I realize that this can be something of a touchy subject, but I'm interested
in getting a ferret and I live in CA.  ("Hi, my name is Dave, and I'm an
outlaw ferret owner..." "Hi Dave!" :-) )
 
Anyway, I would like to avoid getting a pet store ferret, mostly in the
interest of helping ferrets that need help, rather than helping pet store
owners make money.  Not that I have anything against pet store owners,
though.
 
I used to live in NH and had 7 ferrets there for about two years, but was
forced to leave them with a good friend in a good home when I moved to CA.
However, I have finally managed to rent a house here where the landlord
doesn't mind pets, sees nothing wrong with ferrets, and my housemates won't
have any problems either.  Naturally, the first thing that crossed my mind
was "How can I return to that state of grace of owning a ferret?"
 
I have also been on and off this list for a couple of years, so I'm pretty
well aware of most of the snags of what I'm asking.  At least two of my
original ferrets had been abandoned and subsequently rescued, so I can deal
with terrified/anti-social/disturbed ferrets without becoming disturbed
myself.  :-)
 
So, the big question is this: what options do I have?  Are there any people
on this list who know of shelters in the San Jose/Los Gatos area?  Any help
on this will be appreciated, and of course all correspondence will be
strictly confidential.  Thanks.
 
Oh, and if I have omitted something important in my message, please assume
that it was oversight, not intentional.  I have seen enough flame-fests on
this list, and I don't want to start another one...
 
 -Dave
[Posted in FML issue 1711]