Nell,

You will have difficulty being able to fulfill the requirements for
rabies and several other infectious zoonotic diseases ferrets can get
which are common to either Asia and Africa in order to bring the ferret
back home. Some examples of diseases of concern which ferrets can
contract include rabies, avian influenza, tuberculosis, and possibly
SARS (though I think that it is still not known if they can get that
casually enough to be a worry, but check me on that).

Speak to the embassy there.

Be sure to read:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/faq_animal_importation.htm#smallmammals

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/sregs/

http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/browse_by_diseases.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/animal.htm

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing_goods/agri_prod_inus.xml

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/faq_animal_importation.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/monkey-adoption-scam.html

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/isolation_quarantine/index.htm

Imagine the ammo that the anti-ferret would have if a serious disease
tracked back to an imported ferret. Never mind that cats and dogs have
the same concerns...

Sukie (not a vet)
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5532]