Ferret castaways are latest fad-pet losers

There's an adage in the pet industry: The only winners when it comes to fad pets are breeders, pet-supply manufacturers and pet shops.

Conversely, the biggest losers are the animals, which are often quickly forgotten and eventually deemed disposable by owners who didn't have a clue what they were purchasing.

The owners end up losing their initial financial outlay, and suffering plenty of angst.

Today's No. 1 fad pet is the ferret, a member of the weasel family that is finding itself here today, gone tomorrow. As a result, rescue operations are overflowing with castoffs, some of whose owners have given up on them in less than two months, after investing more than $200 in their pet purchase.

"They're cute, playful and fun loving," says Sandi Ackerman, president of the Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House in Seattle. "The problem is similar to the person who purchases the wrong breed of dog. It's adorable as a puppy, but it grows into an adult and needs direction and plenty of interaction. If not, it will become destructive and soon become out of control.

"Ferrets also crave hands-on attention and play time. Without both, they will become destructive when let out of their cage and will nip at you for attention or if handled too harshly."

Since opening her business in March 1996, Ackerman has seen a steady increase in the number of ferret relinquishments.

The numbers aren't staggering - like the thousands of cats and dogs handled by local animal-control and animal-welfare shelters. In 1996, she rescued a dozen ferrets. Since then the total has inched up annually to 45, 64, 72 and 68 already this year. "We have 23 ferrets in need of homes right now," she says, "which is a lot for this kind of pet."

Chief reasons for renouncing ownership of ferrets include litter-box problems (ferrets do not understand the concept of the litter box and must be taught), biting, odor, destruction of household property, major illness and time required.

"You can't just buy a ferret, stick it in a cage and ask it to entertain you," emphasizes Ackerman. "They want to be held, caressed and allowed to run about the house."

Getting an accurate count of owner-released ferrets is difficult. "A number of our volunteers have a half dozen or more rescues in their homes, plus we'll never know how many have been dumped off in the woods. Those don't have a prayer for survival," says Ackerman.

Ferrets brought to the Seattle-King County Humane Society in Bellevue, the Progressive Animal Welfare Society in Lynnwood and some of those brought to Seattle Animal Control end up at the Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House.

Onetime ferret fans tend to turn quickly on these critters, Ackerman says, because most failed to do their homework on the creature's needs.

"Ferrets sell themselves in pet stores," says Barbara Doward, pet-department manager at the Jones & Co. store in Lynnwood. "They'll open their eyes, squint at you, then their furry face will light up and you'll swear they're grinning. You grin back, and it's love at first sight."

Doward has 14 ferrets at home, most of which are rescues. "Sure, I recognize there is a numbers problem right now, but the focus needs to be on education. I won't sell a ferret to anyone with a small child and have instructed others here not to do so, either."

That's because small children have a tendency to play rough with small pets, which could result in the ferret being injured or the child being bitten.

Ackerman blames two pet chains, the giant Petco and the smaller Jones & Co., for the flood of ferrets on the market.

"When we ask people where they purchased theirs, they invariably tell us one of those two. . . . some (stores) have knowledgeable salespeople, others don't. The needs of this creature can't be taught in a day or two. It comes with experience, handling and reading."

Don Cowan, director of communications for Petco, headquartered in San Diego, says, "The stores in the Seattle area operate on a demand basis. Some carry ferrets, others don't.

"We'll work with any of the ferret-rescue groups, just like we do with cat and dog organizations. They need to contact our store managers and schedule a weekend day where they can man an information booth in the store. They're welcome to bring educational material and ferrets, too.

"We're a business but we have a responsibility to work with consumers and make certain the animals we sell go to good, knowledgeable owners and at the same time we need to do all we can to work with volunteer organizations."

According to Cowan, new employees receive orientation training, followed by a wide assortment of classes, including one on companion animals, in which ferrets are included.

"We recognize the signage (educational information available in the live pet department) could be improved. One positive twist, however, is that all ferrets sold by Petco have been sterilized."

Doward, of Jones & Co., adds, "We ask a lot of questions of anyone considering a ferret. I encourage them to purchase a book detailing the ferret's needs, from medical and vaccinations to daily attention, before buying one."

Adds Ackerman, "We spend considerable time teaching a potential adopter about ferrets, and we require he/she do some reading. There are numerous books available in public libraries, plus there is plenty of good information available on the Internet.

"We expect people to spend a minimum of one hour with their future companion before deciding if it is the right ferret for them. It's important to match the ferret with the personality of the owner, so that it will not be abandoned again. Some ferrets are too frisky for some people, others are too quiet and just want to be held."

Ackerman's agency will not adopt ferrets to children. "We adopt them as family pets, but parents who think their child will spend the next five to seven years taking care of any pet are just deluding themselves."

To avoid impulse purchases, Ackerman will not let ferrets go home the same day an individual comes in. "Letting someone consider it overnight is protecting the ferret's welfare and allowing the individual to think the matter through thoroughly."

She requires a signed, legally binding contract in which the purchaser agrees to a host of care stipulations.

The adoption fee is $100, which includes vaccinations, microchipping, a veterinary check-up, teeth cleaning (if necessary) and sterilization. Ferrets require annual rabies and distemper vaccinations and after age 2 most need annual teeth cleaning.

In the past month, four ill 4- to 5-year-old ferrets were dumped at the Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House. "Ferrets are extremely attached to their humans and their home. When an older one is moved, it becomes highly stressed, which weakens its immune system. Many develop shelter shock, quit eating and die." One of the four died, another remains ill and two are improving.

In emergency cases, the staff provides intensive care, which includes syringe feeding every two to three hours, administering medication and carrying the creatures about to eliminate their depression.

Liane Beckwith of Bellevue, of the Washington Ferret Association, adds, "Ferrets are unique and high-maintenance animals. They are similar to birds in the amount of time commitment and attention they require.

"They are classified as companion animals, which means they are allowed in hospitals, nursing homes and can be `prescribed' by health-care professionals as necessary for humans to have."

Most ferret-rescue organizations operate on the edge - financially, she adds. The majority are individually funded operations done for the love and concern of the animals' welfare. Consequently, most of these people have outside jobs to help defray the cost of countless rescues.

Rescue work is agonizing and satisfying, adds Ben Roach, of Seattle, a WFA member and volunteer at Ackerman's facility, who owns seven ferrets, three of which are rescues.

"There's a lot of heartbreak and frustration around these little creatures," he emphasizes. "The WFA received a call recently from an individual who claimed due to financial problems he had to move in with his mother-in-law and could bring only three of six ferrets he owned."

When WSA members arrived a short time later, they pulled out two healthy animals and asked the whereabouts of the third. They were told it was huddled beneath a towel at the back of the cage. When they pulled up the towel, they saw a terrified female that was missing an eye duct as the result of a cat scratch.

"The eye was swollen to the size of a golf ball," Roach laments. "Quite frankly, we didn't know if there was an eye back there or not."

When a veterinarian performed surgery a short time later, she discovered there was not an eye. The cavity was filled with a form of infection that drained into the poor creature's sinus cavities.

To reduce the swelling, all of its tear ducts were removed from the eye socket during the operation, then the eye was sewn shut.

The ferret was hospitalized for a couple of days, before it was taken home by Roach and a friend, who twice daily used a syringe to wash its eye socket and then administered medication for two weeks.

Gradually, the creature improved to the point it began eating normally, then playing, chasing and hiding things. But she won't tolerate another animal in her presence.

"We see plenty of abuse and neglect," concludes Roach, "but there are also some heartwarming rescues, too. It says a lot about our society today."