I am so angry and upset.  I NEVER though I would have to post some- thing
like this, but here it goes:
 
I work at a pet store, and yes, we do carry ferrets, but I am com- fortable
with this because with me working at the store they are properly kept and
cared for.  I often take them home at night to socialize them and to TRY and
litter train them.  I DO disagree with the fact that suppliers for pet
stores supply kits that are taken away from their mothers, descented and
spayed/neutered at the age of six weeks, but I can NOT stop companies from
doing this.
 
Here's the part I NEVER wanted to have to write.  Yesterday we got a call
from our ferret supplier and they were going to send a shipment of 6
hedgehogs and 4 ferrets.  I've worked in pet stores for 4 years and have
NEVER seen a problem when animals are shipped.  They are safe, healthy and
alert when they arrive and the flight is generally only a couple of hours
and we meet it at the airport to take them strait home.
 
Well last night my boss got a call to pick up the animals at midnight.  He
brought them strait to the store where he set up cages to put them in.  When
he opened the box of ferrets he discovered 2 DEAD babies and 2 VERY sick and
dehydrated babies.  The dead babies looked as if they had been dead for
hours and there was no sign of food or water in the cage.  The hedgehogs
appeared fine.
 
The sick babies were severly dehydrated and lethargic so my boss worked
quickly to get fluids into them.  He stayed with them during the night and I
arrived at 8:00 am to discover the horrible thing which had happened during
the night.
 
There sitting in front of me was the tinniest sable girl who was shaking and
convulsing in the corner of her cage.  The other, a silver-mitt male was
pretty active considering the serious state his health was in.  I gently
picked up the little girl who had diarrhea all over her body and she started
to lick my hands.  I was in tears at this point.  I washed her off and
soaked some kitten food in water, which she greedily ate (thank god) the
whole while shaking.  The male also ate a lot of the kitten food.  I get the
feeling that they were taken away from their mother too early as they aren't
able to eat hard food and they don't know how to used a water bottle.  I
spent all day getting fluids and food into these two.  I also gave them some
pepto bismal for their diarrhea and some Nutravit to stimulate their
appetites.No veterinarians here will do an IV because these kits are SO tiny
and SO skinny.  So it's up to me to save them.  So far they are eating the
soaked food VERY well, but I'm still afraid for the female.
 
I hope anyone who has experienced something like this before can e-mail me
suggestions with what I should do from here.  I'm going to be up all night
with them tonight as I am too afraid to leave them alone.  I have them
quarantined from my babies (just in case).
 
I'm sorry to have to share this story with you all, my heart is breaking.  I
almost quit my job today, but these babies need me.  Please do not get angry
with me because it was not my fault, nor my bosses.  Pet stores carry
ferrets, that's a fact, I hope you all can realize, that I (a fellow fert
lover) take VERY good care of any kits that we sell and NO ONE buys one from
our store without taking home a lot of info (FAQS and books) first!  Then
they can read and think about it and if they still want a fert, they get a
lecture on caring for ferrets from me.  I'm glad to say that 98% of our
ferret customers regularly keep in touch and are always interesting to learn
any new information I learn from all of you.
 
Please pray for these 2 sweet, tiny little babies, and PLEASE give me ANY
suggestions you may have for me.  Thank you for your time and Bill, thank
you for the space I took up in writing this (it was long).
 
You can e-mail me at:
  [log in to unmask]
Thanks again
LiZ
(Tyler, Kendall, Fuji, Echo and 2 very sick little kits)
[Posted in FML issue 1762]