You didn't say where you were in Illinois, but FURRY
(www.furryferrets.org) in St. Louis will adopt to families with small
children.  Their number is 314-638-5756.
 
As a former shelter operator, I believe that that is a mistake to make
absolute rules about whether small children deal well with ferrets.  It
depends on the ferret as well as the child(ren).  We used to encourage
people to bring their kids to the shelter if they were considering
adopting, so that we could get a feeling for how the children interacted
with animals in general and ferrets in particular, and what the family
dynamics are.  After all, the purpose of shelters is supposed to be as
a TEMPORARY home for ferrets, and it is easy to become too restrictive
about who should and should not be allowed to adopt.
 
Have fun with your fuzzies.
 
Sara
[Posted in FML issue 3714]