Hello all,
 
I'm more of a reader than a poster, but I saw something today that made me
so angry and I was hoping someone out there would have some suggestions as
to what to do.
 
My husband and I were visiting a local pet store today and the owner had a
ferret in an enclosed glass aquarium type contraption.  I'll try to explain
what it looked like a little better........bare with me though, it's
slightly complicated.
 
There were numerous glass aquariums all along the wall, each of which was
completely closed in.  Each aquarium had a piece of what looked liked
kitchen counter top type material along the top and each piece had a lock
on it.  When the owner unlocked the enclosure, the aquarium then slid out
so that the animal could be removed.
 
When I saw that ferret in there I was enraged.  He/she was in pine shavings
with a small bowl of water and no food.  The owner approached me and asked
if I would like to see her.  I took this opportunity to tell him that the
ferret was not getting enough ventilation where it was and that he should
consider taking it out and placing it in one of the other cages that he had
displayed in the store.  He argued that it was fine and the contraption
that the animals were in was ventilated with fans and ducts that ran
through the entire enclosure.  This gave me little comfort, but I could see
that there was little point in arguing with him.
 
It's no secret that the state I live in is not very ferret friendly, but
why is it that owners of pet stores can not be a little more concerned
with their animals instead of simply viewing them as inventory.
 
I don't want to get into a long drawn out arguement with this man, because
there's no getting through to him that way.  I've also realized that
there's really no talking to him either, as I tried to do that earlier
today while we were in the store.  Can anyone out there help me?  Any
suggestions as to how to help these ferrets would be greatly appreciated.
I would love to purchase everyone that I find and take care of them myself,
but my financial situation makes that more than impossible right now (going
rate in this area is at least $200 each).  Any help would be appreciated.
 
On a happier note, I've added to my ferret family as of earlier this week.
I purchased a two year old female from a couple in my area and she's a joy.
Her name is Sassy.  Nothing at all like my two month old - Rajia.  I call
them sweet pea and holy terror ;-).
 
I look forward to hearing from anyone that may be able to help.  You can
email me direct if you like.  Much appreciated!
 
Michelle
Rajia ~ "Yeah yeah, cuddle cuddle...now let me GO!"
Sassy ~ "What's with this crazy ferret?  She always this friendly?"
[Posted in FML issue 2587]