This is an e-mail to me from a friend that I sold a cage to and who got
three ferrets from a local rescue shelter.  :::
 
Thanks for asking about the ferrets!  Yes, I did get three from Ferret
Haven By The Sea this summer.  I have their pictures on a digital camera,
I just have to load them into my computer.
 
Right before school started, I moved from my house into the dorm, and the
administration said I couldn't keep them in the dorm.  That surprised me,
since people have kept dogs in the dorm.  I was told that ferrets can be an
allergy risk to the students living in the dorm, and that any animal that
lives in a cage couldn't be kept there.  I called Dr. Zucaro in Richmond to
see if this was true, and he told me that ferrets pose less of a risk than
cats or dogs.  He even told me that the school could call him to verify
this.  When I went back to the administration with this information.  They
refused to listen, and told me I had to leave or get rid of the ferrets.
 
I then asked if I could keep the ferrets in the biology lab, where snakes,
lizards, rabbits, and other animals have been kept.  They told me that
there is no place on campus for me to keep my ferrets.  Basically, they
couldn't give me a good rationale for anything.  I was about to quit school
right before it started, but my mother (she lives in Maryland) didn't
want me to lose my job, so she's keeping my ferrets temporarily.  I asked
Marlene from the Richmond shelter if she could help me find a foster home
for them until I get out of school.  The plan is to get my ferrets back
during school breaks, when the girls are not here, and them get them back
for good at the end of the school year.  I would then leave St. Margaret's
and find a job where I'd be able to keep my ferrets.
 
I have confidence in my mother to take care of my ferrets because she has
rescued her cat and dog and understands the value of their lives.  I told
my mother the most important things she needs to know, and I call her
everyday asking about their poop, their diet, etc.  She has an enclosed
balcony where she takes them out to play, and they have plenty of toys and
tubes and stuff.  They also like to climb the cat's scratching post, which
towers to the ceiling.  One of the ferrets climbs to the tip top, and
can't seem to get down.  I told my mother to stay with them when they're
out playing to make sure they don't get hurt, and she always has to take
the one ferret back down to the ground, at which point he climbs back to
the top!
 
I told Lisa at Ferret Haven about my situation, and she wanted me to return
Kaya, the 6 y/o ferret to her.  She said that Kaya shouldn't be moving
around to all these different places because of her age.  I agreed, but I
cried when I gave Kaya back to her.  Kaya had been with Lisa the longest
anyway, so I didn't feel that bad about doing it.
 
So that's the story.  I told Marlene that I'd like to have them in foster
care in Richmond at the end of September or beginning of October.  My
mother, however, seems to be having a great time with them and may keep
them longer.
 
 Gayle
[Posted in FML issue 3538]