id like some opinions please

[fleafighter]

i posted this somewhere else, but thought i should stick it here too cause yall are so helpful!!
recently ive noticed quite a few ferrets of various ages being advertised-"need new homes". in the past few years there werent that many ferrets being advertised around here,in fact if you were trying to find one listed ya probly wouldn't! im wondering how many ferrets a person needs . i have 6, 3 of those were given to me over the years-needed new homes,i know used ferrets can be wonderful! my 2 oldest ive been worried about dying over the past few months-theyre not in good shape,its delighted & amazed me they are still with me. but that kinda makes me think i could let another ferret(s) come here,on the other hand,i was thinking itd be nice to not have soo many like before but...
heres the thing-if i take in other peoples' ferrets -knowing i can feed & love them & take care of their needs EXCEPT for any surgeries or other expensive health issues, is that right?? in most cases where theyre coming from they are not going to any vet,maybe for a rabies shot,maybe not at all. people state in their ads they dont have time for them & ive seen/heard what some of them are being fed & how they are being taken care of & it amazes me. i know im not the only person who can give them good homes but it seems the other good folks must not be paying attention cause some of these ferrets have been listed for weeks or months!
i realize im nuts, but wanted to see what someone else would say about my predicament & what would you do in my situation?

[huronna]

I have had ferrets since 1984. Usually only 2 or 3 at a time. There was once when I actually had 5. of all these ferrets I've had...I bought 1 in 1984, 1 in 1985 1 in 1994 and the last one in 2007. All the rest I have adopted from either shelters of from people I met who no longer wanted them for one reason of another. When I brought a ferret into my heart, their entire responsibility was my own.

If people were responsible and would help out with medical bills, I don't think they would give them up. Medical bills are the number one reason for people giving up their ferrets. They either can't afford it or don't want to affored it.

If you take another ferret into your heart, be prepared to take on ALL the responsibilites. Don't expect to hear anything from the original owner. They seem to dissappear into the woodwork

[yukkabelle]

I am sorry I think I am not understanding what you want to know. Perhaps just my brain is over

[shadoe]

We have 9 fertets of which 4 were rescues. We arent rich by any means but we find a way to get teh help we need. We are fortunate to have rescue and animal assistance groups near us.
I wondered myself if I was doing the right thing but since Lily, I know I am meant to do this. THe house is full now and there will be no new ferrets , but after seeing how Lily has thrived. I know this is right for me.

[huronna]

One has to know what their number should be, both monetarily , emotionally and time wise. Though we would like to save all the ferrets, we have to remember that is not always possible. You don't want to get in a position that you have too many and then you cannot care for them properly.

[fleafighter]

thanks. huronna my brain has told me what you said- stop at a number you can take care of. but part of me thinks i have the room, time & all but the piles of money i would need to take in more. part of me also thinks that pretty much ANYTHING i can do for some of those needing homes is so much better than they will most likely ever experience. thats my dilemma

now for the confession. ive already gone & done something maybe i shoulnta,tonite im supposed to go look at 2 girls that need to be relocated.theyre supposed to be young,1 1/2, healthy & from a breeder not a petstore. if all of that is true & i dont see,hear,smell or feel anything out of place with them they might come home with me. i was actually looking for a young female & what ive been told about these 2 made me think one or both would work here. im not just going around collecting unwanted ferrets aimlessly,but after seeing all the ferrets listed recently...someone needs too!!
i also wanted to say that, for the moment anyway, my guys are all okay & under control. Thaddius got his ferretonin a couple weeks ago & his belly has gone down a little & hes playing more so thats made me happy!!

[ferretzmom]

It's wonderful that you are able to take in 2 who need homes. We took in every one that came our way needing a home in the past 7 years, but are now at the point where we are becoming more selfish. We are 10's of thousands in debt - much because our ferrets have the illnesses that come with age and needed life-saving surgeries and medical care. We lost 7 beautiful little heartbreakers between June 2008 and February 2009. Our top number was 17, and it seemed that everything we did revolved around ferrets. We have sacrificed friendships (lack of time) and travel (lack of funds) and are now realizing that we are not getting any younger. We plan to retire in a few years and would like to see a bit of the world while we are still relatively healthy. So, for us, we are winding down in the realm of ferret rescue. We now have 7, and expect to be down another 1 or 2 by year's end.

Kudos to you for taking in your new babies. Now it's time for you to post some photos so we can all drool over them!

JulieAnn