I wrote the earlier this morning and thought about the rest all day.
 
Here are the questions I have for you:
What part of your operation qualifies as a genuine ferret rescue?
 
As far as I can tell, I see no evidence that you plan on adopting out
a single one of the ferrets you've 'rescued.'  Not adopting out ferrets
you've taken in makes them your personal ferrets, not rescues.  As such,
referring to them as rescues is deliberately misleading.  Taking in more
ferrets than you can afford to care for does not make you a rescue, it
makes you a collector.  Yes, a collector.  You may feel you're saving
those ferrets from a horrible fate at a shelter somewhere, but then,
a lot of animal collectors feel that way.  They feel they're the only
person that can provide a good home to the animals they rescue, even as
the animals live in filth and squalor without proper medical attention.
Now, I can't comment on the filth and squalor bit, having not seen
your house, but you have shown more than plenty evidence that you are
financially unable to care for your ferrets.  Begging for money so
people will help you with your 'rescues' is dishonest and misleading,
since once you took them in they became your personal ferrets, not
rescues.
 
Thus, I question which one are personals and which ones are rescues.
 
There has to be a difference.  Rescue money does not pay for personal
ferrets.  I have my personals, they have their own credit card, shelter
pays with a debit card of its own
 
What are your adoption procedures?  Do you plan on being a sanctuary or a
rescue?
 
Unless you plan on re-homing a significant portion of your rescues, I
would not recommend posting begging for people to buy your bedding.
People are starting to see you for what you really are on the way to
becoming -- an animal collector -- and will not support such activities,
as it puts other rescues who adopt out and serve the public on the back
burner.
 
Multiple posts on many boards across the internet support the fact that
you could not financially take care of the ferrets that you call rescues
(personals).  The posts saying your rescues are needing support are
deliberately misleading.  I have rescues, too.  Yup, they are adoptable,
all of them.  I have ferrets that are personals.  They were rescues at
one point, but they day I said "mine" they stopped being rescues and
became personals.  Shelter ferrets are rescues, surrenders, etc.
personals may have come from the shelter, but they are no longer
classified as rescues.
 
Do I take in more ferrets than I can afford as a shelter?  Nope.  If the
shelter is broke, we are broke.  We raise money BEFORE it is needed.  Do
I raise money for my personals?  Absolutely not!  The day I cannot afford
medical care for a personal ferret is the day I shut down.  When I do not
have enough in the shelter for ADV testing, shots and basic surgery, I
stop taking in new surrenders until that money is made.  Do I count on
money form sales?  Nope.
 
If you can't afford to take care of the pets you have now (and don't say
that you'll be able to afford to care for them once you sell more
bedding, since you never know if and when that will happen... currently,
you are obviously unable to care for them, if their getting medical
attention is wholly dependant on how much bedding you sell), then please
adopt them out to people who are financially capable of caring for the
animals they take in.
 
The fact that you're pushing your business as selling bedding first,
rescuing ferrets later shows how far in over your head you are, and how
much you don't understand how real rescues operate.  If you really care
for your animals, you will take the time to adopt them out to responsible
people and only keep what you can afford to keep... that is the
responsible thing to do.  Anything less than that (taking in more animals
than you can afford to care for) makes you nothing more than an animal
collector, and I hope to God that someone shuts you down before you turn
into another Jen Morrison.  We as a ferret community cannot afford that.
 
Rescue all you want.  Do it, but make sure you are standing on solid
ground, otherwise WE will have to rescue you.
 
Gail Elsey
Exotic Pet Rescue, Rehab and Placement, a 501c(3) charity
www.scalesandtails.org
[Posted in FML issue 4537]