Hello,
I have a dilema and somebody recommended that I post it here in the hopes
of receiving some assistance.  I know of two ferrets in Maine who have
been mistreated (not deliberately, but out of ignorance) and who are in
dire need of assistance.  Their current owner has had them for a year and
believes they are both approximately 2 years old.  To her knowledge,
neither of them has EVER been to a vet or been immunized.  One of them
has been experiencing increasing hair loss for the entire time she has
owned it.  Two days ago, she finally decided to look into what could be
causing the hair loss (because she wanted to sell them and evidently a
potential buyer backed out) and came across some information on the
internet about adrenal disease.  She says she can't even afford to get
the ferrets immunized, let alone pay for a possible adrenal surgery.
Furthermore, the ferrets have spent their entire lives on a substandard
diet of some sort of food (she was unsure what it was called) that
contains dried pieces of banana and other fruit.  I haven't seen these
ferrets, but her description of the care they've received disturbed me
greatly.  I impulsively (and quite angrily) told her that I would be at
her house on Saturday (August 9th) to pick up the ferrets.  The problem
is that I am really not in a position to take on this kind of challenge.
I'm not a shelter and I haven't even been owned by ferrets for very long
myself.  I can't stand the thought of them living (and maybe, PROBABLY,
dying) like that, but I don't feel qualified to give them what they need;
I don't have the money or even the experience to care for them properly.
I've spent all day calling shelters and nobody has any room to take them
in.  If anybody has any advice, suggestions, and/or room in their home
please PLEASE let me know.
 
Thank you!
Joli Nolin
[Posted in FML issue 3870]