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In 2004 my youngest son was injured and we did a bit of research about ferrets and purchased two for him. He was incapacitated for about a year…We knew once he was better we would be caretakers, this was okay, we love animals. Within the first year, we decided to add to our Critter family, I had been researching ferrets all along and decided to adopt rather than purchase from a store. This is how it happened, we found out about a couple of fuzzy boys that needed a home….July 2005 we opened our home to surrendered and rescued fuzzies.
There are so many special ferrets, which one to choose is the hardest….I think I will pick our first two rescues, Joey and Bennie. These two boys were so neglected and abused I am sure of it. They were kept in a small 18″ cage and NEVER let out. When we picked them up I was almost sick. They were living in this cage with no bedding on a piece of Styrofoam soaked in their own waste. No food dish and a water bowl that was too high for them (didn’t matter, no water). Their nails were so long they were curved under, and they were covered in fleas. Skinny does not describe these two boys. On the verge of a slow death is closer to the realization of their fate. We took them straight to the vet, before bringing them home. I got them to our vehicle and transferred them into a different cage….I wanted to throw their other cage on the ground and leave it (I didn’t of course). The boys went crazy in the bedding; they rooted and rolled all over it, as best they could. They had no idea what this soft stuff was, they knew they loved it though. You could see it in their little faces. We got them home and put them into a playpen, they were so tuckered out they went right too sleep after filling their bellies….I trimmed their nails while they slept.
Joey was very thin, very sweet, and shy, a cinnamon. Bennie was a medium silver dark eyed, dark nose so thin we could feel his spleen. A terrible biter, he drew blood more than once. Bennie was an attention biter, we learned later. The first time they woke to play a bit, we noticed they could not balance well. They were skin and bones and had no muscle tone. They could not walk well, no jumping or climbing for a while for these two. After about 2 months of them being with us, they were finally walking and running, climbing a bit, trying to anyway.
We kept these two boys with us. Their treatment by the previous family was enough for me to decide never to adopt these boys out. I would never trust anyone to give them the love they deserved. They became part of our family. We said good bye to Joey last Aug, 2007, Insulinoma….Bennie is still with us and is a beautiful boy, showing early signs of Adrenal. I miss my Joey, he was a perfect and lovable boy.
These boys are truly a miracle story.
Our biggest challenge is the losses we endure. There are a lot of challenges; the worse for us is the condition some of these ferrets come to us. We work so hard to get them back to a good health after being fed wrong foods, abused, etc…then to watch them die anyway. It is the toughest challenge for us. We just can’t save them all.
If you think of opening a shelter/rescue, please talk to others first that have and are doing this. Know what you are getting in to. Do not open a rescue on impulse and please check with your local state, city, and township officials about the laws. Make sure you have a vet that you can count on to help you with this. Do the research. My motto is: “Had a life”, Traded it for Ferrets! This is not a joke, cute yes, but very true.
The expenses can overwhelm you also. There is just too much to list, Please….please do your homework first….
The best part about sheltering is the love you see in the face of a fuzzy that you have helped. Their love is unconditional, this is all they desire…besides a place to play, food to eat and a place to poop and sleep of course….LOL. When you can see in their face everyday them saying “thank you” for taking care of me, loving me, being there for me when I need you, that one look they give everyday, makes it all worth any tough challenge that comes a long.