Amy - I think your heart is in the right place but to say in a letter to
them:
 
"It's quite frustrating to me that people aren't even willing to give
things a chance to work out before assuming the worst."
 
may end up turning them off or away.  In placing a guilt trip on them you
may inadvertently force them to go elsewhere where they may receive less
of a hassle or may end up relinquishing the ferret to others who are not
suitable ferret caregivers.  It is a touchy, delicate line that must be
walked in order to offer up alternative ideas in such a way that does not
make enemies but rather allies to the ferret cause.
 
Don't get me wrong - I hate hearing about the inane reasons people give for
wanting to get rid of a ferret.  Bear was one of those kidlins that came to
me because of a couple that "worried for the safety of their ferret", not
the baby!  She was about 8 months pregnant and the situation was becoming
urgent in her mind.  When I saw where Bear (formerly known as Bandit) lived
I was happy to take her home.  It's not that the house was messy or that
the place looked unkempt... it was just that little Bear was in this tiny
little wire mesh cage that is the bare minimum for a ferret to live in, all
in accordance with the standards set by the Humane Society where I live.  I
know, I did one of their posters on the subject.  I was appalled at the
size dimensions but that is another issue.
 
Bear was allowed out into a side room to play and she was (and still is)
a well behaved and gentle ferret.  Obviously she was loved but not enough
to keep her in a house with a new baby on the way.  She was also a lone
ferret.  She became Tinder's best buddy.  From something bad came something
good.
 
What I got from this woman was not that she was afraid for the ferret...
it was more like she did not want the ferret anymore as the baby would now
fill her time completely.  The reality of life is that people tire of their
"pets" and look to any reason to find a new home.  The reality of life is
that few plan for the future and carefully consider what life will be in
the next year - the planning of a new baby being just one.  Most people
tend to live life by the seat of their pants and not worry about things
down the road.  Reality is also that some things in our lives are not under
our control - being transferred to another country/state, getting laid off,
losing a loved one.
 
But these things do not excuse people of their responsibilities in finding
proper new homes if they feel that they can no longer give proper care.
And that is one thing that comes first and foremost in my mind.  At least
in some of the circumstances that I have encountered I feel their choice to
give up their ferret was a good one.  For a ferret to live in a home where
he/she is unloved is ultimately the worse sentence of all.  Titch came to
us because the dad in the family wanted a "larger pet" like a german
shepard and was "afraid the german shepard would eat the ferret".  I knew
where this family's priorities lay and they were not in her best interest.
 
Just last week I was talking with a woman who recently found out I lived
with ferrets.  She got all excited about it and told me that her husband
has always wanted one.  I told her I could provide her husband with all the
necessary information as well as a personal tour and one on one encounter.
She replied that she was grateful for the offer but her husband was also
the type of person who gets bored with "pets" easily and might end up
tiring of it and giving it away, as her experience of 11 married years had
shown her.  I thanked her for her refreshing honesty.
 
So I would say, if you choose to inform these people that children and
ferrets can live harmoniously, why not just invite them over to your house
and tell them you want to go over the final details there.  Let them see
for themselves the joy it has given you in your life.  Show by example
not by words of criticism.  And if it should come to pass that these people
are not swayed by the example set before them, applaud them for making the
right decision.
 
In my humble opinion....
 
Betty and Her Blur O'Fur
To my ferts:  There is nothing on earth or in heaven that would make me
love you less or break the bond of love I have for you.
[Posted in FML issue 2706]