Hi Karen,
 
I think it's usually just a slight annoyance to have ferrets in CA vs.
anywhere else, if you are prudent about it.  I think it's rare to have a
problem with Fish & Game, which would be very maddening, but there are
thousands of ferret owners in the Bay Area who keep a low profile and don't
have any problems.  Most of the people I've heard of who have had problems
often enough were completely naive about the situation, in some other legal
trouble (e.g., crack dealing), or had a vindictive ex who turned them in.
 
To answer your questions specifically: If you're driving in via I-80 (Reno),
it's easy to avoid the ag station.  If driving across the country during the
summer, I would worry more about hot weather than I would about anything
else (but be sure you know the route to avoid the ag station).
 
For renting apartments, just say you have a small caged pet, or maybe a cat.
The landlord isn't allowed to come in without 24 or 48 hours notice except
in emergencies, and if you say you have a small caged pet (let the landlord
think cavy or guinea pig), you could always cover up the cage and air out
the place given a little notice.  I made sure my landlord doesn't barge in
by changing the locks.  Note that the San Francisco area housing market is
extremely tight and quite expensive, and having pets of any kind makes it a
little more difficult to find a place.  But thousands of us have managed.
 
Most pet stores carry ferret products.  Mail order works fine too.
 
There are at least a couple of good ferret specializing vets in the bay
area, even if they're a little ways from San Francisco (Castro Valley,
Fremont, etc.).  Even in SF there are plenty of vets who treat ferrets, even
if they don't specialize in ferrets.
 
Dennis
Grendel, Gilbert, Diesel, and Boomer, missing Miss Lily.
[Posted in FML issue 1943]