Jules
I suggest contacting STAR*Ferrets
http://www.thepetproject.com/starferrets.html.  Several years ago, Pam
Troutman put together a packet of information for people starting up
shelters, including sample adoption and surrender forms.  DO have a form
for everything, including babysitting.  It will provide you with legal
protection in case of disputes.  Contact shelters in your area to see
if there are any licensing requirements, and also check for local
city/county ordinances in terms of numbers of animals in a household.
 
Running even a small shelter can be expensive and time consuming.  Will
you have the money for surgeries?  Is there someone to help out if you
are sick and can't take care of the ferrets yourself?  Is there someone
to take care of them if you go on vacation?  It can be very difficult to
stay small as a shelter--you have to know your limits and stick to them.
 
You may want to consider being a placement and referral service instead
of a full shelter.  This will allow you to connect people wanting to
adopt ferrets with those needing to find homes without bringing them all
into your house.
 
If you are interested, I can send you copies of the forms I used when I
had my shelter.
 
Good luck if you decide to go ahead with this!
 
Linda Iroff
 
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
Register for the 2005 International Ferret Symposium(r) today.  Don't
miss the fun!
[Posted in FML issue 4691]