Have any of you looked up "twit" in the dictionary? A twit is someone stupid or foolish. Anyone putting even ONE of these precious lives at risk is both stupid & foolish. ESPECIALLY a shelter. We are supposed to know better. People call shelters/sanctuaries all the TIME for advice. They are looking for answers, and they look to us, the experts, for help. So, if a trip to the vet is "money wasted," a ferret with green, smelly, slimy diarrhea would die a painful and horrible death, because it didn't get medical attention. After all, the shelter operator is the expert -- and he/she said don`t bother with a vet -- right??? (What shelter person wouldn`t know about ECE? ) Now, not only one ferret dies, but any other ferret in that house is also put at risk. OOPS--Did I mention that the new shelter/sanctuary operator might ALSO not understand the importance of putting new babies in quarantine??? Or maybe a little one is rapidly losing weight, & refuses to eat. it appears to be in horrific pain, & is lethargic. Gee--a trip to the vet is "money wasted" --so it just must be that ferret`s time, RIGHT??? So the stupid, foolish new shelter mom holds & rocks the ferret, in its blanky (chewed full of holes) until it dies of intestinal blockage, which could have been cured with a 20 minute surgery... The new shelter/sanctuary mom gets lots of sympathy on Facebook, every time she loses one. People say "Oh, my heart is breaking for you. You are such a good ferret mom. There`s a place in Heaven for you" I`m sick of it. The innocent are dying, and the ones at fault get sympathy??? (I un-joined Facebook after someone said she couldn`t afford vet care for an adrenal ferret, but posted the next day, looking for a couple more ferrets to join him & his sister! I was appalled. The profanity police would have been after me, had I stayed LOL) If you run a good shelter/sanctuary, you will find, and use, the best ferret vet in your area--and you will learn everything you CAN about these wonderful, but very different creatures. Your babies will be counting on you. You will sacrifice much-- money, time, beauty sleep, & some family & friends who don`t understand your mission.("You're cancelling our lunch date because your FERRET is sick????") At times, the stress will nearly kill you -- but that will be what you signed on for. You will need to be totally devoted. Look hard before you leap -- because your life will never be the same. and if you believe a trip to the vet is "money wasted" or you refuse to learn--that is both stupid & foolish. You will not be saving lives, you will be endangering them. You will be a twit. Off my soapbox. Love, Zoo [Posted in FML 8158]