Sanctuary Ferrets

Where do ferrets go when they are old and frail? Most rescues/humane societies locally do not have the means to care for ferrets. Let alone ones who are not really adoptable. Here you will find our ferrets who we feel should stay with us for either their medical needs or have reached the age of 6. Under special circumstances we do consider letting them go to foster homes - we retain ownership and you must feed our food . Some can go to events with us to help educate people young and old. Not everyone is listed so you may see more at the rescue than what is here.

These ferrets need the most help from you. We have 23 ferrets who have Adrenal Disease and need implants. We can get the implants for only $20 and they will last about 3 months. Please Sponsor them.

These are the Wobbly girls. They are very special and have much to share with us humans on proper ferret care so I have left them on top of the page. See their videos on our Facebook page.

Olivia and Scarlett Wobbles

Intake Date: July 31, 2018

Birth date: Jan 2018

Gender: Females

Color: Sable with black nose/champagne

Size: Medium

Advertised on Craigslist as "2 super sweet almost 6 month old ferrets, one male one female, who we just don't have the time for anymore" and it turns out that they didn't know how to tell male from female and the person they got them from also didn't know that the "dark one" was a girl. The ad also stated "The white female is Scarlet. She recently had a bad fall from the previous owner so is blind in one eye and a we think little slow mentally but loves to cuddle and fall asleep on your chest and loves her head pets. She may be slow and shakey but will get away from you if unattended too long or doesn't have her collar on. She's very quiet so is sometimes hard to find if she gets under a couch or blankets..etc." and ending their ad they stated "They WILL need more food upon getting them as we've fed them their last bit and can't afford to buy more right now".

Lucky for the girls, the owner brought them to us when she ran out of food. She was their second owner. What we have been able to figure out that what happened was that both girls fell and most likely scenario was that the cage was on top of a dresser or other furniture and fell with them in it. The owner should have taken them into a vet but passed them onto this person who also did not take them into a vet. All of this happened in a span of 4 months.

We did take them in. Olivia has the least injuries and should recover fully. From mid-back to hips she has soft tissue damage which causes some stumbling and a slight limp. Scarlett however will never fully recover and be a "normal" ferret again. She is blind in both eyes but no broken bones. Her neck appears to have been bent at an extreme angle and caused nerve damage to her spine. She will always be slightly wobbly and it does not slow her down.

The girls will spend their life with us as they are heavily bonded. It is so cute to watch them gently playing with each other. Once Scarlett is healthy enough, we will take her to events to educate people about caring for these strong but fragile animals.

Update - September 22-23, 2018, the girls went to Valleyfest and Olivia was a true Supergirl!

Olivia left for the Rainbow Bridge on April 28, 2020.

Ash and Bandy

Intake Date: September 9, 2019

Birth date: 2013/2012

Gender: Male/Female

Color: Roan/Black sable

Size: Large/Small

Friend of the rescue had a friend whose son had to get rid of the ferrets because they could not take care of them properly anymore because of all the birds in their care. Not much more information about them although the reported age seems older than their actual age.

Bandy left for the Rainbow Bridge on April 15, 2020. Ash has went to live in a foster home with other ferrets being spoilt.

Tanuki and Haro

Intake Date: September 8, 2019

Birth date: 2015

Gender: Female/Male

Color: Sable/Dark eyed white patterned

Size: Medium/Large

Person who surrendered them has a ferret and her friend bought 2 "healthy 1 year old ferrets on CL" only to find them sickly and gave them to her. She took them to the vet and both had upper respiratory infections from the cedar shavings they were kept on. Tanuki was suspected to have adrenal and Haro, insulinoma. The cedar was causing all the damage. This person never asked for them and could not afford more vet care so brought them to us.

Both have move to a foster home to be spoilt. Tanuki has adrenal disease.

Insi and Yandu

Intake Date: June 9, 2019

Birth date: 2016/2017

Gender: Female

Color: Albino/roan blaze

Size: Medium

Not a happy back story for either. In August of 2018, a person listed them for sale on Craigslist as she had rescued them from bad situations. Insi came from a home where she lost a toe and was pulling out her hair from stress. Yandu came from Petco as a return for bad biting. One of our previous adopters bought them and thought they would get along with their boys but the boys didn't really like them so the girls spent more time in the cage than they should have. Insi developed a walking problem and Yandu started aggressively biting them. Knowing that they were not the right fit, they brought them to us. Insi has been seen by the vet who believes she had an impact trauma to her lower back which caused nerve damage. This causes her not to be able to control her rear legs. Yandu is pure attitude. At first she was pretty good but as she gained a good weight, she also gained that nasty temperament back. She cannot be scruffed or she will his and lunge at you - teeth barred.

Neither will be leaving our rescue. They are bonded and Yandu is just dangerous in the wrong hands.

Insi left for the Rainbow Bridge on December 1, 2020.

Yandu photo now:

Bailey and Felix

Intake Date: May 18, 2019

Birth date: 2013/2014

Gender: Males

Color: Both Dark Eyed White

Size: Medium

Bailey had been adopted out from our rescue years ago. His owner had to move so he gave him to Felix's owner. They were all doing well for about a year until their owner moved into a house they bought. This home turned out to be a money pit and almost a death trap for the ferrets. With nowhere to go, the ferrets came to us. Bailey has insulinoma and Felix has signs of adrenal disease.

Bailey left for the Rainbow Bridge on Ausut 15. 2019. Felix has gone to a foster home.

Prince Eric

Intake Date: March 22, 2019

Birth date: 2013

Gender: Males

Color: Dark Eyed White

Size: Medium

Prince Eric and Lafayette came in together but were not bonded so we adopted out Lafayette as he is 2 years younger than Prince Eric. A family who boards their ferrets with us, had a cousin who had the ferrets dumped on him. He could not keep them so they were brought to our rescue. Eric is showing signs of adrenal disease.

Tibbs and Jupiter

Intake Date: March 8, 2019

Birth date: 2013/July 2015

Gender: Male/female

Color: Dark Eyed White/roan mitt

Size: Medium/small

Turned into the rescue when they could no longer afford the vet care required for Jupiter. The little girl was stepped on by a dog. They were able to afford the first vet visit which showed crushed vertebrae but with some lase treatment they thought she could heal. But she was getting worse and her belly was getting hard. Once we got her to our vet we confirmed our fears that her belly was growing because of tumors. We sadly had to let her go.

Tibbs, formally Littles, has a growth in his ear that we are treating and hoping to avoid surgery. At age 6 we worry it may be too much for him. Otherwise he is a very sweet boy.

Leroy and Barbet

Intake Date: February 21, 2019

Birth date: 2013/2015

Gender: Male/Male

Color: Dark eyed white/Silver mitt

Size: Medium

In December 2018, the granddaughter of the owner posted them for sale on Facebook as the owner had several surgeries therefore "cant quite give them the energy and attention they need." In the comments it was noted that Leroy had an "accident" and has an unsteady gait now. For some reason, not provided later, they were kept in separate cages. It might have to do with the age difference and because Leroy is in need of medical attention. They were bought in January by a Facebook user who thought they would have the money for vet treatments "when their tax return came in". 30 days later, they are out of food and never saw the vet. That next owner requested we take them in.

Animals are not a requirement for us to live. If you cannot afford to vet them, be it borrowing money, credit cards or care credit, do not get an animal. Foster one from a rescue if you have time and love to give. But do not own one.

Leroy can barely walk. The only obvious problem is that he has adrenal disease. That does not explain the light coughing or stumbling. He also has a weird wobble to his rear end. He left us on March 5,2019 from heart failure.

Barbet, formally known as Loki, loves to play and absolutely loves water. We get many ferrets named Loki in so we change their name. The name Leroy means "the king" (le Roy) from it's French Norman ancestry. Since Loki loves water, we were calling him a water dog. There is a French water dog breed called the Barbet. So he will now be known as Barbet.

Leroy left for the Rainbow Bridge on March 5, 2019, his heart was just not strong enough even with medications.

Mortimer

Intake Date: September 24, 2018

Birth date: 2011

Gender: Male

Color: Chocolate sable

Size: Medium

Came in with two 4 year old ferrets who will be able to be rehabilitated and find a new home. Mort has untreated adrenal disease. All 3 ferrets have lived with the past owner for 6 months in small cages, clumping cat litter and moldy water bottles. Mort will get treated for adrenal and we hope no lasting damage was done with the nasty water.

Mortimer left for the Rainbow Bridge on March 6, 2020.

A bald ferret is not the sad part. That moldy water bottle is. He has live 7 years and the neglect has not claimed his strong will to live. He will no longer be forced to live in a small cage, no longer be forced to drink out of these bottles, no longer not have food daily. We will do whatever we can to make him happy through the his last years.

If you would like to buy anything for Mort, he likes Ferretone, Orijen Regional Red, Acana Grasslands and Marshall Senior.

Lillith (was Lilly)

Intake Date: September 16, 2018

Birth date: 2011

Gender: Female

Color: Possibly sable roan (almost bald)

Size: Medium

This little ferret was found 2 years ago in Post Falls and turned into a wildlife rescue. She has spent her past 2 years educating children about ferrets. She has not had her implant to treat her adrenal disease and will need sponsorship.

Lillith left for the Rainbow Bridge January 18, 2021.

Rene'

Intake Date: September 7, 2018

Birth date: 2014

Gender: Male

Color: silver roan

Size: Medium

Although not quite 6 years old as I type this. Unless we find a home that wants an older ferret, he will stay.

Owner was a list of what not to do when you own a ferret. For starters, they insisted he was a female. No that is not a belly button. There is your sign. Another, their home got "sweaty hot" and the ferrets had to suffer in temperatures over 90 inside the home. They used cedar chips in the cage - toxic to just about all animals. Hence why he looked like that photo and it irritated his skin so much that he was bald on his feet. The ferrets also were "fed twice a day" as if they were a cat or dog. Ferrets eat about every 2-4 hours. They were not allowed blankets in their cage because "they chewed on them". A sign of stress.

We kept his name and we call him Our French Boy.

Mr P (in foster, called Pickles now)

Intake Date: June 19, 2018

Birth date: 2012

Gender: Male

Color: Albino

Size: Medium

Mr P's family was moving and could not take him with. May apartments are starting a no pets policy. His coat is yellow which may be diet or adrenal disease. We will find out in the coming weeks. The family would love to have him back - if they can secure housing that will allow ferrets.

Update on Mr P. He had his teeth cleaned and is doing so much better. He is now playing with the others and enjoying life at the sanctuary.

Pickles aka Mr P left for the Rainbow Bridge on June 18, 2020.

Chloe, Conner and Joseph (Joey)

Intake Date: June 10, 2018

Birth date: Jan 2014, Jan 2014, Nov 2013

Gender: Female/Male/Male

Color: Black Sable/Standard Sable/Standard Sable

Size: Medium

Their owner's health forced her to rehome them. They have been spoilt all their lives so this has been a shock. We hope they do well with our Sanctuary group and settle in well. Both Chloe and Conner have adrenal disease and are being treated with implants. Joey has some breathing problems from his weight. We also have not ruled out a thyroid issue but we need medical funding so we can accomplish all the tests.

Update on Joseph - he lost all the weight and other than hair loss because of his adrenal disease, he is doing great.

Update on Chloe - she loves everyone and has not show any signs of adrenal disease.

Conner left for the Rainbow Bridge October 16, 2018

Chloe is now in a foster home where she is bonding to her new "owner".

Joseph left for the Rainbow Bridge on February 21, 2020.

Snowman & Ciara

Intake Date: March 28, 2018

Birth date: 2012

Gender: Male/Female

Color: Dark Eyed White

Size: Medium

Previous owner was being evicted and had no where to go with them. She had them only a month and was given no information about them. They did not get this skinny with her as she thought this was normal size. She also believe Ciara to be pregnant but she has a swollen spleen (has since gone down). Snowman either has hair loss because of his last environment or adrenal disease. Ciara sleeps a lot and is not feeling well. But the saddest part is that they are both blind. Because it is very odd to have two ferrets from the same household who are blind with no outward signs of cataracts or trauma, we hope it was just food related and they will regain some sight. Both have received their desperately needed dental cleanings but Snowman has adrenal disease and really needs a sponsor for his implants.

For only $20 every 3 months, you could help him receive his implants.

Ciara went to the Rainbow Bridge on July 27, 2018.

Snowman left for the Rainbow Bridge on December 16, 2019.

M'Lady (in foster) and Ghost

Intake Date: January 20, 2018

Birth date: 2015/2014

Gender: Female/Male

Color: Sable roan/DEWP

Size: Small/Medium

Owner rescued them off Craigslist then quickly spent hundreds at the vet trying to get them healthy. Ghost has a heart murmur and some mast cell tumors that do not bother him. M'Lady has adrenal disease and is very sensitive to change. Both are doing pretty good with our main sanctuary group.

Both need sponsors for their implants.

M'Lady has left us for the Rainbow Bridge on 5/31/19. Ghost followed on November 23, 2020.

River

Intake Date: November 14, 2017

Birth date: 2012

Gender: Female

Color: Sable roan

Size: Small

Turned in to SCRAPS as a stray, we picked her up from them. Reported to have been found on Riverside, so we named her River. She had a broken leg that happened right before they picked her up. Her picture here is in her soft cast as she had 8 weeks of cage confinement to endure to have it heal. She has since healed completely and is a total spaz! She loves to jump and play with her friends in our sanctuary setup. Such as sweet girl.

She needs a sponsor for her implants.

River now has insulinoma and is on daily prednisone.

River left for the Rainbow Bridge on January 5, 2021.

Dany, Rygel and Mara

Intake Date: November 10, 2017

Birth date: Dec 2010

Gender: Female/Male/Female

Color: Champagne/Sable roan with blaze/Sable roan

Size: Medium/Medium/small

Owner is military so moves a lot. Wife has allergies that have become severe as time goes by. They have had the ferrets ever since they were babies. Well cared for but allergies and a move overseas have forced them to be rehomed. The girls have adrenal disease. Dany only likes Rygel but Mara is a big love.

Dany left for the Rainbow Bridge on 7/15/2019. Rygel on March 20, 2020. Mara on July 23, 2020.

Penelope and Samantha

Intake Date: September 29, 2017

Year of Birth: 2014/2015

Gender: Females

Color: Champagne/Black roan mitt

Size: Medium

Girls were left behind when their owner moved to Alaska. He thought it would be easy just to have them brought up to him once he settled. He left them with his mother but Samantha liked to bite his blind sister's feet. So she didn't get out a lot. After several months, the mother convinced the son that the best thing was to rehome them. It was not fair for them to be stuck in a cage while he "got settled". Penelope has adrenal disease. Sam just has attitude.

Penelope left for the Rainbow Bridge on January 26, 2020,

Weeu

Intake Date: April 21, 2015/July 22, 2017

Year of Birth: 2013

Gender: Female

Color: Sable mitt

Size: Medium

First owner was unable to take her with when they were moving across the states. She is named for the battle cry from the female warrior in the parody movie, KungPow: Enter the Fist.

She was adopted in 2016 but returned when the family felt she was not getting the proper attention she needed. She does have potty issues and along with her age, make her a candidate for staying with us.

Weeu left for the Rainbow Bridge on January 6, 2021.

Donatello

Intake Date: October 2015

Approx Birth Date: August 2015

Gender: Male

Color: Dark eyed white

Size: Medium

What an adventure this baby had before getting to us. My daughter used to work for Petco and called one day to have me come in and see why this baby ferret was screaming in his enclosure. He would viciously bite anyone and scream. I determined he was deaf and frustrated. Not a week later he is stolen from that store. I see a photo on Craigslist of him for sale. Since he had a very unique pattern it was easy to see it was that same baby. I spoke to the seller who said they stopped their neighbor kids from throwing him outside after he kept biting them. They raise snakes and knew this baby would not survive. They did try to feed him but he would not eat a dead mouse. We figure he went for st least 3 days without food. He has a nervous habit of chewing on plastic bowls and will still chew on a person very hard. We cannot adopt him out as he has these aggressive tendencies.

Toby

Intake Date: October 2016

Approx Birth Date: January 2016

Gender: Male

Color: Sable roan with blaze

Size: Medium

This sweet ferret started out as a pet to a small child. Squished and loved but a relative said he was mistreated and overfed. Although I agree the cage was too small, he was not overweight and because he still loves to be held by children, that tells me his little "owner" was not hurting him. The relative restricted his food so much that he became weak and would drag his hind legs. This relative who "knew better" was also feeding him fruits and vegetables --- NEVER do this! She did so much damage in the short amount of time she had him. She advertised him on Craigslist and a friend of the rescue bought him to bring him here. He was thin with loose skin all over. For weeks he would not leave the food bowl. Toby is so sweet and now has problems regulating sugar and has occasional seizures. He will remain here and is bonded to Chip and Donnie.

Pistol Pete Stubbs

Intake: Feb 2014

Year of Birth: November 2013

Gender: Male

Color: Standard sable with bib and mitts

Size: Large

Pete arrived at the pet store with an infection on his belly. The vet tried an antibiotic but that did not work. When I examined him, I found that the tip of his sheath is missing. This allowed foreign bodies to enter his sheath and create infections. The store was unable to sell him as a healthy kit so we adopted him from them. After a round of topical steroids and clean fabric bedding instead of shavings/care fresh, he was fine. He has grown into an obnoxious friend to Jacob and Rufus.

He developed Adrenal Disease symptoms in 2017 and I believe he was probably dispositioned for as it appears his mother had chewed off a large section of his tail and sheath. She may have known he was not a healthy kit.

~~~~~The below ferrets have crossed the Rainbow Bridge but I leave their stories up to remember them by ~~~~~

Minnie

Intake: Nov 2014

Year of Birth: 2009

Gender: Female

Color: Champagne

Size: Medium

Minnie's owner moved and was unable to keep her. Rather than try and find a home for a blind ferret, the owner brought her to us. Minnie has cataracts and has been blind for a few years. Funny thing is, she doesn't know it. She loves to play with her other ferets in the plastic tubes and adjust to any changes as if it were nothing. A very special ferret. She battles mass cell tumors but fights on. She is one of our oldest residents. She loves Mazuri ferret diet.

Rainbow Bridge 8/10/2019 - ten years old!

Barry Blizzard (in foster)

Intake Date: Feb 17, 2018

Birth date: 2012

Gender: Male

Color: Standard sable

Size: Medium

A woman in North Spokane saw this animal she believed to be a raccoon at first, on her back porch trying to get in. It was late at night and a blizzard was hitting the city. She calls the rescue at 7 am and we rush up as she states "I believe it is a ferret and it should still be in the box on my porch". She has small children and is not an animal person so she could not bring him inside. He had curled into this box with the trash bags to try and wait out the storm of ice and snow. He has adrenal disease and we hope we can turn his life around. As of 3/21, no one has posted about a lost ferret or contact us or SCRAPS. He is now property of the rescue.

Barry needs a sponsor for his implants.

Rainbow Bridge on August 5, 2019

Chip

Intake Date: August 2015

Year of Birth: 2012

Gender: Male

Color: Champagne

Size: Medium

Chip came to us after his cage mate died and the owner was away from home on long trips. It was not fair to leave him stuffed in a cage for a week so he came here. He is bonded with our rougher group of males and has helped raise some of them.

Rainbow Bridge May 4, 2019

Piggy (shown top right)

Intake Date: March 2012

Year of Birth: 2011

Gender: Female, Male

Color: Light Champagne

Size: Large

Piggy came to us via the owner's mom. The son's estranged girlfriend thought it fun to terrorize the young ferret so for months he would run scared from us. The girls helped him adjust. He is very active and can jump very high (unfortunately for us).

Pig has adrenal disease and has outlived his cage mates. He has not accepted any other ferrets so he gets to torment our dogs instead.

Rainbow Bridge February 12, 2019

Myrtle

Intake Date: June 2017

Year of Bith: 2014

Gender: Female

Color: Sable roan

Size: Small

Rescued from one home that would not let her out of the cage, the new owner had not cleared it with her landlord so transferred Myrtle to us. We noticed a hard mass in her abdomen and after X-rays, a large tumor on her pancreas was discovered. It is inoperable so we just keep her comfortable. She mostly likes to hide but, on good days, will wonder around the room and find a new snuggle area.

Rainbow bridge December 30, 2018

Sugarbee

Intake: Jan 2013 then Nov 2015

Year of Birth: 2011

Gender: Female

Color: Champagne

Size: Medium

Sugarbee was rescued by a woman who understood proper ferret care. She lived with two other ferrets, Sid and Mitts, for just about a year until a divorce forced her to move. Then Sid is adopted and Sugarbee and Mitts go into a foster home. The foster had to return them when her housing became volatile. Mitts left us in January 2014 but Little Bee continues to thrive - although she hates other ferrets. She has insulinoma.

Rainbow Bridge December 27, 2018

Axel

Intake Date: March 2017

Approx Birth Date: January 2013

Gender: Male

Color: Silver roan with white on the back of his head

Size: Medium

Axel came in with two others, Teemo (now in foster care) and Rory. The family was separating and neither wanted or could take the set of three ferrets with them. The cage had been neglected for a couple months and substandard food for about the same amount of time. Axel has Adrenal Disease. He is super sweet and it has taken almost a full year to get his weight up to an acceptable level. He really could use a sponsor.

Rainbow bridge October 16, 2018 - complications from insulinoma

Princess Aurora (was Rory)

Intake Date: September 16, 2018

Birth date: 2011

Gender: Female

Color: Dark eyed white with brown on nose

Size: Medium

Princess had been with her owner since she was 8 months old. They got her in 2011 as a friend for their male baby ferret. He recently passed and she started poo-ing all over the cage and apartment. The landlord said "either get rid of the ferret or move". Since they did not want to get another ferret nor know if that will help her problem they surrendered her.

Rainbow Bridge October 8, 2018 - age

Rorcharch aka Rory

Intake Date: March 2017

Approx Birth Date: January 2013

Gender: Male

Color: Black sable

Size: Medium

Rory came in with two others, Teemo (now in foster care) and Axel. The family was separating and neither wanted or could take the set of three ferrets with them. The cage had been neglected for a couple months and substandard food for about the same amount of time. Rory has Adrenal Disease and can play very rough with other ferrets.

Rainbow Bridge May 12, 2018

Leetha Diamond

Intake Date: September 2014

Year of Birth: 2011

Gender: Female

Color: Dark Eyed White Patterned

Size: Small

This tiny ferret was turned in to SCRAPS (animal control) and never claimed. She is the sweetest little ferret and plays with all the older ones, well she is older now. She is deaf but that does not slow her down. She needs sponsorship for her Adrenal Disease.

Rainbow Bridge April 25, 2018

Elvis

Intake Date: Feb 2015

Birth date: 2009

Gender: Male

Color: Dark Eyed White with grey tail

Size: Medium

Elvis lived for 5 years without other ferrets so it was quite a shock coming to the rescue. He lost almost all his hair and was very agitated. His parents moved to California so, with many tears shed, they left him with us at the rescue. He was born with a crooked jaw and must have his teeth monitored for any problems. He has adrenal disease and is now blind but he is still with us and lives with Tessa the Terrible.

Rainbow Bridge April 8, 2018

Tessa the Terrible

Year of Birth: 2010

Gender: Female

Color: Champagne with amber eyes

Size: Medium

Tessa was previously named Ditto then we tried Lela for a name - didn't fit. According to her owner, her cage mate passed away in June (2013) and a couple weeks later she began biting. A rescuer known to us, was able to talk to the owners and get them to release her after hearing that she had been in a small animal carrier for two months straight in a motel while they were homeless. The rescuer was not experienced in how to handle a biting ferret. We see this frustration biting often with caged females. Ferrets MUST be allowed to run around in a large room for many hours a day. She had NONE for at least 2 months. That rescuer called us when she let Tessa out of her carrier and was unable to capture her because she would bite and draw blood. Tessa had learned if she bite a person, they left her alone. That did not work with me plus she got hours upon hours of play time. Although she was not real sure about other ferrets, she ended up falling in love with Elvis. She probably has adrenal disease which also heightens their aggression.

Rainbow Bridge April 1, 2018

Bandit and Sox (Sox is still with us)

Intake Date: March 2013

Year of Birth: 2007 and 2009

Gender: Females

Color: Standard sable and silver sable or Dark Eyed White Patterned

Size: Medium and small

These two girls are sweet and love people. The girls' owner had them their whole life. They were heartbroken when the new apartment manager changed their mind about allowing ferrets. In tears they called us and we came and got the girls.

Bandit crossed the Bridge in 2014. Sox has adrenal disease but is still a very active little lady.

Sox joined Bandit on the Bridge April 24, 2018