More likely a nosey neighbor who looked right into the window with eyes or
binoculars, or even more likely the landlords spotted or were told of the
cat, used their key and saw the ferrets.  We had trouble once because a
little kid looked in our door mailslot and began shouting "SUKIE!  THERE'S
A SQUIRREL IN YOUR HOUSE!" till the apartment mgr came running.  Given
that darkness is something they are adapted for we fashioned ourselves two
long and shallow cages to fit under our queen sized bed, and during the
day in the hours we were away they thereafter were under there all nestled
in a dark hide-away, safe and sound, sleeping.  That was long while ago
now, since we first moved into our own place in '85.
 
>At 5:42 AM -0500 11/29/01, Automatic digest processor wrote:
>The ferret I got from them Unfortunately was not a Marshalls.  I asked 3
>different people including the Manager where they came from and they tried
>to say Marshalls.  I told them that He is NOT a Marshalls and to please
>check where he came from.  They said ohhh, then he came from this other
>guy we use in Pennsylvania.
 
Two of the other very large farms that exist are in PA, and at least one
of the problems I mentioned earlier, also, for at least one of them.
(Hey, one of those threatened to sue me months ago over nothing more than
my quoting a minor thing which was not private, so I am being circumspect.
That is a problem you won't encounter with MF; folks have used them as a
scapegoat over and over while not doing squat to try to improve the rest
of the farms as well and MF has fairly let them speak their say as I am
sure the detractors will admit.)
 
Of course, it may be that the distributor rather than the farm is in PA.
There are some disreputable distributors and stores who have sold some
very unhealthy, very inbred ferrets -- either not saying a source or
giving a false claim of source to piggy-back on the advertising dollars
of the farms.  heck, someone (Sandi?) even ran into ones with dots that
later began to come off drawn on their ears.  That paperwork is important!
 
You do know that in NJ we have LEGISLATED health-standards for petstore
animals, don't you?  A vet's letter sent on hospital letterhead to the
Dept of Fish, Game and Wildlife (from which you have your $10 per
household ferret permit) about the ferret's health will get action.  Years
ago a petstore had an infectious parasite in its carnivora stock which
turned out to be in ferrets, cats, and dogs there.  When they did nothing
a vet statement got the state to inspect (and got them banned from selling
any of those mammal types for six months while they were required to treat
and find safe haven (in this seem to remember that it was a different
store they owned that didn't have an infection) for the infected animals),
and because they sold Marshall ferrets Marshall was also informed and they
also imposed standards on them.
 
We have just gotten our 20th ferret permit for 2002 (20 year ferret
anniversary in June) and in those years have seen NJ FG&W do many good and
fair things for ferrets including going to battle with towns that made
false claims of non-safety, going after bad petstores, tracking unlicensed
abusive breeders, speaking against anti-ferret legislation when someone
tried to introduce that, and much more.  Have seen the relevant branch of
our heath dept.  also help ferret folks with permits multiple times.
Ditto Senator Walt Kavanaugh who had one in his extended family.  The NJ
FG&W addies (for permits and for getting action) are:
 
Nongame; NJ FG&W
CN 400, Trenton
NJ 08625-0400,
and
Nongame; NJ FG&W, Hedgehaven Farm
RR#1, Box 383, Rt 173 W
Hampton, NJ 08827
 
The healthiest ferrets come from small and loving private breeders who
keep extensive health and longevity records (which they can show you) and
cull lines with problems from breeding.  These are not necessarily the
same ferrets that win shows; like show-lines of dogs, cats, horse, etc.
there are some desired appearances that have been related to an assortment
of health problems requiring special care over the years, from major
circulatory defects, to deafness, to acrondoplastic dwarfism, to possibly
shorter life-spans, to blindness, to faces too short for safe dental
eruption, to... The absolutely worst ferrets come from inbreeding backyard
breeders and those can be very, very, very, very unhealthy.  Farms fall
into the middle.
[Posted in FML issue 3617]