I went to check out what the California Dept. of Health Services web pages
say about rabies and ferrets.  They apparently haven't updated their pages
even to the strongly biased policies they came up with earlier in the year.
 
From http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/ps/dcdc/docs/rabcomp.htm#PT1A20, and
http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/ps/dcdc/docs/rabcomp.htm, dated Jan 1997,
but marked "last updated feb. 2 1998".
 
"There is very little data on rabies incubation, clinical presentation, and
viral shedding in domestic animal species other than dogs and cats.  The
period of virus shedding in the saliva of infected wild or nondomestic
animals prior to showing clinical signs of rabies is generally not known.
Therefore, quarantine and observation of animal species other than dogs and
cats that bite humans is not appropriate.  Biting domestic, wild, or
nondomestic animals other than dogs and cats should be euthanized and
tested for rabies immediately."
 
Todd P. Cromwell III, Dors and Dantes, WA State
[Posted in FML issue 2484]