Only because I was asked for my opinion by name do I answer here on the FML
(instead of privately)...
 
I personally think the wearing of gloves and the constant wiping is
overkill.  the short amount of time a judge has a ferret is usually not long
anough to spread any major diseases.  wiping hands between ferrets helps to
remove other ferret smells (whole males can get very testy when smelling
another ferret).  If anyone watched me judge the specialty rings, I rarely
put a ferret down on the table, but then, I was judging for mitts or color,
not conformation.
 
Where ferrets are most likely to catch ECE, colds, distemper, etc. are in
their own cages waiting to be judged.  This is where ferrets are placed cage
to cage with other ferrets just a wire's width away.  Have you ever been to
a cat show?  Cages are covered on all sides except the front and are usually
provided by the show hall for conformity and cleanliness, passerbys are told
"DO NOT TOUCH - you might spread diseases!", and cats hardly leave their
cages until time to show.
 
Ferret shows on the other hand - cages are open on all sides, stacked,
squeezed in - poop overflowing onto tables or other cages.  Ferrets are
passed around, people stick their fingers in, ferrets visit by touching
noses, ferrets run the floors and halls on leashes, tube races, ETC.
Believe me - after having ECE for over three years and managing to keep
ferrets in my home ECE free in my dining room, I can tell you the judges are
the LEAST of your worries.
 
Now, I wish someone outside the US show circut would answer this question -
I have seen several pictures of ferret shows overseas.  All the cages are
the same shape and size - are these cages rented or supplied by the showing
organization or are cages required to be a certain size or model in order to
come to a ferret show?
 
IMHO - if you want more health security when you take your ferret to a show -
use a cage that can be covered on the top and sides to protect your fuzzie
from sneezes, poop overflow, and marauding fingers.  Keep baby wipes or
Novasan (sp?) and paper towels handy so people handling your fuzzies can
wipe down before handling your kids.  Keep other ferrets away and do not
participate in fun events where your ferret will come in contact with
another ferret or where another ferret has been and the area not sanitized.
When waiting for your ferret to be seen by a judge, do not let the persons
waiting with you allow their ferrets to climb you or visit your ferret, and
do not handle other people's ferrets without taking time to wash between
weasels.
 
Now, I LOVE ferret shows because ferret people are not as stiff and stuffy
as cat showers.  But if you want to ensure your ferret brings back nothing
more than a ribbon, then you might just have to rethink how you house your
ferrets and handle them at shows.
 
While on the subject of shows, I think I'll stay on the soapbox for another
thing that bothers me....
 
I deeply feel that every ferret brought to a ferret show (whether being
shown, for sale, or just brought along for the ride) needs to have AT LEAST
TWO distemper shots before coming out in public.  Kits at shows need to be
12 weeks of age, and this includes all the kits the breeders pack in their
hotel rooms too.  Distemper is a deadly disease.  It kills.  Even if the
ferrets at the show hall are protected, they can still pick up and carry
that virus back to the hotel room after the show.  If I remember my reading
correctly, distemper can live as long as four hours outside it's host and
still infect.  This means if a show ferret brought to a ferret show is
carrying distemper, it can pass the virus to other protected ferrets, and if
those protected ferrets leave the show hall and go to a car or hotel room
with unprotected ferrets, those unprotected ferrets can catch the virus, it
will infect them, and the signs of infection will not be evident for days.
Breeders with kits should leave them at home if they have not had at least
TWO shots of the series, simply because you can not be certain what you
carry on your person, or the other ferrets, when leaving the show hall.
Breed around show schedules or find ferret sitters to feed mush while you
are gone.
 
This is why I always keep my show ferrets outside or in another room for a
few hours after coming home from a nearby fun fest or show or pet demo.  To
let the virus die (if there were one) before putting the ferret back into my
"colony".  Usually a car ride home from an away ferret show is sufficient.
Since I have adoptees and kits at my house that are immunity poor, it is one
way to keep the threat, though small, at bay.  I have never had a distemper
outbreak here, and I hope I never do.  ECE is hard enough to deal with.
 
Pam Grant
[Posted in FML issue 1618]