>Hi to everyone who has to post anonymously from California.  I currently
>live in Italy but have to move to California soon and am really concerned
as I have four little friends who I just cannot leave behind.
 
>I have already contacted CDFA and asked for suggestions and I am asking you
>to contact me directly with your experiences in having ferrets in California
>and getting ferrets into the State.  I assure you, and I understand if my
>assurance is not enough, that your information will be kept with utmost
>secrecy and in the highest regard.
 
The basic idea is you'll have to have them flown to the international
airport closest to California where you'll be going, but still out-of-state.
I would probably suggest flying in yourself and your (human) family first,
get settled in and get a car, and then have them flown in once you're
settled in; if you have friends or relatives staying behind in Italy to
help, that'd be great.  You could also just fly straight to the airport
outside California, but that'll put you a few hundred miles from where
you're going, probably.  Most Calif cities are on the coast.
 
The biggest airports close to the border are at Reno and Las Vegas in
Nevada.  Reno is about a five-hour drive (one-way) from the San Francisco
area; Las Vegas is a little bit more than that from Los Angeles.  Slight
possible headache could arise from bad weather in winter or early spring:
the main road from San Francisco to Reno, for example, is over 8,000foot
elevation...metric, that'd be about (roughly) 2,600meters.  Meaning *snow*
fairly often.  The Southern passes to Vegas aren't quite as bad, but they
can be nasty too.
 
Hmmm...what you really need is a ferret shelter in Reno or Vegas who can
pick the kids up at the airport and hand them off to you a day or two
later...and in *case* you get snowed in and can't get there for a few days,
they won't be abandoned at the airport.  Let us know what airport you'll be
using, and we can either set that up (would a shelter do that for a fee?) or
I can get in contact with a professional pet boarding facility in that town,
you can arrange to pay them to pick the ferts up at the airport and hold
them until you make it to town...don't trust the weather that you'll be able
to make that flight arrival!
 
There's *really* cheap bus fares available from the major California cities
to Reno or Vegas, whichever is closest.  Subsidised by the
Casinos...gambling is legal in Nevada, illegal in California.  A bus ride
from San Francisco to Reno round trip is US$20, about the price of three
typical restraunt lunches...similar runs are available in the south, Los
Angeles to Vegas.  Just hide 'em from the bus driver...those busses usually
aren't inspected at the agricultural inspection stations coming back into
California.
 
Those inspection stations do *not* do thorough checks...they are not allowed
to do a true search, only look in the windows unless they have actual reason
to think there's a law being broken.  Best idea is to let the guys run
around a lot before the crossing, so they're tired and sleep through the
border.  In the summer, I'd tell you to avoid the stations altogether by
staying with smaller roads but many are closed for the winter, and if a bad
storm hits, the main roads are heavily patrolled by potential rescuers -
search the Internet under the phrase "Donner Party History" to see why I'm
concerned.
 
Once you're in Califullanastywardensornia life is pretty easy...vets won't
turn you in.  Don't get in an argument with your neigbors, landlord or
anyone else who might turn them in, you'll be fine.  The entire trailer park
where I live knows about my two, for over a year now...no troubles at all,
I'm known as an excellent neigbor and I keep it that way.
 
Note: when my brother moved in with me six years ago, his two ferrets
followed from Idaho where he had originally bought them.  We flew them into
Reno, picked them up at the airport, drove them home no problems.  I've
since smuggled two baby ferts back home by bus from Reno airports, but then
again baby ferts sleep a lot and are smaller and easier to hide.  Four adult
ferts by bus might get hairy, pardon the pun...at the least, one person
couldn't do it alone.
[Posted in FML issue 1745]