Rubber and latex are VERY DANGEROUS -- often they are causes of blockages when pieces break off and are ingested. Let ferrets have them ONLY when you are supervising, or do as we do and keep them away as best as you are able. In all these years (something in the 16 into 18 year range -- don't know precisely anymore) we haven't had one who needed blockage surgery (though with Ashling's ability to find things like zip feet plus her tendency to eat cloth on and off it's going to happen sometime). Blockage surgery isn't unusual so we figure this bit of precaution is a great life-saver. Bill wrote: >Was one nasty jerk sending messages from several e-mail addresses? >(This is by far the most likely scenario to me.) Then Bill went on to mention that several people had received such letters. We've been spared so far in this round , but how long will that last if it's one particular nasty fool who is too uncreative and too destructively mentally ill to be constructive? Guess any of us might get hit. That certainly is something which has been seen in the past. I always wonder WHY a person does that. Sometimes it seems to be to get people to beat up on some innocent third party (which doesn't fit in this scenario, I'd suspect), sometimes to just upset someone and be a hurtful @#(&&%, sometimes to get FML people mad at each other and do damage to a useful ferret resource (which always somehow makes me think of certain politicos first). The only consistent thing it does make me think is that the person doing it is pathologically socially destructive (hopefully not any worse than through words). I wind up hoping that the person gets some intensive therapy quickly, but also that we can all stay clear of such a hateful soul till whatever is mentally wrong can hopefully be put right. Luckily, the FML as a whole is very balanced, very helpful, very creative, and very friendly. It always has been. My hypothesis is that people who are dedicated to critters (and especially to ferrets) tend to mostly be fine individuals. How many towns of 3,000 do you know with so few troublemakers surfacing? Look at what people here do: they comfort, they run shelters, they give to shelters, they heal, they give to places which improve healing, they teach, they learn, they nurture... Maybe part of what we have to be thankful for on the U.S. Thanksgiving is that such destructive individuals are so few and far between! So, pat yourselves on the backs, Folks, for being constructive and ignore the ill buffoon. After all, attention is what these things often are designed to receive, so maybe the person will tackle the infantile, sick behavior and instead seek constructive ways to get attention if ignored. We each have our own tastes in magazines. I second that the "AFR" is marvelous and well worth your investment. We also get every issue of "Modern Ferret" as our second piece of regular non-internet ferret reading and value it well. I second Bill's suggestion that people go through the back FMLs to help them know what issues have arisen, but also sample and cross-check the info in current magazines if still learning, so that any errors which might arise aren't going to create dangerous situations for you. Fortunately, anyone who is on the FML is also likely to use places like http://www.ferretcetral.org (Pam Green's ferret page) and some ferret books. That checking will help you make up your minds. (Books also vary in whether they are going for hard facts, format, etc.) There is NEVER going to be a magazine (or book) which satisfies everyone -- just IMPOSSIBLE. Personally, our biggest demand is accurate information, but others are going to have other priorities than Steve and I have; that variation is just part of life and NEEDS to be tolerated and accepted. I think there is room for all three magazines, especially given the wide range of interests of ferret people and the variations in approaches and weighting of assorted aspects. So, look at each, check each, and make your own choices based on YOUR needs. For your first issues look in places like Borders and Pet Co. for "Modern Ferret", and in Barnes and Noble and Pet Smart for "Ferrets" BEFORE subscribing to either. For the AFR you need to join the AFA, and it's worth it. No problem there at all!!!! <G> [Posted in FML issue 2876]