, but if you care, you'll find out. I discovered ferret shelters through a pet store, actually, in Ottawa. When my Freki found herself on her own - her friend Mitaine had died - I then contacted the shelter and adopted Milo. That doesn't stop me from going into pet stores and drool all over the little ones. If I hadn't learned about the shelter, Freki's new companion would have come from a pet store. Unfortunately, pet stores have much more exposure than the shelters. The dream situation would be like PetSmart who works with the Humane Society with their cats and dogs: animals only come from shelters! Sarah, Freki and Milo [Posted in FML issue 2822]