The Ferret Hotel

'We adopted our boys, Spike and Bandit from the Ferret Hotel in July 2007.  We chose them to be friends for our rescued jill Roxy.  We have since gained another jill called Minty and they all get on really well.  They are loads of fun and very friendly.  They all spend their time rolling around and wrestling with each other, sleeping curled up together like 'ferret spaghetti' or eating.  We love them to bits, and would love to have even more ferrets.  We have made them a great big shed with a big run so that they have lots of space to play.  We give them cuddles every day as well.  People who say that ferrets are smelly and unfriendly are wrong, we don't believe that the people who say things like that have ever even met a ferret!

After talking to ferret owners online I pretty much thought a ferret wasn’t for me but I  then found The Ferret Hotel. To my interest they also had a rescue which at the time was home to a polecat called Little Lad who caught my eye, he was a stray about 2 years old Clare took in over the bank holiday. I emailed Clare asking a few questions and she invited me to go meet him. So I went round and wow you don’t see ferrets often because they are all in her garden!! Cute little things bouncing around there houses. Clare was really helpful answering my questions and giving me advice about ferrets. She got Little Lad out for me to look at and it was love, I had a cuddle and he was so sweet and quiet. Clare didn’t pressure me at all to decide weather I wanted him but she reserved him for me so no one else could take him until I had made up my mind. She was also really kind in ensuring me if I did get a ferret from else were I could always go to her for help and advise. About three days later my mind was made up and I emailed her to let her know I wanted to re home him. Seeing as Clare had already had him castrated I was allowed to pick him up the following Friday, so 22^nd June 2007 I became a proud parent to Teddy (his name now). I say it took a good three months and a few to many nips for him to trust me but now we are inseparable. He knows his name and comes when called, he walks (not always in the right direction) on his harness beside my dog, runs around like a headless chicken thinking he’s ten times bigger than he is attacking whatever gets in his way, steals and hides what ever he can get in his mouth under my bed and occasionally sits still long enough for a nap on me. I couldn’t have asked for a better ferret or better support than what I’ve had off Clare. If I was to get Ted a buddy in the future I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to The Ferret Hotel.

Our ferrets Blossom, Gizmo and Elvis are now just over two years old yet it doesn’t seem like five minutes.

          When we first got our ferrets we didn’t really know much about them, so we got all the books we could find {not many of them} and learned all about them. When they first arrived in our house from Clare we were a bit unsure of them and a bit nervous. But as we got used to them we got to know them better. They had grown out of there nippy stage and were a lot more fun to play with.

          They all have different personalities and characteristics, bless them, they are so funny. Gizmo the biggest of the bunch is very bouncy and playful but isn’t very dainty, the others whiz along jumping on things and he is just lying down watching them he just cant quite manage it. He has a bit of an obsession with peoples feet especially if you are wearing socks, he likes to chew them! Not so long ago though he gave us quite a scare as he became seriously ill and we thought we might lose him. It all started one morning when we were getting ready to take them down the garden to their outside cage,  Gizmo seemed really lethargic, so we took him out of the carrier and checked him out, he didn’t drink or eat anything so we phoned the vets straight away. After doing tests and x-rays on him the vets said all of his insides had twisted and that he had to have an emergency operation. We were all very anxious about him but gradually he recovered and  got back to normal.

          Blossom is a cheeky little madam and likes climbing on anything, she is very light and bouncy and a gorgeous little blonde fluff ball in winter! She can also be very feisty though and can give you the occasional nip but it never really hurts.

          Elvis is the cool dude of the trio and is a bit scatty. Unlike Blossom and Gizmo who are brother and sister Elvis is a rescue ferret while looking on the ferret hotel website we saw the advertisement and thought maybe just one more then! He is very sweet kind and gentle towards you and looks very comical with his bear paws and his little ears!

          We have been to many ferret shows with them and the first one we went to we were VERY unprepared but managed to win a rosette for each ferret! The second show we went to we were more prepared and Blossom won Best in Show!

          All in all our ferrets are the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                             From Amy Ian and Chloe x

Written by Chloe aged 13.

Me and my partner had Sonny and Cher from you near the end of summer. I just thought i would send you a little e-mail to tell you how they're doing and include a few pictures.
Theyre both getting on fantastically, i couldnt have asked for better pets! I think ive been 'bitten' by the ferret bug! They love playtime and a good fuss!

Not all of the rescue's we have took in found new homes. Old ferrets get looked over and ferrets that bite never find new homes, and have stayed here. These are just 3 off the ferrets that have stayed here, that touched me. sadly meny ferrets never find there new homes they need but we have kept them so they did in a way get a new home.

Bart

is a dark polecat hob, he is about 4 years old, he does not like other ferrets.  Sadly Bart is a very nervus ferret and  needs lots of tlc, he does not like quick movments or bangs, and naw sadly he bite's  people. Because of his needs we think he would be better staying here with people that now what he's like and because he bite's he is no long suitable for re-homeing. Bart will have a home here for life, it's a shame that when people buy these animals they dont think out why they want a ferret first, Bart did not get all the tlc he needed when he was a kit and was not handled every day and so when he started to bite they did not want to hold  him any more and then did not want him. So he no longer trust's people or wants them near him. Its sad, every animal should have cuddles and love given.

Benny is a 8 year old sandy hob, hes very sweet and just loves to play and have cuddles. Benny lives  with a spayed jill . He is happy living with a spayed jill and loves her company, so could go and live with another spayed jill . If you would like to give Benny a home please come and see him. Because of Bennys age we have decied that he will not be castrated.

Sadly Benny was put tp sleep today, 6th May 2008. Benny had a large lump in his belly and when he went to the vet and had it tested it turned out to be cancer. Benny was a sweet hob and lived with us for just under a year when he came to stay after his owner did not want him as he was getting old. Benny was a bag of bones when he came and i'm amazed he's live as long as he did, being feed on ready break, milk,eggs and bread. Slepp well Benny xxx

Elvis

is a albino hob, he's naw 8 years old, he was handed in with a group of ferrets, sadly his owner could no longer care for them due to ill health. All the other ferrets have naw found there new loveing homes but Elvis just wanted to stay, a lovley lady and her son wanted to make Elvis there's and spent some time trying Elvis with there ferrets but he just would not get on with there ferrets and so sadly had to stay  here. We have tryed to find him a friend but he's having none of that and is happy on his own and will live out his last years here. When ferrets get to this age people dont want to adopt them because they wont have long with them. Its a shame that they can't  make the last years of there life happy ones giving them a cozy place.

19th March 2008, sadly Elvis had a stroke and was pts, it was nice to have met Elvis and have the little time we did together.