Ok, we all know owning a ferret can be expensive; everything from
the cost of their food to vet care. But as Laura has always stated
emphatically on this list and on her message board; do your homework,
do the research about owning a ferret BEFORE you run out and get one.

I live on a fixed income; my disability benefits come only ONCE a month
so I have to S T R E T C H my dollars to make sure my bank account is
not setting on zero before the month runs out.

A suggestion for anyone who has a problem with the cost of ferret food;
here is what I do.......... Figure out what it will take to feed your
ferret for a month and then buy that amount plus a little extra, buy
that batch all at once.......Then each week tuck away a bit of money
towards the next batch of food you are going to need, then when it
comes time to purchase more food you will have the money for it.

We feed a blend of food and we order from two different sources; we mix
up a batch of food, put it in plastic bags to help keep the food fresh,
then when we are down to the last mixed batch we know to order more
food to ensure we DON'T RUN OUT which is very important. Would you
allow yourself to run out of food and then go out and buy a bunch of
crappy stuff to eat just because it is cheap?? Ask yourself this
question and sincerely think before you answer.

If you have to do without something then dam**mit DO WITHOUT to ensure
your ferrets will have what they need; you choose to have them in your
life, they did NOT choose to be with you. Do WITHOUT that new outfit,
do without that purchase of a couple new CDs, do without that month's
newest whatever. Look at good nutrition as insurance for your ferret;
everyone knows a well-fed ferret will have a better shot at fighting
off disease and live longer which is what we want for all our fuzzies.

I have taken in stray cats for years; have them spayed and neutered
and give them a forever home; NEVER have I had a fixed cat dumped on
me, always one who needs to be spayed or neutered. I live out in the
country and as everyone knows we-country-folk just love having dogs
and cats dumped on us; we are all standing at our mailboxes with
baited-breath waiting for the next stray to be dumped........ NOT!!!
My pet-peeve is when people say they can't afford to have their cats
spayed and neutered and my response to that is.............FOR THE
PRICE OF A CASE OF BEER AND A CARTON OF CIGARETTES YOU CAN HAVE YOUR
PET FIXED!!!

If you still have a problem with the cost of the cost of caring for
your pet call your local shelter and ask if you can be present when
the vet comes around to put down or more frankly stated......DESTROY
OR KILL the next batch of dogs and cats at the shelter due to
overcrowding. I used to volunteer at the local shelter, I was there
on the day it was being done, I helped to bury the bodies afterwards,
I climbed down in the pit positioning the bodies, tossing on some
quick-lye and cover them with dirt, I was there and it is forever
seared in my brain, I couldn't stand to be in the building while the
vet was doing his job, I sat in my car and cried until it was over Even
knowing I didn't contribute to that, it was still heartbreaking for me.
I would go to each cage with a tag on the door alerting the vet that
this is the dog or cat that will be killed on that day, go to them and
give them a hug; apologize to them that they are going to have to be
killed as soon as the vet arrives because their owner was too selfish
to provide for them. Do this and it will give you an eye-opening
experience about the TRUE COST of providing for your pet. And don't
think this only happens to dogs and cats; ferrets wind up in
kill-shelters and they get put down as well. I have accepted ferrets
from kill-shelters to keep them from being destroyed, get a call from
a shelter and be asked to take another ferret that would otherwise be
put down along with the next batch of dogs and cats........... Their
only crime; to be unfortunate enough to end up in a
kill-dog-and-cat-shelter.

If you realistically can't afford the food and vet care for your ferret
then please do all shelters a HUGE FAVOR.........don't get a ferret of
your own because they stand a good chance at ending up there. If you
still want a ferret try this first; find a shelter near you, ask if you
can volunteer, then you can spend time with fuzzies and you can truly
learn the cost of having a ferret but still be able to have a fuzzy in
your life by spending a few hours each week helping out at a ferret
shelter. Each and every shelter mom and dad knows the cost of feeding
them and all about vet care; they would be more than happy to educate
you about the cost.

Sorry for my long rant but Laura is right, there is NO excuse to run
out of food, no excuse to feed crappy food to your ferret. This list is
for us all to band together in learning more about our ferrets, help
one another when help is needed and help to educate one another but
do your homework before getting your first ferret and that includes
nutrition to help keep your ferret happy and to help ensure their
health through nutrition.

Ok, climbing OFF my soapbox now and returning to my beloved fuzzies,
cats, dog, and my yarn and crochet hooks.

~Karen Poehlein

~Never have I met a little animal so eager to love and laugh~

http://www.thecrochetedferret.com

               The Crocheted Ferret

Home of the famous DerbyEggs. Over 999 dozen of my eggs have sold,
making for a lot of happy ferrets and that many happy ferts can't
be wrong.

[Posted in FML 6927]