Just giving a bit of info on NJ Fish, Game and Wildlife. In NJ ferrets have their permits through this department just as dogs and cats have licenses through another. The reason ferrets are considered "exotic" is because the controls for zoonotic diseases tightened up after the licensing laws for dogs and cats and there is concern that some ferret diseases like ADV might pose a risk to some of the state's wildlife such as mink and martens which we have in too small numbers, and fishers who appear here on a rare basis. The hope is that the permit process can cut down on dumped ferrets, and I think all will agree that is a good thing, to decrease any chance of a zoonotic risk. When domestic ferrets get loose they usually die quite rapidly but as with all domestic pets and more exotic pets than our domestic ferrets there is some risk (and the controls are certainly stricter for some of the ones listed as exotics that are not domesticated). Shelters and breeders of ferrets in NJ not only have to have their own permits and inspections but they also must provide temporary permits to the people who get ferrets from them. Those people need to then get their own hobbyist permits if they have not yet done so. The hobbyist permits are renewed once a year for a 10 dollar fee. It is an easy, painless process. We've had our series for ages. I have never -- repeat never -- seen that department behave in any way except to HELP ferrets and ferret people. I have actually see the HEAD of it volunteer to testify ion behalf of ferrets and ferret owners in a community when a local official was trying to cause problems for a young man who had a ferret. The town official was insisting that ferrets are wild animals, that they are dangerous, and that they pose a rabies risk and was taking the young man who refused to surrender his ferret to court. Both that FG&W official AND a veterinary epidemiologist from our state health department were happy to be witnesses in the man's defense. That town dropped the charges once it saw who was on the list of witnesses for the defense and it stopped causing problems for ferret people. I have also seen the NJ State Dept. of Fish, Game and Wildlife go after a pet store which had coccidia in the ferrets being sold and refused to treat. The reason I know that is because we had a ferret from there and by state law they were obligated to pay for our ferret's treatment and to treat their own. They refused and Steve I were mostly worried about the pets there and the households that would get diseased animals without knowing it. Our vet was happy to say what the ferret had in a letter from the animal hospital to NJ FG&W sand I think there was another department they asked to also receive it. NJ FG&W coordinated with the branch that licenses cats and dogs since they can also get coccidia and animals were tested. A range of pets in that store had coccidia. Then they banned sale of all mammals that could get coccidia from that one store while requiring treatment and proof of treatment, and they tested the OTHER stores the chain had (I think there were 3 in-state.) The other stores in the chain were clean, so after treatment and re-testing all mammals were required to be transferred to the other stores in the chain (not killed) and that store was banned from selling any mammals at all for 6 months. As I recall that department also provided testimony for an inspected ferret shelter with permit when that was needed in one town. This branch also protects wildlife in our state and has been doing a very good job at that. I've been in touch with them several things over the years and when able Steve and I have given donations. They really do a marvelous job and they avoid needless deaths, instead relocating animals when permits can not be given due to inspection failure or long-term failure to pay the fee. Would I rather that ferrets were not classified as exotics in NJ? Sure, I'd rather see them have the same licenses as dogs and cats, but I also know that until the wild mink and marten population bounce back enough there really is not a chance of that happening, and that the approach being used has consistently been ferret-friendly just as dog and cat licensing in NJ is. I also know that the department is willing to fight towns which read into the exotic classification to think that ferrets are bad when they are not so the exotic classification does no harm. I know the money -- which is very little -- goes to do good things. AND I know that we would likely have more of a dumping problem than we do in NJ without the permit system and that helps ferrets and shelters while reducing the chances of animal hoarding and all of the horrible abuses that has. Yes, in NJ ferret hobbyists need to spend $10 and about 2 minutes doing paperwork each year for permits, and, yes, our shelters and breeders need to spend $100 and be inspected BUT that has kept down the hoarding, kept down the dumping, reduced other abuses (like those who would feed them to large snakes), and provided official state advocates for domestic ferrets who even go to court for them. So, I'd say we are pretty fortunate here in NJ to have something that works quite well. Sukie (not a vet) 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/ http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html all ferret topics: http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html [Posted in FML 6470]