>On 3/12 I bought a kit from the Petco store in Hartsdale, NY.  Although the
>kit was *very* young (in both mine and my vet's opinion no more than 5
>weeks-Hi MF!  Very nice thing you're doing... NOT.) he seemed otherwise
>fine.  On 3/14 at about 4:30 pm the kit came down with signs of ECE.
 
This is the same Petco I go to.  I have *never* seem kits that I would mark
as 5 weeks old in the store.  The kits are young, yes-probably that 7-8 week
old span.  I have never seen kits who's eyes weren't fully open there.
Don't trust what the employees tell you there either; I asked about a kit
there once who was older (there was ONE kit in the cage at the time).  One
employee told me 8 weeks, five minutes later another told me 16... (16 was
probably the accurate one.)
 
Sorry about the ECE.  I was in there yesterday, and all the kits look
healthy.  I did not see any signs of ECE in the cage, all the poop I could
see looked normal.  The incubation period for ECE is about 2 days after
exposure (fits your description) and usually lasts 7-10 days, so I wouldn't
expect to see healthy kits in there so soon if there was a problem within
the store.  Given the time frame, it's possible the ferret was exposed in
the store that day, or even somehow on the way home.  If it was exposed at
MF, or even at the distribution facility, I would expect it to have been
sick *at* the store.  (I'm assuming it would have been exposed more than 24
hours before you got it.)  Did you ask how long it had been in the store?
 
If it was there more than a day, chances are it got exposed in the store or
on the way home, not at the distributors or at MF.  I know that's not
something you want to hear, but it is something you should consider.
 
The Hartsdale Petco generally is pretty good to the ferrets in the store.  I
go in there regularly, and the kits are provided with good food, moistened
if they are young, fresh water in bottles, and toys.  The cages always
appear to be cleaned regularly.  The set up is not perfect, but they try,
and seem to listen.  I was pleased yesterday to see that the kits had a
towel to snuggle in.  Last year one ferret was returned by two different
owners (nipping) and spent quite a bit of time in the store.  The employees
would take him out and play with him; it was like he was an 'in store' pet.
 
-Ilena Ayala
[Posted in FML issue 2257]