Motor City Ferrets

Welcome to Motor City Ferrets!

A private-home, no-kill shelter, rescue & respite home for ferrets. Federally registered as a Non-Profit Charity (501(c)(3)), licensed & inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture. We are located in Hazel Park and serve the Detroit Metropolitan Area.

~ Click here to contact the shelter ~

Browse through our site to learn more about our rescue,
meet the critters up for adoption, gather health and care
information, find supplies or locate a vet or ferret-sitter!

Click the Pay Pal button to send your tax-deductible donation to the shelter to help all the critters!

Click here to join the
Fuzzy Fan Club!
Receive the shelter newsletter, invites to special events and freebies at the
Shelter Supply Shop!

Adopt!

Click here for 2007 Ferrets, Folks & Fun Fest Memories!

"The greatness
of a nation and
its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
- Gandhi

Please don't
breed or buy
while pets in
shelters die!

Rescue one until there are none!

An old man was walking along a beach after a particularly high and violent tide had receded, leaving thousands of starfish stranded above the waterline to die. Ahead of him he saw a youth, bending down and then standing to fling something into the waves. Coming closer, he saw the youth was tossing starfish back into the ocean where they had a chance to live.

"Why bother?" the old man told the youth. "There are thousands here. You can't toss them all back before they die. You can't even toss a small fraction of them back in time. What you're doing doesn't matter." The youth pondered that a moment, looking at the starfish he held in his hand.

"It matters to this one," he replied, and threw it back into the water.

ALERT!!!!! Recently we have heard reports of baby ferrets in pet shops being found with distemper. The locations so far that are of concern for Michigan folks are Chicago, Grand Rapids and Metro Detroit (there are reports coming out of Texas as well, but those don't seem to be tied to pet shops; rather, perhaps the area is experiencing a distemper outbreak). We don't have enough information yet to speculate much about where the ferrets might have contracted the distemper, but with so many reports we thought it best to post a warning. Ferrets contract canine distemper, and the disease is 100% fatal to ferrets. Of course we hope you'll adopt from the Shelter when it's time for a new ferret family member, but we also know that many of you like to stop into local pet shops to get your baby fix. :) Remember you can bring distemper home on your clothing - so be extremely careful if you handle a baby ferret at a pet shop before handling your own ferrets.

If you decide to purchase a baby from a pet shop (hey now - 30+ wonderful weezils right here looking for a home!), be aware that distemper can take more than 40 days to emerge! Frankly we just aren't sure what a safe method of quarantine might be, so your best best would be to make sure your ferrets are up to date on their distemper vaccination (remember to vaccinate every year) and then perhaps setup a separate room for a new ferret to spend 4-6 weeks in, just to be safe. And remember, pay no attention to what the pet shop tells you: chances are your new baby is NOT fully vaccinated! Baby ferrets should receive their first distemper vaccination at 8 weeks, then receive boosters at 10 & 12 weeks of age. Few local pet shops pursue the 10 & 12 week vaccinations and instead tell patrons that because the ferret has had one distemper vaccination, he/she "has been vaccinated." Not true! Please consult your veterinarian for proper information!

Distemper symptoms include fever, runny nose, mattering eyes, chin and body rash, not interested in eating, and of course lethargy. Secondary signs are breathing problems, chest congestion, coughing, sneezing, thickening (yellow, "scaly") and red paws. If you see these symptoms call your vet ASAP - and please mention over the phone that you suspect your ferret might have canine distemper. The practice might ask and/or you should offer to keep the ferret in the car until you're ready to be seen, and you should take extreme care about what you touch while you're in the office!

We will update this alert as we learn more...for now, be aware, be careful and make sure your ferrets have been vaccinated!

Shelter Stats as of 29 April, 2008

We currently have 39 critters in the Shelter, including:
3 currently being considered for Ambassadors, plus
9 Extra Special & 27 Adoptable Ferrets ready a new home!

Check our our Events Calendar for details of happenings at the shelter,
along with info about all our upcoming events!

If you or someone you know plans to surrender a pet to a City, County or other municipal (aka "Kill") Shelter, please click here.

"When you know better,
you do better..."
- Maya Angelou