Hi, everyone,
 
I, probably like a lot of people, am not happy about seven week old ferret
kits being sold online.  So now they get to be shipped twice in their young
lives?  Oh, they come with a warranty for sure, but how many will be
injured or killed in transit?  How much trauma is that for a young kit?
 
Also, I wonder if they are related to the brick and mortar Pets Warehouse
chain.  If ours here in Morrisville is any example, please do not support
them.  The local store sells kits, and not in what I'd call ideal
conditions.  They are not at all open to suggestions, no matter how
friendly, and when I asked them to see if they could get TF or Yesterday's
News Ferret Litter, they took my number, promised to call me and let me
know, and never called.
 
I'm also going to respond to Debbie's (a/k/a Sunshine) post about shelter
policies that she claims not to understand.  To my way of thinking they are
good policies.  Let's look at them:
 
>shelter worried about a persons income
 
Just the other day we had a post here from someone who couldn't afford vet
care and was watching her ferret die.  Ferrets are prone to some expensive
conditions (adrenal disease, lymphosarcoma, and insulinoma immediately come
to mind).  If you can't afford to spend $1,000 at the vet if a ferret
becomes seriously ill and needs surgery and/or extensive treatment, IMHO,
you shouldn't be a ferret owner.  That actually goes for any pet.  When we
take one of these critters into our home, we are responsible for their well
being, and if we can't afford to be, the shelter should not adopt out.
 
>You don't have enough knowledge
 
I do some work for the local shelter.  You should see some of the
applications.  Ferrets as outdoor animals?  In our North Carolina summer?
In the dead of winter when it's 10 degrees out?  Not a good idea, IMHO, but
some people don't know any better.  Some people decide they want a ferret
without doing any research, and have no idea that they can't stay in a cage
*all* the time, or that they require a fair amount of commitment.
 
>Your too young
 
Makes sense to me.  A child should not get a ferret if the parent isn't
also willing to commit to caring for the animal.  I did a rescue that would
have broken your heart.  The ferret was bought for a 12 year old boy who
just didn't take care of her.
 
>No transportation
 
Good reason not to adopt.  What if the ferret suddenly falls ill and needs
to be rushed to the vet?  No transportation could mean one dead ferret.
 
>the knowledge you have is not correct
 
 ...and if the person doesn't learn before adopting, it's the ferret that
suffers, right?
 
>you have too many already
 
Very valid.  I have five.  My roommate has three.  I've taken care of eight
by myself when he is out of town.  You know what?  It's a real strain at
times.  Also, these little guys love lots of individual attention.  There
are real limits to what one person can do.
 
Since you have ferrets of your own, I really want to believe that you are
not as clueless as this post made you seem.  I hope shelter operators will
continue to insure that their charges end up in *good* homes, and to me,
that means they must have some pretty strict standards.
 
Regards,
Caity
[Posted in FML issue 2852]