I've been following the posts on adoptable versus unadoptable ferrets.
As you've seen there are a variety of opinions on whether or not shelters
should classify ferrets as unadoptable but I think we also need to look
at this from the perspective of the people that adopt ferrets.  I'll use
our own shelter as an example.
 
As of yesterday the Alberta Ferret Society was caring for 55 ferrets.
The AFS does not consider any ferret to be unadoptable however if we
look at these statistics a litter closer I think we get a more realistic
view of how many of these ferrets are likely to find forever homes.
 
The information that follows is based on my own experiences with the AFS
and does not necessarily reflect what other shelters may experience.
 
Category 1 - 26 of the 55 ferrets are four years of age or older.
Category 2 - 13 of the 55 ferrets are over the age of two but under the
             age of four.
Category 3 - 16 of the 55 ferrets are two years of age or younger
 
Of the 16 ferrets in the third category I feel I can safely say that
100% of them will be adopted.  These kids are in their prime.  They look
great, they dook, they dance and they will adjust to being moved much
quicker than an older ferret would.  Many of the family's that adopt
these ferrets will be first time ferret owners.
 
Of the 13 ferrets in the second category I estimate that 55-60% of them
will be adopted.  Those that do will be in the 2.5 to 3 year age range.
Some will be adopted by people looking for companions for an existing
ferret who lost its cage mate.  Some will be adopted by first time ferret
owners looking for a ferret that has already been litter box trained
(chuckle)!  Almost half of these 13 ferrets will never be adopted.  Some
already have health issues and even though they received surgery or are
receiving medications most potential adopters will think twice about
taking on this kind of responsibility even if surgery is considered
curative.
 
Of the 26 ferrets in the first category the sad reality is that less
than 25% will ever be adopted.  Most of these ferrets have health issues,
some have multiple issues.  Almost all have had surgery of some kind or
another or are on monthly injections of Lupron or have Melatonin implants
or are getting Prednisone or some other medication.  Those that are lucky
enough to find a permanent home will almost certainly be adopted by
experienced ferret owners.  In our case some will be adopted by their
foster families which means we loose a potential future foster home.
Unfortunately though, there are never enough experienced ferret owners
willing to adopt and there is a never ending supply of older ferrets
being surrendered.
 
Someone on the FML suggested that shelters might agree to assume the
medical costs for older ferrets getting adopted but the truth is that
many shelters are barely getting by financially as it is.  Veterinary
care is expensive, even for those shelters that get great discounts, and
for every older ferret that gets adopted one of two more will arrive in
the shelter to replace it.  Too many shelters already have to prioritize
who gets treatment and who has to wait.  I'm sure you can imagine who
would suffer if you had to prioritize an adopted ferret versus a shelter
ferret receiving veterinary care?  The logistics of even trying to manage
something like this are mind boggling and the cost of doing so would be
off the scale.
 
It really would be wonderful if every shelter ferret could be guaranteed
a permanent home and every adopted ferret could come with a lifetime of
free veterinary care but the sad truth, at least in my experience, is
that there are more unwanted ferrets than there are people who will
adopt them.
 
Barb Hoult
AFS President
[Posted in FML issue 4988]