------------- US News
------------- Written by: Vicki DeSormier
| Ferrets test owners' patience The
cuddly cousins of weasels are high maintenance -- and highly affectionate.
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By Vicki DeSormier | Special to orlandosentinel.com
Posted August 7, 2005
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There are dog people. There are cat people. But it takes a special kind of individual to be a ferret person.
For those unprepared for the boundless need for attention and the
limitless curiosity of ferrets, the critters can be more than they can
handle. Pretty soon, the pet they
just had to have is the one that just has to go.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Central Florida
handles only dogs and cats. Seminole County Animal Services will house
them briefly, but the animals are hard to adopt out.
That's where Michelle Alverson and Ferrets-N-Limbo come in.
Alverson operates a shelter for abandoned ferrets out of her Apopka
home. A Florida room adjacent to the house is set aside for the
ferrets. They have activity centers, places to rest (ferrets can spend
as much as 18 hours a day sleeping) and cages where they can go to
escape it all.
"They are really fad pets. You know, they're cute and cuddly in
the store, but they need constant interaction and attention," she said.
"It's more than some people can take."
Ferrets, she said, have unique personalities. They love
unconditionally, she said, but their hugs, kisses and constant mischief
can put some people off.
Ferrets will find their way into any nook, cranny or hole in a house.
If there is even a small opening, they can find their way into walls,
behind appliances or even into the inner workings of a fold-out sofa.
Alverson said owners, in order to prevent injury or even death to their
pet, have to "ferret-proof" their homes as if they were preparing for a toddler -- only more so.
Mary Beth Lake, animal-care supervisor for Seminole County Animal
Services, said ferrets are "nippy" and have a musty odor that can be
offensive to many people. Those are the reasons most often given when
people surrender their ferrets.
"But they are a lot of fun . . . they're entertaining . . . better than television," Lake said.
The musty odor of the ferrets, which are from the skunk family, is
natural. Often it is caused by poor nutrition, but sometimes it is
exacerbated by overbathing the animals.
"The more you wash a ferret, the more they produce the musty oil
that keeps their skin from drying out," Alverson said. "The more
they're bathed, the worse the smell gets. They don't need a bath more
than once a month."
Five years ago, Alverson, who already had 13 ferrets, began taking in
more that were in need of homes. More than 200 abandoned pets have been
placed in homes in that time. Right now, 32 ferrets are in the shelter,
waiting to be placed.
Ferrets-N-Limbo doesn't place the animals just anywhere. Each prospective ferret owner is carefully screened. After filling out a six-page application, he or she may be asked to visit the shelter.
"We ask about the home, other pets, kids," Alverson said. "We can't place a ferret
with a family that has some sort of hunting breed of dog . . . or
snakes. And very young children are usually a red flag for us."
Ruth Craig, 45, of Groveland has adopted three ferrets through the
organization and volunteers at the shelter once a month. She also
fosters ferrets that must be quarantined before being brought to the
shelter.
"Ferrets are very interactive," she said. "They seek you out, they want to play and hug and take you to their hidey-holes."
Craig said the three adopted ferrets, plus four others, play well with
her four cats, though she can't let them out of her sight lest things
get out of hand. Her 10- and 14-year-old dogs sniff at the ferrets but
don't play. The miniature pinscher, she said, protects the ferrets as
she would her own pups.
"They're like my children," she said. "They're mischievous, especially when they're young, but they love you no matter what."
Ferrets are very social, so people who adopt one often come back for more.
"They're addictive," Craig said. "You can't have just one."
Sharon Griffith, 51, of Longwood, started off with just one ferret in 1998. He would follow her everywhere and even sleep on his back on her chest while she watched television.
"But when I would go to put him in his cage at night, he would just cry," she said.
"So I had to go back to the pet store and get another one."
These days, she has five ferrets of her own and two foster pets. She
lets them out of their cages for 90 minutes in the morning and evening.
She said they'll "run around like crazy" for about 20 minutes and then
just drop for a nap. She walks around and finds where they've fallen
asleep and puts them back in the cage.
"You have to watch them, though, because they get into everything," she noted.
One of her ferrets collects pens that have been left out and hides them
in its bed. Another will take shoes to sleep with. One of her pets
would find its way into the dishwasher whenever the door was ajar. She
finally had to take the machine apart for the animal's safety.
"Ferrets are like teenagers," she said. "They push the limits on
everything to see what they can get away with. And they're very social.
They don't like to be alone."
To adopt a ferret from Ferrets-N-Limbo, call 407-869-6981.
Ferret aficionados are also invited to become members of
Ferrets-N-Limbo, which includes the opportunity to attend meetings at
the shelter at 10:30 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month and
helping to find homes for the animals housed there. Ferrets-N-Limbo can
also be found online at ferrets-n-limbo.org.
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