Hi everyone - I'm Jessica from Missouri.
 
Through word of mouth I found a ferret needing a home locally.The former
owner is pregnant and decided to rehome her five ferrets.  Two pairs got
homes and for a while she thought about keeping Lena - the last of the
five.  However, it was not long before the ferret became hard to handle
due to biting.  I heard of the ferret after I was asked if the local
shelter would euthanize her, or if it needed to be done by a vet.  At
that point I offered to take the girl in.
 
I believe most of her behavior is due to being lonely.  She has now been
vet checked and is health except for "depression".  The vet recommended a
friend for her, or for me to rehome her with someone with other ferrets.
I do not want to rehome this girl, but I am having a hard time finding an
adoptable ferret in my area.
 
I've been keeping an eye on petfinder but I cannot find a single ferret
that is compatable with others listed.  I've searched online classifieds
but that doesnt help either.  I was referred to this message group by an
IL rescue - I had inquired about adopting and had offered to double the
adoption fee since I am out of state and may need transport help, but as
they do not adopt to anyone out of state that is a dead end also.
 
Lena is a bit hard to handle.  She is a biter and I have had four
stitches put in my foot due to that.  However, she shows no fear to my
dog and has tried to befriend my cat.  My cat ignores her or runs away.
After being rejected by the cat Lena will voluntarily go to her cage and
hide in the towels for hours on end.  She was scared when I first brought
her home but she did go through a short period of being curious.  As time
goes on, though, she is becoming increasingly solitary and inactive.
 
I am asking for immediate help in finding her a companion.  Because I
know there are needy ferrets available I am trying to go through rescue
before I either purchase a friend or have to release her into rescue
where she can find at least a temporary friend during her stay.  Because
she is increasingly hard to handle, this is not something I would want to
resort to.
 
If anyone is able to assist in helping Lena recover from her recent
traumas I would appreciate it!
 
Jessica
[Posted in FML issue 4386]