Okay, I have NOT been following the discussion of when people don't
take in more ferrets, but Steve and I HAVE been in that situation,
albeit on a smaller scale than rescues have encountered.

The definition of a hoarder is someone who takes in more animals than
the person can provide essential care for. That includes interactions,
sufficient observation, caging or other appropriate space, veterinary
care, food, cleaning, etc.

I can not address this for anyone else's circumstances, but I CAN tell
you reasons why we have refused ferrets sometimes.

We refused one years ago who had a good chance of having ADV to protect
the others.

We refused three in recent months for several reasons:
1. One of us was dealing with serious human health issues making care
difficult enough for our own crew.
2. Our financial circumstances have changed in recent years and we
simply can not afford the veterinary care for as many ferrets are
before. We are not about to get into a situation where veterinary
care can not be provided.
3. Steve and I have begun feeling our ages more in recent years (and
are making home changes for easier upkeep, too) so we need to keep
the numbers of ferrets in ranges that allow for less work than we
previously had as well as fewer long trips to the vet.

Even shelters have at times become hoarders. We've all read of those
situations, and certainly it happens to individuals and to breeders
sometimes. Steve and I personally prefer to be careful to try to stay
down to a number for whom we can provide sufficient care. No one else
can say what that number is for anyone else, and from our experience
that number does -- not "can" but "does" -- change with the changes
that life brings to anyone. After almost 30 years with ferrets in our
family we personally prefer to aim a little under the number for whom
we can care because then if other pressure upon us happen (like another
human health emergency and the time and money that eats) the ferrets
here will not suffer as a result. BTW, we also space their ages to
reduce the chances of huge vet care needs all at once. Ferret math is
often a synonym for impending disaster, I'm afraid.

No one else lives in anyone else's skin, life, or home... Here is what
it is important to avoid and while some focus on the worst situations
there are lesser but still serious ones like those who love their
ferrets but have too many to help them when they develop dangerous
health problems (which is a lower level but still hoarding if the
people are adding animals):
http://www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa/hoarding/
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/oct02/021015a.asp
http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/54031?verify=0

Anyway, those are some reasons why we have refused animals. I also
recall a time when a person should have refused a dog. She did not
know that a specific general animal shelter in her area was downright
notorious for being a route to canine distemper and adopted from there.
Not all of the other animals in her home were vaccinated at the time of
adoption.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
HAPPY:
http://www.6footsix.com/my_weblog/2010/01/high-fives-for-happiness.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 6623]