Hi FML . . . Well, for once I disagree with the great Bob Church, which I admit is an unusual circumstance! I run a very small ferret shelter. I'm lucky. I opened with 6 ferrets being dropped off in one day and I didn't know how I was going to manage. I held all 6 in quarentine for 10 days, then sent two pairs to the parent shelter because one ferret in each pair needed veterinary attention--one ferret was a possible adrenal. When my step-children fell in love with the remaining pair I let their mother adopt them, to add to her lonely-only ferret at home. I can monitor the care these animals get. I don't have walls of stacking cages, either. I have two cages large enough for 1 pair or small group in each, and 1 small cage for a single ferret. In an emergency, I have two large kennels that could hold 1 pair in each, for a short time period. Max capacity here including a group of ferrets is about 10. On top of my home group of 5. My home group, and my shelter ferrets each gets out for play time twice a day. They are not neglected. They are loved, and cuddled, and snuggled, and worked with. Those that aren't litter-box trained become litter-box trained. Nippers learn not to nip. If I "give" these ferrets to strangers, I have to take their word that a) they know how to take care of ferrets, and b) they are willing to take care of them. If I hand off ferrets to just anyone, just to get them out of the shelter, I don't know if they'll EVER get out of their cages. It's my policy to try to make friends of perspective adoptors (of which there are few in this neck of the woods) so I don't feel so much like they're strangers. I've had several calls requesting a single ferret, so now I have a list. I only have a pair, and they've been together since BIRTH--I will not split up a bonded pair just to get them out of the shelter. It's all stressful enough on these poor babies. And it's my job to let people know, for instance, this pair isn't litter box trained, but they're learning, and that that one has something major against dogs and will attack on sight. If I hand over a problem ferret to unsuspecting people, I'll probably get it back in worse shape than it was in the first place. And many of the ferrets I get in are thin, starved, and a little bit freaky. Haven't these babies been through enough? Our goal is to find PERMANENT LOVING homes. I opened my shelter in June, and I've had 9 ferrets come through--two of the nine are still being sheltered by the parent shelter because of adrenal symptoms, and two more of the nine have been with me since July. I have two empty shelter cages. I'm not overcrowded. I'd like to find Ziggy and Zoey a home before more ferrets come to me, but so far the right people haven't come along. I was lucky to find a friend to foster for life a boy of 7 years old. Most people want BABY ferrets, the pair I have are 3 years old. Or ferrets that will get along with other household animals, and the pair I have do not like other animals. It's hard to find the right people in an area of low demand where that demand is met 110% by two pet stores that sell baby ferrets. We're not the humane society who will adopt out just to add one more successful statistic--we ARE a little bit picky. Most the ferrets we get in have been dumped because the original owner had no idea that ferrets require a different kind of care than cats, dogs, or hamsters. We are determined for adoptors to know what they're getting into as to the type and quality of care we expect and that ferrets deserve. And if we're full, are we going to say "no, we can't take your ferret" to a person who's likely to take the ferret to the park and set it 'free' to starve to death? Nope, we'll find the room somehow to take on just one more. Kudos to those of you who do have a demand for shelter ferrets and are able to let them go. Kudos to you who have adopted ferrets from shelters. And Kudos to me for doing what I do, for loving ferrets, for spending my own money on care and feeding (don't think that adoption fees cover more than a fraction my expenses) and for worrying and crying a little bit every time I let one baby go home with someone I don't know all that well. --Sheri M. in the Company of Ferrets North Superior, WI (715) 395-9435 [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 2513]