It's been my experience that most public/county/city shelters have little
or no factual information on proper care and unique problems of ferrets.
The articles "Abrupt Environmental Change Disorder - Shelter Shock" and
"Feeding a Sick Ferret", along with others, may also be found at the
website below my signature.
 
Separation of cagemates depends largely on two factors that most shelters
will not be able to determine in most cases.
 
1: age of the ferrets
2: length of time the ferrets have been cagemates
 
Youngsters under age 18 months to 2 years may often be separated without
undue stress.  Ferrets over age 4 are often strongly bonded to cagemates
even though they may have only had a particular cagemate for a couple of
years.
 
Ferrets that have been together for more than two years generally exhibit
some degree of stress or depression after separation.  Stress and
depression can become life threatening within a week for ferrets that
have pre-existing medical conditions, and within a month for a ferret that
was in perfect health at the time of separation or abrupt environmental
change.
 
If age and length of shared cage time is not determinable it is not
advisable to separate them.  Our policy upon receipt of a large group is
to separate them into groups of 2 and 3 (for ease of maintenance) into
cages TOUCHING side by side with out-of-cage time shared.  After
quarrantine period, they are allowed shared out-of-cage time with other
residents.  When behavior (chosen playmates and napmates) indicates they
will accept ferrets other than original cagemates they may then be safely
adopted separately from orginal cagemates, but NOT as a single ferret.
Ferrets that have had cagemates before will almost always need a cagemate.
 
For practical purposes in a public shelter, the large group could be
divided into smaller groups with as much attention as possible given to
pairing ferrets that seem to be closer; ie.  two ferrets that sleep or
play together more than they do with other members of the large group
regardles of the age of either ferret (many older ferrets seem to "adopt"
a youngster in a large group).  Ferrets from a large group of undetermined
background should never be adopted out singly.
 
Ferrets surrendered to a public shelter should ALWAYS be tested for ADV
before adoption regardless of information given at the time of surrender.
This test just as critical to the safety of ferrets as a distemper
vaccination, and is something that few public shelters are aware of.
 
Ferrets First has been rescuing ferrets over ten years with 3 locations.
Average number of ferrets handled per year vary at each location,
ranging from 10 to 75.  Ferrets First is a no-kill shelter and maintains
non-adoptable and hospice ferrets.  Ferrets First also rehabilitates
ferrets with behavior disorders and consults via email and telephone for
supportive medical care.
 
Debi Christy
Ferrets First Foster Home
 
Practical & easy training, care, & maintenance articles available at
http://www.geocities.com/ferretsfirst/
[Posted in FML issue 3702]