Hello,
I got my first ferret almost 10 years ago.  It did not take me any time to
decide that they were the best pets in the world.  Within them is all the
playfulness of a kitten, and all the devotion of a puppy... and they never
outgrow it! :)  I have had 11 ferrets so far, sadly 4 of them have passed
away including the first one, Loki, about 6 months ago.  Since his death I
started doing some thinking about myself as a ferret owner.
 
My ferrets used to have the run of the house.  Through time however, the
numbers of ferrets I had acquired made it prohibitive to allow them this
freedom all the time.  We got a cage and toned their playtimes down to
a few hours a day so we could keep up with the mess.  As time passed, I
acquired more ferrets and my wife became pregnant.  We even got a ferret
three days before the birth of our daughter! :)  I often feel bad for
him... he's never known a good home.  He was just a kit when we got him,
and he was my baby, until my daughter came along...
 
Unfortunately, my daughter was scared of the ferrets and still is to this
day.  She is three now and has asthma.  My poor ferrets lives have gotten
to the point where the only time the get out of the cage is on cage
cleaning day.  They are allowed to run around in our master bathroom for
about 3 - 4 hours a week!  I almost feel as though I am keeping them in
their cage just waiting for them to die.  Every morning as I get dressed
for work, I stick my fingers through the bars and scratch their chins and
rub behind their ears.  The always look so sad as I walk away, knowing
that their day's attention is over.  They just spend all their time
sleeping in their hammocks, waiting for the next early morning visit.  I
do not want them to sleep in those hammocks until they die.  Loki's
passing really put it into perspective for me.
 
My wife and I love them very much, but we know we are not the best home for
them anymore.  I would desperately love to find a home for all of these
animals (7 total).  I am in the Memphis Tennessee area.  I'm hoping you
can help them.  If not, perhaps you knew of someone that may be able to
help my little ones.  I do not mind driving whatever distance is required
to get these guys a good and loving home.
 
Thanks,
Pandora, Pete, Impy, Harry, Forrest, Neal, Emmett, and me Jeff Scrivener
[Posted in FML issue 3502]