I have a question about ferrt sitting.
 
Who does the feret sittig fir a shelter person when they need to get away
for a weekend or four days?.  It is always said whe going on vacation leave
your ferrets at a shelter to be taken care of while you are on vacation,
business tip, emergency trip anytime you need to be away from home for a
few days.  I totally agree with this as shelters are the best and safest
place to ;eave your fur kids when the need arises.  However who do shelters
call upon when a need arises for them to get away for one of these same
reasons.
 
I need to make a four day trip to NC to visit my son who I have not seen in
1 and 1/2 years.  I am just wanting to go for the weekend.  With 15 ferrets
currently in house along with various other pets how does that happen?  NO
ONE is willing to step forward to take ove for the weelend and allow us to
have a short break.  Several people have been contacted, most of which we
have helped in the past with similar problems but all are too busy or just
canot be bothered.  Some have ligetimate reaons other just can't "make a
comminet to stop by once a day" and clean a few litter boxes and make sure
that fresh food and wate is available.  What do shelter operators do in
situations like this?  I could easily set them up with enough food, water
to last them at last a week, locked in a totally safe ferret room, not in
cages.  But this also leaves the fact that litter boxes will not be cleaned
for four days and what a mess that would be to come home to.  How in good
consciences can this happen?  It comes down to having to make a choice
between doing this and not being able to enjoy the visit, or just not going
at all which is not fair to the rest of the human family and myself as I
really need to see my son, and visit his new house which now is old to him.
Not only the total guilt at having abandoned my charges for this short
amount of time but what about the ones that need meds on a regular basis?
If I had any truly sick ones that needed constant short term care then
ofcourse I could not leave them but fortunatley at this time I only have
one that needs a pill everyother day and would survive, probably no worse
for the wear if he missed a day or two of his meds.
 
I guess what I am asking for is permission to amke this happen.  We would
leave very early in Firday morning, after setting up plenty of extra food
water and litter pans, we would not return until later Monday afternoon pr
early evening.  Under normal circumstances I would neve dream of leaving
them for more that a few hours, never even left the overnight before, but I
really need a break and a weekend getaway and like I said I haven't seen my
son if over a year and a half.  How an I possibily do this and not feel the
guilt and worry about them while I am away.  We are currently at our lowest
numbers in years, all are in good health and get along very well so no
bloody fights are expected.  I am in central Fl Winter Haven to be exact.
Just what am I expected to do as all shelters operators know we sacrifice
so musch of our personal lives for the care of thses ferrets but there
comes a time when you just really have to have a break.  How would the ret
of yuo handle it as i am tourn between and just cant bting myself to make
the choice, my wife says that if I don't go things will make a drastict
change here, my son says if I really loved him I wuld find a way to make it
happen.  Caught between a rock and a hard place with the hard place closing
in against the rock and the rcok not budging at all.
[Posted in FML issue 3376]