Policies and Guidelines

You must be over the age of 18 to adopt a ferret.

If you are no longer able to have your ferret(s) - regardless of reason - they must be returned to this center/rescue/shelter. NO EXCEPTIONS. Refunds are only given within 7 days of adoption.

If you have children in your household, your child must come meet the ferrets and help decide if they are ready for them. I have met several children who are terrified of them. And some children are just too hyper and unable to handle a ferret safely. NOTE: As with all animals, adult supervision is recommended when small children are present.

Adoption fee is not negotiable. This fee helps bring in necessary funds to care for the other ferrets here.

The adopter will be primarily responsible for the care and vet payments. No child will be held responsible for their full care.

If renting (paid or not), you may be required to provide proof that you can have ferrets at your residence. Renting includes living with parents whether they support you or you support them.

You will need to provide your vet information. If you do not currently have a vet, we recommend (WA) (our vet but may not be taking in new clients) - Mt. Empire Vet, Spokane Valley; Spokane Valley Animal Hospital in Spokane Valley; Pet Vet Hospital and Wellness Center in Spokane Valley (laser therapy available); Hunter Vet Clinic in Spokane near the arena - confirmed ferret knowledge; Union Animal Hospital in Spokane, very reasonable rates ; Pioneer Vet in Moses Lake - confirmed ferret knowledgeable; Chewelah Veterinary Clinic - confirmed great vets; Ponte Vet in Otis Orchards (they are also certified for wildlife); Animal Clinic of Spokane (on N. Wall) - confirmed DVM Gentemann is an excellent ferret vet; Medical Lake Veterinary Clinic ; Pullman area - WSU Veterinary Clinic; vets who specializes in eyes, Dr. Kaiser, Animal Eye Clinic Spokane.; Sagehills Veterinary Clinic in Othello WA;

(ID) Couer d' Alene/Hayden Prairie Animal Hospital ; Dr. Koob, in Boise, at the Idaho Humane Society ; Dr. Konsella, in Meridian, at Intermountain Pet Hospital; Broadway Veterinary Hospital Boise. Tri-Cities WA - DVM Harbison at VCA Meadow HIlls and DVM Parbs (who owns ferrets) at Desert Veterinary Clinic.

If you ever have an emergency then take them to WSU Veterinary Clinic. Do not delay. They are not expensive for the small animals.

Yearly dental visits and possible cleanings are required for ferrets over 3 years old.

We only adopt within our local commuting area. From the South to Pullman (limited - prefer only to Cheney), East to Coeur d'Alene, North to Deer Park and West to Reardan. Special consideration for experienced homes. But not to Montana (unless confirmed within ferret community), Oregon or Seattle. This was created in memory of Loki. Who was adopted to a person in Ellensburg who then sold him to someone in Spokane, not disclosing any of his past. Luckily we saw him on Craigslist when the new owner listed him for sale once again. Loki's law is to prevent it ever happening again. There is no excuse not to return the ferret - NO MATTER HOW MUCH TIME HAS PASSED.

Vaccinations are highly recommended. Distemper is a highly contagious airborne disease (100% fatal). Rabies vaccinations are required in many states but only transmittable from infected animals.

If you currently own a ferret you must realize that not all ferrets will accept a new ferret and you may have to provide a separate living quarters for the new ferret until your current ferrets adjust. You must bring your ferret to meet the group or arrange to have us bring one to you for temperament testing.

Be advised not all ferrets get along with other animals and if they can, will open cages and eat rodents. They may frighten birds and if allowed to touch the bird may harm or kill it. They also may dig/swim in fish tanks. If allowed, they can also harm or kill a reptiles/arachnids/snake. Likewise your animals can harm the ferret as ferrets bite hard on other animals as they have no comprehension that that animal does not have a tough ferret skin – some can be playing and some might be hunting.

Commercial cages are recommended but building your own cage is accepted (and fun to do). A cage must be well ventilated and a minimum of 2’l x 2’w x 3’h – for one ferret. Cages with deep pans are recommended as there is no such thing as a fully litter box trained ferret. See our cage reviews page or contact us for advice.

Cages must be cleaned of soiled litter at least every other day. Ask yourself - Do I have the time to pick out the soiled litter every other day or daily? Or you will get dirty ferret feet all over you and your house along with an increase in "stink".

This rescue uses wood stove pellets. It is recommended to continue to use the same litter box material/type (pelleted) so that your ferret will continue to use their litter box or area properly. Paper pellets with baking soda are even better than wood and the ferrets adapt well to it. Clay (scoopable or not) cat litter is not acceptable litter as when they dig it gets into their lungs and can cause permanent damage. We are not stating to use any specific type of wood stove pellet, as there are many local companies selling wood stove pellets and so long as it is not made of cedar nor contain oak - it is safe. We recommend Ziggy's Hardware in Spokane for a great cost savings. Ask about their broken bags for use with animals for litter boxes.

Ferrets must be provided hanging hammocks or fabric tubes, hide boxes or cubes to sleep in. You must provide them with items to hide in. Some like to and others do not but you must provide it to them. If you are one that can sew - check out what A Ferret Affair did years ago. If you are like me, who can't sew, then old pillow cases work great. Attach with binder clips or other fasteners. Even a pant leg from an old pair of jeans works - cut a small slit in them to attach shower hooks and they will easily snap on to the cage. Even old bed sheets in the bottom of the cage or on shelves. Easy to clean and cheap!

Caging the ferret is required when you are not at home and overnight. This provides a stable and safe environment. Every time we put our ferrets away for the night, we provide a small treat (can be treat or other type of food) such as those made by 8in1 or Marshalls (Bandit treats) or small dosage of Ferretone or Ferretvite (limit Ferretvite intake as it contains sugars - no Ferretvite for Insulinoma ferrets). This provides a reward to go back to their cage. Having said this – ferrets must also be allowed to be outside the cage to run around in a supervised/ferret-proof area. Also remember to not buy large quantities of the treat type until you are sure they will eat it.

You will you be required to provide minimum of 6 hours a day outside of cage/attention to your ferret. This means inside your home not outside in a pen. We stress that a minimum of 8 hours is what they really need and it will help improve their lifespan. This maybe broken up within the day. Ours are used to 12 continuous hours so it may take some time to adjust to your schedule.

Studies have shown that extended periods of direct sunlight can increase the risk of Adrenal Disease, will you be able to keep your ferret out of the direct sunlight for most of its life? Limited exposure acceptable. This warning is also because they get heat stroke easily.

AND - you must be able to provide a fully dark sleep area. Such as a box and covered cage. They are ground dwelling animals and need full dark to maintain their health.

Ferret-proofing is completed by remembering these are 4 legged bandits who will squeeze into any space their head will fit, get into items you don’t want them to, steal socks/toys/pet dishes, open cabinets, eat/chew on plastic/rubber, get into couches/chairs. Be very prepared for your couch to be entered if it does not sit on the floor.

If you have reclining furniture or a sleeper couch – be advised that ferrets are killed by these items every year because the ferret will climb into this furniture and be crushed by the human. This is especially dangerous if children jump on the furniture.

Ferrets cannot be housed outside in a rabbit hutch. They must be housed indoors were temperatures do not increase beyond 85 degree Fahrenheit and below 50 degree Fahrenheit. In the UK, ferrets live outside but they are not the same as those found in the US. Many of those are/were bred for hunting and ours are mass-bred as pets.

Food. This is a critical part of your ferret’s life. Ferrets eat constantly but in small amounts. Average consumption can be 1-2 cups a day. BUT they must have food available to them at all times. The rescue buys their food online at 1-800 PetSupplies, Ferret dot com, Performance Foods (makers of Totally Ferret) and Chewy dot com.

These are but a few websites and by no means stating that you must buy online. You must be able to feed foods on the recommended list. It is advised to feed more then one type as you can mix the lower quality with the higher quality to "stretch your budget". Such as combining a bag of Marshall Select with Orijen cat food. Find your nearest Orijen dealer here - you will be amazed how many retailers there are.

We feed a mixes of Marshall Select, Zupreem regular, Mazuri, Nature's Variety Instinct, Orijen, Wysong Epigen 90 and Totally Ferret Turkey Venison and Lamb. We also like FROMM and Natural Balance cat foods. Please watch pea content as it can cause bladder stones.

My favorite guide to foods website it down (moredooks.herobo.com) so I copied the listing here: More Dooks ferret food chart (we also have a saved copy of her website - see link on sidebar).

Another excellent guide to feed is found here (do not feed rated 6 and below without a better one in it): http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html

Feeding "live" or raw foods is very acceptable if you can get your ferret to eat it but keep dry kibble available also.

Water bottle or bowl is acceptable and must have clean water in it. Rule of thumb is "would you drink from it? Then why are you making them drink from it?". Also note that ferrets like to tip bowls so get the ones that attach to the cage. As you can see, they absolutely love the flowing water fountains.

Are you prepared to keep your ferrets for the span of their life, up to 10 or 13 years of age? (Including ferrets that become sick and need medical attention or lifestyle changes?) Remember they are welcome back to us at anytime.

Play. Ferrets often grab skin, fingers, toes and clothing with their teeth. Sometimes biting harder then acceptable. You must not strike the ferret but scruff them (hold by the skin on the back of the neck) to reprimand for unacceptable biting. Some acceptable toys: tubes (dryer, ferret, sewer, etc.), socks, cat toys, stuffed animals, boxes/ bags, blankets/old clothes and of course, you. They will also try and hide many items so you must be aware that they may steal your remote control and other rubber button items – such as game controllers – and must be stopped from this as they can eat the rubber and get an intestinal blockage.

All ferrets adopted out are spayed (females) or neutered (males). 70% are mass bred from Marshall. 29% from Real Canadian Farms (mass breeder) and 1% are from unknown mass bred factories. Marshall Farms is the number on breeder/supplier of ferrets to petstores. They tattoo their ferrets with two dots in the right ear.

The rescue/shelter/center retains the right to periodically check on adopted Ferrets' well-being and living conditions. We also retain the right to rescue the ferret back from its adoptive owners if it is in any way: abandoded, abused, neglected, ill or sickly, in poor living conditions, injured by other household pets or humans, or is left outdoors. In this regard, no refund will be given. If this transpires, we may be accompanied by a representative of either; The SPCA, Animal Control, and or law enforcement official.