Kirsten Hansen wrote:
>Does anyone know what happens to that elder ferret left at the store?
>cause i've seen ferrets grow old in that plastic cage, and then are gone
>miraculously right before they get another shipment of kits.
 
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine rescued an older kit from a pet
store.  [Note: This was NOT a Petco.  The nearest Petco has some very
knowledgeable and caring people on staff.]  It was Sunday; Monday morning
a new shipment of kits was expected.  The pet store said that if they
didn't sell the older kit -- a beautiful silver girl -- that day, she
would be sent to the SPCA, because she would bite and hurt the incoming
kits.  They warned she was 'vicious', and warned my friend against taking
her out of the cage.
 
When he picked her up, she seemed to freeze in terror, and did try to
bite.  Her claws had not been cut.  I think all she had known was to be
grabbed, then flung down when she raked with her claws or bit.  My friend
held her gently but firmly, and snuffled at her ears (the staff was
horrified that he brought his head that close to her).  He's got a beard,
and she immediately started to buff her head on his beard and relax.
 
'Watch out - she's vicious' has become a joke here.  Yes, for a few
days you had to be careful not to startle her, and to be very firmly
reassuring when you picked her up, or she would panic and could bite.
But within a couple of days, the panic reaction disappeared, and within
a week, even her drive-by toe nips became gentle invitations to play.
She is such a wonderful ferret it's hard to believe that the pet store
was giving up on her like that.
 
I think - at least I hope - that was an exceptionally ignorant store.
Perhaps some of our FMLs who work at Petco can tell us if they have an
official policy.  I suspect it may be done store-by-store.
 
Claire
Sam, Frankie, Missy, and the guest ferrets Louie and now Lilo.
[Posted in FML issue 4272]