One occasion I was grooming my ferret Phoebe (cleaning her ears, clipping her nails and bathing her) and really noticed how emaciated she was. I sobbed at the thought of possibly having to her put to sleep. We’d been taking her to the vet regularly but nothing was working. Then having our son recently placed with us by adoption, we didn’t feel financially we could do much for her. So we took her to Ferret Rescue. They offered help but we told them of our efforts to help her and felt with a new son, our focus needed to be on him rather than nursing our ferret any longer. I grieved and thought about her often after we’d said our tearful goodbyes.
Several months later I got a call from a very cheerful woman who told me she’d obtained my phone number from Ferret Rescue. She was Phoebe’s new owner. She was telling me what a delight Phoebe was. Phoebe had adrenal disease the whole time! This woman had them perform the surgery on her. She recovered well and chunked right out. I was so thankful for her new home. I also found out the doctor we’d taken Phoebe to did not have a good reputation among other ferret owners.
If you are thinking about getting a ferret, I must tell you they are a lot of work even when they’re healthy. They are wonderful little companions though. They have such unique personalities. Be prepared for the expenses of owning a ferret before purchasing one. They are quite a commitment! Their ears need to be cleaned frequently as well as their nails clipped. Though they are usually housed in cages, they need lots of time for running around and playing. Quality food is also important for ferrets. If you are going to feed your ferret cat food as opposed to ferret food, make sure it’s a premium kitten food.
Thankfully, both our ferrets seemed to have happy endings in better homes. Ferrets are special creatures that I believe, need special owners.
( Melissa is a Families.com Christian Blogger. Read her blogs at: http://members.families.com/mj7/blog )