Established May 1998
Milwaukee, WI 53214
FerretDen@wi.rr.com
( 414 ) 545-3987
Sandy and Sydney Van der Linden - Shelter operators

Know Our Shelter
The Ferret Den officially emerged on its own on May 13, 1998. Before this, we worked with and handled adoptions for a larger shelter. The average number of ferrets in residence at The Den is 30. The Den limits itself to the number of ferrets we can properly care for. If we do not have space, we ask the owners if they can hold their ferret for a week or two until and adoption opens up a cage.  If they can’t, we refer them to other sources. The Ferret Den also has over 20 fosters out in members homes.

We have two main goals:  the first is educating people on the responsibility, care, and cost of owning these adorable, innocent little creatures.

The second goal is to provide a safe, loving home for the ferrets we take in, with the hope of placing them in a permanent home in the future.

Ferret Den members do educational talks at schools and local pet supply stores. The Den also sends out informational packets to anyone interested in learning more about owning a ferret. The shelter holds two Open House/Fundraisers a year, at which we have food, beverages, games and lots of prizes. Thanks to the generosity of our members, everyone always goes home with lots of goodies. We also plan and host a Ferret Specialty Show, scheduled in April of each year.

The Ferret Den has a Vet Tech consultant who is a member and also owns lots of ferrets.  She will come to the shelter whenever any problem arises.  We have benefited greatly from her ferret experience.

We network with other shelters in Wisconsin to help improve the care of ferrets.

The Den is fortunate to have a terrific relationship with West Allis Animal Hospital, Inc. The Veterinarians and staff are well versed in ferret care. The clinic is located close to the shelter. In the event of an emergency, they do their best to get us in immediately.

The Ferret Den was awarded Archangel status by L.I.F.E. (League of Independent Ferret Enthusiasts). Several recommendations, photos of the shelter, and lots of paperwork were required, and the entire process took several months.

A typical day at our shelter starts around 7am. The lights get flipped on and within five minutes all the ferrets are awake and moving around in their cages, eating, using the litter box and probably wondering who will be the first to get out to play. We usually let the fuzzies frolic in small groups. This way we humans still have a little control over their activities. Each ferret gets a good morning greeting and then is let down to play with their buddies. While the ferrets play, each cage is cleaned. The litter box is scooped, the bedding is shaken out and changed if dirty, the water is changed and the food dish refilled. When the cages are set, it’s time to play with and handle the ferrets so we can learn their personalities and habits. All groups of ferrets have a turn being out, are handled and played with daily. Our members stop in constantly to visit, check out the new ferrets, and lend a helping hand.