Need a Sitter fer yer Critter?

Don't know what to do with your ferrets while you are away? Are you afraid to just leave them in their cage? Of course! That's why your critters are more than welcome at Motor City Ferrets during your absence. Many owners think that a few days alone won't do the ferret any harm, but daily playtime in a supervised setting is vitally important to your ferret's health and well being! So even if you are going away for only a couple of days, the safe bet is to either have a friend stop in to check on the weezils and let them out for at least a short playtime, or find a sitter to tend your critters.

We are happy to offer sitting services at the shelter; however, we run into trouble sometimes with the sheer volume of critters all wanting to stay with us at the same time - usually during the holidays. We board because we understand how difficult it s to find a place for your critters to stay, so we never want to turn anyone away. The only way we can handle the many critters we'll have at certain times of the year is through proper scheduling. Therefore please give us as much notice as possible about any travel plans you have. We need at least two weeks notice for boarding arrangements, with a month or more being that much better for helping us plan. Summertime is busiest as you might imagine, so we often ask families in our Sitting Cooperative to board critters when we're too full. But of course these families are doing the same Summertime traveling that you are planning on, so again we need to know about your travel plans as far in advance as possible!

Sitting Fees: $5 per day for 1-2 ferrets; add $1 per day for each additional ferret.

*  If you wait until the last minute to make arrangements for your ferrets' needs and book within two weeks of your trip, there is a $25 surcharge.
*  If you book within two weeks of these holidays:  Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's week, the surcharge is $50.

Keep in mind we cannot accommodate all the requests we receive for boarding services throughout the year, especially those not made well enough in advance!

We're happy to share our home with your critters. All you need to bring is proof of vaccination for both rabies and distemper (current = administered within the last year), a supply of their own food, any necessary medications and any "can't-live-without" toys or treats and be on your way! Critters will have daily playtime in the fun filled ferret room. Any special needs, such as medicine or special feedings will be provided as you instruct, of course. 

Remember that staying at the Shelter can be very stressful for your ferret, especially if he/she has never visited or been left without you before.  We always recommend folks visit the Shelter before any boarding arrangement, ESPECIALLY if your ferret is older, infirm or lives as an only ferret!  I cannot stress enough how stressful spending time at the Shelter can be, so it is well worth your time to bring your ferret over for a visit before leaving him/her for boarding.  We don't know why our place scares some ferrets so badly.  I mean you know...we really do know what we're doing and our setup is remarkably weezil friendly!  Oh, we don't take offense.  I mean, if you take your dog to the vet he's afraid because he can smell that there's another dog there that's afraid, or very ill, or perhaps even recently passed away - what a scary experience!  Do ferrets feel the same about our place?  Sure enough, we usually have someone who is sick, someone who is afraid, perhaps someone that will soon pass away...???  Whatever it is we know it's a phenomenon...so no matter hat the root cause, over the years we've found it extremely helpful to our weezil friends to visit once with Mom and Dad before a vacation stay!  

And finally, remember that Motor City Ferrets is an active shelter - which means at any time contagion (virus, parasite, distemper, vermin such as fleas and ticks, etc.) could walk through our door. We do keep boarders separate from others (unless we're making new friend intros), but it's impossible to completely encapsulate all of our guests in protective bubbles. We require that boarders be up to date on their vaccinations for their protection. If you have a ferret that is older/infirm or can't receive further vaccinations due to past allergic reactions, we'll talk about the particular situation. Of course mentioning possible contagion isn't meant to scare you, just to give you a heads up on the sort of conversations we must have regarding watching your weezils! 

 

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