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OVERVIEW of FERRET BUSINESS of GA
After reading this overview, if you still have questions or wish to pursue
an adoption, please call us.
Juliana at (770) 984-1417 or Jill at (770) 924-4724
*****
FERRET BUSINESS of GA was created to provide a haven for homeless ferrets,
adoption services, care & behavioral information, & a veterinary
referral resource. We're incorporated as nonprofit in GA &
licensed as an animal shelter by the GA Department of Agriculture (the
government agency regulating animal shelter, groomers, kennels, &
breeders). We're located in the Atlanta
area & have many fosters waiting for permanent, loving homes.
The way our adoption process is usually handled is to 1st do a phone
interview to find out what your situation is & who of our fosters would be a good match. We have an
adoption contract & ask for an adoption donation based on physical age,
as we don't always have any history on the ferrets taken into our care.
All the money collected goes to the medical care of the
fosters. The expenses for the rest of the care & needs of
FERRET BUSINESS fosters are all handled out of pocket by the caretakers.
Our fosters have been found, surrendered, or
abandoned to animal control agencies by their owners. They can come from
loving families who were truly concerned about their welfare or from
environments of neglect &/or abuse. Our fosters
include "only children" (ferrets who do not like ferrets) &
ferrets who can be accepting of others. We have singles & bonded
pairs who cannot be separated. We also have special-needs ferrets
w/known medical conditions &/or are of advanced age who are in need of
a family that can provide nurturing love & care for whatever precious
time they may have. We come to know the personalities of the foster
ferrets in our care & can tell you who is very active or docile,
playful, interactive or aloof, quiet or rambunctious, mischievous, nippy or
kissy, who can climb, etc.
General veterinary health checks establish approximate age & who are
deemed healthy. All are up to date on rabies & distemper
vaccinations to whatever point they should be. And all are neutered/spayed in accordance w/GA State
law. Most ferrets in GA are already descented, but in
the few case they aren't, descenting is not performed unless
warranted by a medical condition. Descenting has nothing to do w/the
way a ferret smells. They do not empty their anal glands unless they
are hurt or traumatized & the odor is short lived & easily washed
away. Descenting is a painful & unnecessary surgical procedure .
While in our care we can interact with them to determine what their
personality is like, what foods they prefer, & what individual
behaviors they have. We provide a complete written profile for each
ferret adopted, their rabies certificate, & a little food for the
transition.
Our adoptions are all conditional - the stipulations of the adoption
contract must be met. Basically the contract is our guarantee that
adequate exercise, food & water, shelter, & veterinary care will be
provided. The contract also states that if for any reason you are
unable to keep the ferret that it is to be returned to FERRET
BUSINESS & not transferred - our guarantee that unwanted ferrets will
not end up in labs, animal control, or a revolving door situation of being
dumped from one place to another.
In cases where companions for existing ferrets are sought, we do our best
to insure compatibility. Ferrets come to visit, with the people they
own, to pick out their own companion. Visiting ferrets must be up to
date on their vaccinations & flea free.
After the initial phone interview, an appointment is scheduled to meet the
available fosters. Visits are in our homes (be prepared to take off
your shoes in inclement weather), usually on Sunday afternoons as our
foster caregivers also work full time jobs.
For the most part, that's how it's done. Please call me at (770)
984-1417 or Jill at (770) 924-4724 when you have some time. The best
time to reach me is in the evening 7pm-10pm during the week (we have real
full-time jobs too) or on the weekend. I am on the phone a lot, so
please leave me a msg (w/your name, phone #, the best time to reach you in
the evening or on the weekend, & why you are calling) if you get my
voicemail.
The majority of the ferrets we take in are not tiny baby kits. Most
ferrets are surrendered to us after the novelty has worn off. Also
keep in mind that a mature ferret is often the better choice for a 1st-time
owner. There's no nippy stage to get through & we know what the
matured personality is, as well as their activity level, preferences, &
dislikes.
I would be happy to answer any questions you have about being owned by
ferrets. The funny thing is that most people don't even know what
they don't know about caring for these special little guys. Great
resources are:
- ferretcentral.org
- miamiferret.org
- Ferrets for Dummies book
After doing some
research, you might have a few more questions to ask. Then I can best
assist you in determining what kind of personality will fit into your
lifestyle.
Please keep in mind that deciding to take a living, feeling creature into
your home is a lifelong commitment & responsibility.
I look forward to speaking to you & answering any other questions you
may have ;)
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