Kelly--
Good thing you asked for Houston area references!  There are actually 2
Cleveland towns in Texas.  The other is in Coleman county west of
Brownwood!
 
Look for a vet in the Houston area named Dori Hertel.  Her contact info can
be found at http://www.texasferret.org/vets.html about halfway down the
page.  Provided that info is current, the location is south of the Hwy 59
and Kirby Dr. intersection southwest of downtown very near Rice University.
Not exactly close to you, but this is the only vet I have any personal
knowledge of that treats ferrets in Houston.  To locate others that may be
closer to you, visit http://www.texasferret.org/shelter.html and look for
the Houston area shelter list.  You could contact them for referrals as
well.  Note that Dr. Hertel is the daughter of one of these shelter folks,
so they may have a bias ;-)
 
For your other questions, I prefer sheet linoleum for covering wire cage
floors.  I buy a chunk of an inexpensive one and cut pieces to size.  They
can be fairly well disinfected, but if one becomes too soiled or begins to
curl badly, I just throw it away and cut a new one.  Then I pile cloth
bedding into the cage as well.
 
The ferret should be vaccinated for canine distemper with a modified live
vaccine, not of the combination sort.  In the US, the vaccines to use would
be Fervac or Galaxy-D.  The should also be annually vaccinated for rabies
with Imrab-3, which is the only USDA approved/licensed rabies vaccine for
use in ferrets.  As such it is the only vaccine recognized by the Texas
Department of Health for use in ferrets.  Both vaccines are for annual
vaccination.  Some folks believe that we are over-vaccinating our animals,
leading to other health problems.  Unfortunately we have no studies to
support the conclusion in ferrets or to prove them protected by vaccines
administered less frequently than annually.  Canine distemper is extremely
fatal to ferrets.  Rabies is epidemic in some areas of Texas and has been
sharply on the rise in North Texas for the first time in many years, so
health officials are more likely to be overzealous in testing animals for
rabies.  Besides being careful who handles your ferrets and how and being
knowledgeable of the TDH rules requiring a 10-day quarantine for ferrets
involved in a potential exposure incident, the best protection you can give
your ferret is an annual rabies shot.  With these thoughts in mind, I'd say
to get your ferret vaccinated (separate the shots by a week or more in case
of reaction and wait in the vets office 30-60 minutes after the shot is
given) ASAP and let your vet advise you.
 
One of my good friends in college was a guy named Madison, so the name
doesn't strike me as girly.  I think the trend to think of it as a girl's
name is more recent, maybe associated with the movie Splash and Darryl
Hannah's character?  But pick what you like and use it a lot.  I wouldn't
worry about changing it unless he seems to be depressed or have a hard
time adjusting to his new home.
 
Debra in Fort Worth
[Posted in FML issue 3377]