About Motor City Ferrets

Opened in the spring of 2000, Motor City Ferrets is a private, no-kill ferret shelter & rescue service.  We are registered as a Non-Profit Charity (501(c)(3)), licensed and annually inspected by the Michigan Department of Agriculture.  Located in Hazel Park, we serve the greater Detroit metro area.  Browse our site to learn about the Shelter, meet the critters up for adoption, get health & care information, find supplies, or locate a vet or ferret-sitter! 

1/20/22:  We currently have 36 critters in the Shelter.
                             Read on below for info on operations during the pandemic!

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. Up ahead of him, he saw a youth repeatedly bend down, stand, then fling something into the waves. Coming closer, he saw that the youth was tossing starfish back into the ocean.  "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 what the man said for 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.
 

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

Rescue ONE until
there are NONE!

If you or someone you know plans to surrender a pet to a municipal type shelter, please click here.

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

Ferrets rescued to date: 1239

Operations in the time of Covid-19 Update 

VISITS:  In The Before Time, we used to have Open House events most Sundays.  Open House dates are for folks to visit the shelter to play with the critters, bring their ferrets for a playdate, or if they're interested in adopting, to have a first visit after applying to adopt.  We closed for normal visits mid-March of 2020, and unfortunately it looks like we won't be opening up for social visits for the foreseeable future.  

ADOPTION:  we are having people in again to adopt, but we're facing some serious limitations in the world of ferret adoption.  The most pressing concern is for folks who don't have ferrets already, and thus don't have an existing relationship with a veterinarian.  Most area vets are still not taking new clients, and most area emergency vets still won't see ferrets, meaning that any new adopters will have no where to turn for even routine vet care for their new family member, let alone an emergency health issue.  Mainly for the vet care problem, if you don't have ferrets and a relationship with a vet already, it's best to wait until local vets start accepting new patients again to bring ferrets into your life..

If you do have a relationship with a ferret savvy vet, and you're fully vaccinated, you may apply to adopt via the "Adopt" tab above. If you're invited for an adoption visit, you'll need to properly mask up for your visit.  We always want to have the whole family visit, especially when families have younger children, but until kids under 5 can be vaccinated, if your kids aren't able to be vaxed it's best to wait to apply to adopt until the whole family could attend an adoption appointment.

If anyone in your household is vaccinated but immuno-compromised, visiting now is probably not the best idea for you either.  Shelter Mom Nanci and Shelter Dad Alex are of course vaccinated, and we have been extremely cautious throughout the pandemic, but Alex is an elementary school teacher.  While his school has been decent on pandemic protections, obviously his job makes it more likely he'll bring home Covid any day of the week.  We also have continued to take in surrenders during the pandemic, so there's a risk of Covid walking in our doors with each newly surrendered ferret.   

VET CARE:  As mentioned above, f you don't have an established relationship with a vet but you already have ferrets, now is the time to do some work figuring out where you might take any of your ferrets should they need health care. On our Health page you'll find a list of SE Michigan's owner recommended ferret vets.  Make some calls now to figure out which vet(s) in your area would see your ferret(s), should any of yours develop medical needs.

And of course we're always here for advice.  But remember to always call in to the shelter if the need is urgent!