Greetings.
Once again I'll attempt to recall all of what I wanted to respond to in one
post.
 
BITERS-
We just recently got in our worst biter (which I'm sure would be a
sweetheart for many of you long-time shelter folk).  She's a HUGE altered
female, non-MF (does PV use any tattoo, 'cause this girl's got no tattoos?),
unknown age (assumed 1-3 yrs), and neglected neglected neglected.  She's
beginning to get trusting after just a few days and she's started to eat on
her own.  It was an adventure syringe-feeding a cranky bitey girl.  She
bites hard and shakes if she can get a clean shot at a hand or leg.  She's
VERY defensive of her cage and unless she's dead asleep we use a glove to
get her out; she won't try to bite the glove, but she goes right for a bare
hand.  Once she's out I try to handle her glove-free as much as possible
(hence the bites on my hands :) ).  So far our training has been non-exitant
unless you count the yawl we let out when she bites.  Our thinking is that
in this case, we'll train her in the same way you'd begin training a puppy
you brought home; they can't do ANYTHING wrong for the first few days or
week (i.e. no scolding, time outs).  She's responding very well to kindness,
soft words, and Ferretone.  Her given name was Echo but given the fact that
we assume that 'word' can only have negative connotations, we've named her
Gillian.  Not sure WHAT to call her markings.  SHe's got a thick blaze
running from her forehead to her shoulders, white mitts and tail tip, pink
nose, snow-white belly from 'snout-to-vent', and a salt-and-pepper coat
along her back, head, and tail.
 
'HOPELESS'-
Judging from the posts I've seen in the past, I think my voice might be a
minority view here (which is nothing new...:) ).  As a halfway house, we
simply will not adopt a ferret to anyone under 18 period.  Adoptions to
people in their 'college years' depend largely on the stability of the
household they'd be going to (above and beyond the normal adoption process).
If a teen wants to get a ferret, we would definitely work with the parents
since in MOST cases the parent ends up assuming the brunt of the financial
(and often 'maintenance') responsibilities.  My OPINION is that if your
parents want nothing to do with a ferret, you should wait until you're 18
and, if you're in a position to get a ferret (i.e. in a pets-allowed
apartment, not going to college and living in dorms), do your research and
get a ferret (or two... or three...).  It seems from your post that you
really do like animals, but WHY do you want a ferret?  I think most of us
(and I do apologize if THIS is a minority opinion) on this list would agree
that ferrets require a change in LIFESTYLE and that in order to be a proper
parent ferrets require a specific sort of person.  Simply put, ferrets
aren't for everyone and they require a stable home.  They are very demanding
pets and the results of those demands not being met are saddening and often
tragic.  If you do happen to get a ferret, I would suggest that you and your
parents do research outside chatting with people who have ferrets.  most
bookstores either have a variety of ferret-related books or will be more
than happy to order them.  The ferret FAQ (address eludes me at the moment,
but I'm sure someone else will post it) is an excellent on-line resource.
You should also be aware that frequent bathing will make a ferret smell
worse (as oil production increases to replenish the supply lost in the
bath); our guys get bathed around coat change time (bi-annually) or if they
get into something that needs to be washed out.  Even a large (i.e. 3-4
level Midwest-style) cage should be cleaned daily- litter cleaned, new
water, new food, removal of dirtied bedding (i.e. wet, chewed, 'soiled'
etc.).  Finally, most ferrets you're likely to come across have already been
altered and decented.  Decenting does virtually nothing toward reducing the
day-to-day aroma of a ferret.  The aroma is produced in conjunction with the
hormonal production of a 'whole' (i.e. unneutered, unspayed) ferret.
 
Sorry to ramble this long and I know this isn't what you wanted to hear (and
yes, I remember being there; it wasn't THAT long ago that I was in my early
teens), but I stand by everything I said will debate (off the FML please!)
anything anyone takes issue with.  Take care!
 
                                -Erin...
 
=========================
   Mr. Erin M. Ennis    |       Any sufficiently convoluted argument can
 eennis(at)zoo,uvm,edu  |       be made to appear to be science as the
 Water Resources Major, |       layman equates incomprehensibility with
     Biology Minor      |       science.                -Unknown
    Uni. of Vermont     |
=========================
[Posted in FML issue 2384]