Hi, Michelle and Bill,
 
Well, in relation to setting limits on how many ferrets are taken in --
it depends on what the individuals can handle.  At some points we were
able in the essentials to deal with more ferrets than now and that was
with some have very serious on-going medical problems (enough time for
enough attention paid to each individual that no one was ignored and
medical woes could be spotted early, enough money for medical care, few
enough other pressures in life that could diminish the care of larger
numbers of ferrets, etc).  It's not exactly any secret that we did years
of that, and while we had the time, had the capability, and were able to
spend into the 5 figures every year for medical costs we continued to
take in ones who have severe deformities or other nasty difficulties.
 
Now, though, we can't.  We know that if we go above a certain number we
will be create conditions which would be unfair to the ferrets.  So, we
have a limit.  We figure we can deal with a maximum of 5 right now as
long as none of them have the types of deformities which require lots of
expensive surgeries, but not wanting to add stress to Ashling's life in
her last days we are sticking at 4 now.  There simply are times in life
when a person HAS to set limits.  The Labs went away and Steve and some
partners are creating a business ( http://www.omenti.com/ ) which is now
starting to bring in some income so with tight budgeting we only had to
use fewer than 10K$ from our savings despite the pressures upon us this
year.  We've had a lot of older relatives sick and dying who needed our
time and help (which was one of major labors this past year), and have
had others of life pressures.  It's been a challenging time for a couple
of years.
 
Do we find ourselves wanting to take in needy ferrets?  You bet we do!
Would it be fair to the ferrets for us to take more than the number for
whom we can provide excellent care?  No!  That would become animal
hoarding after a certain point, and animal hoarding is abuse.
 
I understand what you mean about how hard it is to say, "Sorry, but we
just can't." and I know from your past posts that it sounds like you two
do provide medical care and attention so I would *NOT* and do not suspect
a hoarding situation with you, though I DO know that there are about
three or four OTHER members of the community who ARE known hoarders, at
least two of whom has been hospitalized in the past for related problems,
one of whom has had animals removed more than once, one of whom has had
animals removed once, and two of whom have stolen animals.
 
For us as with so many other ferret people it's just that what any family
can handle changes over time and there simply are times in life when
folks can't add more animals because to do so would amount to abuse.  The
numbers of ferrets anyone can handle does change with age, health, time
to spare, finances, etc.
 
We've been around ferrets long enough to know what is involved, and I
don't tend to worry about the vast majority of people who do have a lot
of ferret years behind them who take in larger numbers because only a few
of them are hoarders.  With time and with a long history of providing
veterinary care and of continuing to learn most of such people KNOW what
to look for and how to jump fast and KNOW that they have to put aside 3K$
to 5K$ per animal for medical needs over the lifetime and KNOW that some
medical conditions will be more expensive.  etc.  The newbies to ferrets
who get a lot of ferrets early on are in for shocks, though, and that's
just that.  Sadly, that situation also seems to result in dumping far too
often instead of the people taking responsibility for these lives they
should preferably be adding to their family for life -- complete with all
the care needed.  Yes, I know that at times many circumstances are out of
people's control -- heck, we have lived that much of the last 2 years,
but I also know that often enough through lack of learning, lack of
forethought, and lack of budgeting people themselves create their own
inevitable problems which seem out of control to them but could have been
avoided.  Still, learning is part of what life is for and that is what
mistakes are for -- to learn from and teach from.  Heck, we have all
made enough mistakes in life and will continue to do so.  At least most
mistakes don't endanger anyone else, two or four footed.  Anyway, the
combo of people being new to ferrets and getting a lot of ferrets is
pretty well bound to have some hardship ahead, so in those cases I always
hope the people will take those hardships upon themselves and do without
instead of making the ferrets do without or dumping the ferrets.  (That
is with understanding that sometimes life just dishes up too much or
provides something which HAS to be done instead and surrenders are then
unavoidable.)
 
BTW, if anyone here is curious to know more about animal hoarders there
is excellent info available on this psychological condition.  An animal
hoarder is someone who refuses to believe that anyone else has the
ability, the love, the whatever to take in needy animals and takes in
more than she or he can provide with medical care, attention,
cleanliness, etc.  It is considered to the both a form of animal abuse
(and it is -- often to a fatal end -- despite the people typically
insisting that they are the only ones capable to providing proper care
and truly believing that even though they commonly provide little or
no vet care and may even pretend and say that that is a good thing).
 
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding.html
Animal hoarding research
 
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/MunicipaLawyer.pdf
download article on animal hoarding
 
http://www.legis.state.il.us/publicacts/pubact92/acts/92-0454.html
Illinois public act on humane animal care
 
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/p000425.html
article on people who hoard animals
[Posted in FML issue 4382]