Hi==
 
Special medical needs are highest on the list.
 
Ferrets who go into shock after leaving the shelter, espcially those who
went into shock coming into the shelter.
 
Biters who are difficult to handle and some take months or years to learn
to trust.  Sometimes they can only be handled by the shelter owner and
will bite anyone who tries to handle them outside of the shelter
situation.
 
I have several biters who have made this their last home.  I have several
sweeties who will be aboslute angels with you here.  Forget trying to
handle them anywhere outside of my home or in some cases even my
prescense.
 
I have about an equal number of biters who have re=habbed well and were
adoptable.  They left.
 
Sometimes we never wanted to put an old ferret through another change of
home.  Some old one have just made their final homes with us.  Maybe you'd
be willing to take an 8 yr old ferret.  Does the ferret want to leave us
to go live with you?  I've had some get sick in a matter of days after
leaving us.  I've taken in others who never seemed to miss their old home
at all.  They can often leave for a new home.
 
I have adoptable kits in foster care who are biters due to lack of proper
socialization after their's breeders husband became ill and she didn't
have time to handle them.  3 of the 4 are adoptable to an experienced
owner.  When I'm done working with them, I expect 3 of the 4 can go to
any home, even with children.
 
I took 4 Utah ferrets.  We won't adopt them out because we didn't want to
break up the group and 3 of 4 appeared to be older than 4 yrs old.
 
I have a beautiful silver mitt girl who bites everyone except my husband
and myself.  She's terrified to leave the house and shakes.
 
It took two years to get Pepper to trust us.  His cagemate Salt is still a
random biter, no pattern.
 
Whodat is a man's ferret and for months shook if I handled him and only
went to my husband.  He's 5 or 6 now and has medical problems.  We're not
going to adopt him out either.
 
We kept Lucky, who we took in at 9 yrs old and who lived to be 12.
 
We let Willie, an insulinomic ferret go to a very special home where he
lived 8 more months and broke everyone's heart.  Willie had his choice
among three homes.
 
KG
[Posted in FML issue 3671]