For Patricia Stauffer,

I can't speak for other shelters, but we are always excited for ANY
gift our ferrets receive from Santa's and the Giving Tree, so whatever
gift is easiest or preferred by the sender, we are just grateful for
this. If someone sends a package addressed to a particular ferret,
that ferret receives the intended gift- unless it's a bag of treats or
food...then they share with the other shelter kids. We've received gift
certificates from the Ferret Depot, and these are used immediately for
items like Ferretone, Ferretvite, any special kibble, treats, etc. If
the sender has handmade a gift like hammock or blanket, the ferrets
love these, too.

To give you an idea what I go through in just one month with 36 ferrets
in my home:
90-100 lbs kibble (I use 3 different foods)
16 oz Ferretone (used to mix with meds, mostly)
1 tube ferretvite (used a treat or mix with meds)
240-280 lbs wood stove pellets

At the moment, there are 35 hammocks in use (24 cages) with about 40
baby blankets and/or towels in the cages as well. These items have to
be switched out and washed, so I'm always digging for more bedding.

These are just the basic items used year-round. Any toy or food treat,
especially crochet eggs and N-bones, are welcome items.

That's just for the RFRL ferrets I have...then Paige has 23, Karen has
27, I think, Kris has 21. We have other volunteers who are fostering a
few ferrets for us, so you can see why any gift is wonderful.

If the sender feels that the freight cost is prohibitive, gift
certificates are more than welcome. Most stores like Ferret Depot
offer discounts to shelters, so the gift goes a little bit further.

We are just thankful that the ferrets have a Christmas.

Sincerely,

Marlene b. (now we just have to get our photos up on the tree:)
Director
Richmond Ferret Rescue League

[Posted in FML 6856]