Ed Lipinski posted about a ferret he picked up:
>Had that ferret remained here, unrecovered by its owner, I would have
>made it eligible for adoption after 30 days and would have adopted it as a
>fertile, still scented 2-year old female.  and would have recommended that
>it be spayed immediately before it goes into heat.  That would've been
>wrong, right?
 
Ed, if you thought this was an intact female, how could you in good
conscience even THINK about adopting her out with out spaying her first?
In general, your adoption fees ought to cover the cost of spaying or
neutering, and if they don't, then rethink your adoption fees.  If you
adopt out intact ferrets with the "recommendation" that they get spayed or
neutered, you have no way to enforce that, and then if the ferret does not
get fixed, you are ultimately responsible.  Much better to have your vet
(you do have a vet, don't you???) do the surgery and not adopt out whole
ferrets.
 
Can't help you with the aging question, I've never mastered it.
 
Kurt & Sara Petersen
FURRY (Ferrets Underfoot RUnning Round You)
http://members.igateway.net/~furry
 
Help raise money for the shelter!  Click on
http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=5129
[Posted in FML issue 2698]