I have had mixed reaction to our ferrets.  Some places will not even talk
to you once you mention that you have a pet, let alone would dare to have
any animal besides a cat (no offence to all the wonderful cats out there).
Other places are very nice and I must admit they do suprise me.  I usually
end up saying something like "I said ferrets, NOT parrots" just to make
sure that we are on the same track.  My personal opinion is that I would
much rather that my pets be welcome where ever I live.  I just don't want
to take the chance that I could be in trouble for "smuggling" my love bugs
into my own home.  Because of this I am very honest about my ferrets to
prospective landlords.  I bring pictures of them and their cage with me
when I go to scope out the place.  I also try to educate the landlord a
little if they don't know what ferrets are.  I let them know that mine are
litter trained and what we do to prevent distruction of property (i.e.
carpet digging, etc...).  This has worked well so far.  Although I must
tell you a story.
 
I have lived in the same apartment now for 5 years and when we originally
moved in we had two ferrets, which were accepted.  During the winter, early
spring and late fall we would take the little ones outside either in the
courtyard or to the park.  Well one day after living here for about 4
year I was in the courtyard with the ferrets and one of the new apartment
employees came up to me.  She told me that she did not know I had ferrets
and that they were not allowed at the apartment complex.  I totaly freeked
out.  She made it sound like she was going to have me thrown out of the
apartment that week.  So I ran upstairs and got my original paperwork
(thank god I keep everything, I have my own hidey holes all over the house)
to show her.  I guest that while I was doing this she ran back to the
office to prove me wrong and found their copy of the paperwork and spoke
with one of the other employees.  When I got down there ready to um...,
shall we say, read her the riot act, she was very appologetic and said
their was no probable with me having ferrets since I had the paperwork and
had lived there so long.  The moral of this story is...Keep your paperwork
indicating that it is alright for you to have your pets there and keep
checking to make sure it is still o.k. if you have lived there for a while.
 
Good luck,
Jalene
[Posted in FML issue 2656]