In issue 51, Robbin Huls asked some interesting questions. I may have a couple of answers. Sale of ferrets is prohibited in California, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York City, and Washington, D.C. While sale differs from owner- ship, I know of one case where a ferret was purchased in Virginia by a D.C. resident. The animal was subsequently seized and destroyed by D.C. officials only because it was located in the district. There are other locations attempting to ban sale/ownership, witness my previous postings about Fairfax County, Va. It is illegal to possess a ferret in California, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Some of the other states require a permit. Wild animal? - California, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Vermont classify the ferret as a wild animal. According to my sources, New York has not legally classified the ferret. New Jersey and Oregon classify the ferret as an exotic animal. Rabies vaccines - IMRAB, a rabies vaccine manufactured by Pitman- Moore (a Johnson and Johnson company) has produced high blood titers (antibodies) against rabies in domestic ferrets. While it is apparent that there is an effective vaccine, there is yet no 'USDA approved' vaccine. The Morris Foundation is also involved in obtaining an approved vaccine. Statistically, rabies occurance in ferrets is insignificant when compared to cats and dogs for which approved vaccines exist. Ferrets vs. Fitch - Some fitch breeders sell them as domestic ferrets. In 1987, at the Roanoke, Va ferret show, Chuck Morton noted that one individual there was selling fitches and so advised him. Chuck was ignored. He has been fighting this issue for some time. Perhaps Steve and Sukie can obtain a list of fitch farms around the country from Chuck and post it here. Fitches are giving ferrets a bad name. It appears that some of the severe bite injuries reported in the past were mistakenly attributed to the domestic ferret vice the similarly appearing fitch. It is my understanding that Chuck was able to visually identify the fitch. I would be very interested in knowing how he did this. If I remember correctly, there is also a blood test that can differentiate the animals. Aleutians Disease - I'm trying to get better educated on this subject. This is a common, incurable, and highly transmittable disease that is believed to lead to lymphosarcoma. I know that several mailing list members have lost ferrets due to the latter. The disease can be trans- mitted via handling of the infected animal. I've heard that at Chicago ferret shows, use of a disinfectant is required between handling of animals. Mark? [Posted in FML 0057]