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contact: marymodernferret.com

  Summer is upon us! If you're planning a summer vacation and you need to figure out what to do with your ferrets, this is the newsletter you need to read. We talk about finding a ferret sitter for your fuzzies!

  Also in this newsletter is a great coupon code so you can add to your ferret summer wardrobe! Don't miss this chance to save on all kinds of clothing with ferret designs!

-- Mary

In this newsletter:

• How To Find A Ferret Sitter
   
• Get Your Summer Ferret Apparel -- $3.00 off with coupon!

Adorable stuffed ferrets make great Holiday & Christmas gifts!

How To Find A Ferret Sitter

By Eric Shefferman

  We can tell summer is upon us because we've started getting a lot of questions from people who are going on vacation. They either want information about traveling with their ferrets or they want to know how to find a ferret sitter.

We've covered traveling with ferrets in a previous newsletter

  An important point to add to the above article is: Don't bring your ferrets where they aren't wanted.

  Two states that come to mind are California and Hawaii. Ferrets are illegal in both those states. This is neither good for the ferret owners caught with their ferrets there, nor is it good for the ferrets themselves. It's one thing to consider sneaking in your ferrets if you are permanently moving to either of those states -- you don't want to give up your babies, do you? However, to risk your ferrets being confiscated or worse (plus the criminal penalties for yourself) for the sake of a vacation doesn't make sense.

  Note that there are also cities and towns and counties, and so on all over the place where ferrets are illegal. How would you know? Only by careful research. Thus, it is probably a good idea to not be too "high profile" while on the road (don't walk into the rest stop with your ferret sitting on your shoulders, don't drive in a "ticket tempting" manner, etc.).

  Of course, you can't leave your ferrets in the car without having the air conditioning on (cars can get hot enough to kill ferrets very rapidly). When we used to travel to ferret shows we would often take turns using the rest stop so that we could leave the engine running and the air conditioning on. We'd get some sort of take-out food and eat it in the car.

Tip: If you absolutely have to leave the car unattended:

  We used to keep a blanket in the car to cover the ferret's travel cage. This way no one looking in would see anything interesting. We'd then leave the engine running with the air conditioning on and lock up the car (we had two sets of keys). Although this isn't the best solution, car theft is rare versus heatstroke is fatal -- you do the best you can with the options available.

More information on ferret heatstroke

  Along those same lines, you probably will find it difficult to locate a hotel that welcomes ferrets. Even if you do find one, be very careful monitoring where your ferrets go in the room. Expect that the hotel has left rat poison in every corner and there are hidden holes in the bathroom wall or floorboards that lead to who knows where.

  Finally, we've all experienced the relative that screams, "You're not bringing those things in my house!" Relatives that understand the appeal of ferrets are few and far between. It is not easy to change their minds and their houses are probably also not ferret-safe.

  So what can you do instead?

  The answer: Find a Ferret Sitter

  Of course, finding a good ferret sitter is a problem in and of itself.

   All we can do is offer you the following ideas to help you in your quest.

  Ideally, you want whoever is taking care of your ferrets to be someone who "gets ferrets." Someone who understands ferrets and will recognize if something seems "wrong." Ferrets are very small creatures, so a few days of not eating, diarrhea, not going to the bathroom, and so on is enough to bring them between extremely ill and dead.

  Even if the ferrets are staying in your home with a sitter checking up on them, the change in routine (they will miss you) can be enough to shake them up. It's that kind of stress that can bring out all the otherwise hidden health problems your ferret might have.

  Anyone who has owned ferrets for a few years has experienced the "ferret medical emergencies only occur between 2 am and 4 am" syndrome. Trust us: going on a trip is just an amplified version of this, except that your ferret sitter is going to be the one who has to deal with the panic.

  Ferret shelter operators have a term, "shelter shock," which occurs when a ferret is left at a shelter. The ferret tends to go into a "depression" and refuses to eat, drink, and so on. You want to make sure this vacation transition is as smooth as possible for your ferret. If your ferret is going to be staying someplace other than your home, try to get them to visit the place with you before you go so that it isn't a completely foreign experience.

Techniques for finding a ferret sitter:

1. Ask your veterinarian for recommendations.
2. Ask at any local pet stores where you shop.
3. Try to find a local ferret club.
4. Try to find a local ferret shelter.

  Note: People email us all the time with questions like: "How can I find a ferret sitter in Kalamazoo, Michigan?" The answer is: We don't know! That's why we always recommend that people find a local bunch of ferret owners. People who live near you will know the best ferret vets and other ferret-related things. If you don't have a local ferret club, it's time to start one! Find some pet stores and veterinarians who will let you put up signs to start gathering names of local ferret people. Even if you don't start a "formal club" -- if you just have a group of local ferret owners who talk with each other or get together once in a while -- you'll have an extremely powerful resource should you need a ferret sitter, a new vet, or new pet store to shop at, or any other ferret things.

  Ferret clubs and ferret shelters are tremendous resources, and you should do all you can to locate ones near you. Exchange of information with other local ferret owners is very important for locating all sorts of things you might need for your ferrets.

  Do your best to get to know your sitter beforehand. Everyone has their own ideas of what is and what is not safe for ferrets, what is and what isn't appropriate food, and so on. That's why a ferret club or meeting group is so useful -- after talking to a bunch of other ferret owners several times, you'll have a better idea which ones you would trust with caring for your ferrets.

  If this is all starting to seem as complicated as getting someone to take care of your human child, that's because it is! Ferrets are fragile living creatures with their own little ferrety thoughts and feelings. Even more so than little children, they can't talk so they need someone who will pick them up, look at them, talk to them, and make sure they are all right.

Make sure your sitter has the following:

1. The name, phone number, and address of your primary vet along with driving directions to the vet's office.
2. The name, phone number, and address of a 24-hour animal emergency facility (if you are lucky enough to live near one) along with driving directions.
3. A letter giving the ferret sitter permission to make medical decisions for your ferrets in an emergency. You might want to leave a copy of this letter at your vet's office.
4. An emergency ferret carrier all prepared with food, water, blanket already inside.
5. A way to pay for veterinary services needed. You'll have to figure out what is the best way to handle this. Most 24-hour veterinarians we've been to will only accept a credit card for payment. You might want to check with your local facility and see if they suggest leaving a credit card home along with a permission note, a pre-filled out check, or what.
6. Plenty of ferret food and treats that your ferrets like.
7. Any special instructions for your particular ferrets (e.g., use only filtered water, everyone gets a treat before you put them in the cage, etc.). Make sure you clearly write down all the instructions.

For each ferret, the sitter should have:

1. A way to identify the ferret (not everyone can tell your ferrets apart the way you can)
2. A full medical history
3. A complete list of all the medications the ferret is on along with instructions on how to give the medications
4. A complete list of any intermittent or ongoing illnesses the ferret might have but is not currently taking medication for (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease)
5. Anything to watch out for with this particular ferret (do they tend to hide behind the TV and be hard to find? do they nip people's noses? etc.)

Some of Our Experiences With Ferret Sitting

Our trip to California

  When we went to California to interview Harry Anderson for Modern Ferret magazine, we had our friends Linda and Russ (experienced ferret owners and ferret shelter operators) take care of our two oldest ferrets, Sabrina and Marshmallow. Our other ferrets (Knuks, Trixie, Bosco, Balthazar, Koosh, Cauliflower, and Gabby) stayed at our house in their cage with our friend Arnold (the person who encouraged us to get ferrets) and Mary's mom coming over daily to let them out for playtime.

  The evening we left, Marshmallow starting having all sorts of insulinoma problems and Linda and Russ rushed him to our vet. This was a terrible burden to place on other people, but there was nothing we could do -- we were already on our way to California. Marshmallow wound up ok after the whole ordeal thanks to good care from Linda, Russ, and our vet, but it serves to show how a little stress can bring out serious medical problems.

  Everything was fine with the group of ferrets that stayed at the house, except that Arnold (an experienced ferret owner) was sitting on the floor and Koosh ran up his arm and gave him a nip on either the nose or his ear (can't remember which). Arnold had been warned beforehand that Koosh had a thing for nipping noses and shouldn't be allowed near his face, but Koosh was so big and cuddly (he was a 3 to 4 pound angora ferret) that he lulled Arnold into a false sense of security.

Our trip to Florida

  On this trip (for Mary's brother's wedding), we brought all of our ferrets with us except for Cauliflower, who stayed with Linda and Russ. In Florida, we were staying at a hotel that didn't allow ferrets. Fortunately, April and Damon Gallaty had agreed to board our ferrets at their home (about an hour from the hotel).

  April and Damon had an incredible ferret room set up with all sorts of interesting toys scattered about -- it was like a Disneyworld for ferrets. When we left the ferrets there, all of them were running around excitedly playing and exploring, even Sabrina and Marshmallow (the two oldest). As far as I can tell, the room was so interesting and had so many toys that the ferrets didn't miss us at all.

  Of course, despite the warnings, Koosh managed to nip Damon's nose. We don't know how it happened, but I'd presume it was because Koosh was really good at looking like a big, fat, innocent, cuddly teddy bear.

Find all kinds of information about traveling with ferrets, ferret sitters, ferret emergency vets and more in the back issues of Modern Ferret Magazine:

Get Your Summer Ferret Apparel:
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  Save $3.00 on all apparel at FerretDesigns, AmysDesigns, and PowerDesigns. Use the coupon code:

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  All kinds of apparel items: t-shirts, sweatshirts, ladies' tees, intimate apparel and more! All the stores use the same shopping cart, so you can combine items from all the stores!

  Coupon expires June 28, 2005.

  Thanks for reading! Hope you learned a lot. We'll be back soon with more ferrety information!

-- Mary, Eric & Gabby (the lone ferret)

  Stay tuned for more. You can always get updates by reading Mary's blog (a blog is an online journal). She keeps it sporadically and it usually runs to the more personal stuff. But you might like it. It's at: