- You must fill out an application. If you're a previous GCFA adopter, your application is valid for 2 years.
- You must have a cage for your ferret(s) and a hard carrier to take your new B.F.F home.
- You must ferret-proof your home in advance.
- You must take full responsibility for the ferret(s), including daily care (fresh food, water, litter, exercise), annual shots, vet care, and ensure a safe environment
- Each ferret has an adoption fee. This fee helps defray our shelter costs and medical care.
- Our fees range from $75 to $200 per ferret, depending on the age of the ferret. (e.g. Under 1 year: fee of $200, 5+ years: fee of $75).
- If you volunteer at the GCFA, you're eligible for 50% off adoption fees once you have been a volunteer for at least 6 months.
- We do NOT adopt ferrets to people in ‘ferret free’ zones. We DO welcome those who are making a long trip to adopt from us.
- If you have children under 5 at home, we require their attendance at the adoption appointment. If we deem that your children are too young to handle ferrets safely we will recommend keeping the ferrets out of their reach at home. Any mis-handling or aggression towards the ferret(s) will disqualify you from adopting a ferret at that time.
Adoption Process
The first step to adopting a ferret starts with our online adoption application. It's required for any in-person visit. If you're not sure about adopting a ferret yet or need ferret education, you'll still be asked to fill out an adoption application. Our questions are part of your adoption interview, treat the application as an opportunity to show off your ferret knowledge.
We do not accept walk-ins, for any reason.
Once we have your application, our adoption committee will be in touch with you via email, text, or call. Once your application is processed we'll contact you for next steps. It can take 1-2 weeks for your application to be processed.
If you want to expedite your application processing time, make sure you:
- Add a cage photo (make sure it's a cage on our approved list).
- List a vet you'd like to use for vet care (we can help you pick a vet clinic but you should know your closest 24-hour emergency vet).
- Be specific when answering questions about ferret-proofing, diet, and care. Be honest if you're not sure about something on the application, it will help us tailor your adoption experience to your individual needs.
Before and during your appointment, our adoption staff will discuss ferret care, ferret illness, your adoption contract, fees and any additional information about the ferret you are about to take home. Plan on being at the shelter for an hour for your appointment.
After your appointment, we will contact you to check-in and see how you're doing. We encourage all adopters to keep in touch with the GCFA as we love to hear from you and get updates with photos of you and your ferret(s)!
Cages
The most trustworthy cage we can recommend is the Midwest Ferret Nation cage. This cage is large, spacious, safe, and easy to assemble and clean. If you're looking for a good deal on cages, try your luck on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
We have a limited supply of USED Ferret Nation cages available at the shelter ($75 1-Story, $150 2-Story).
Other acceptable cages for your B.F.F. (Best Ferret Friend), please keep in mind that all cages benefit from extra hammocks & cozy bedding:
- MidWest Critter Nation Deluxe (available as single & double story)
- Frisco Small Animal Cage (available as a two story cage)
- Prevue Feisty Ferret Home (requires modifications for safety).
- Exposed Floor Bars: Cover bars with cardboard & bedding -OR- wood & bedding. This prevents injury to limbs/toes.
- Small Shelves: Add hammocks next to shelves to cushion slips and prevent larger falls.
If your cage is unsafe, you'll need to replace it before adopting, there are no exceptions to our cage requirements. If you free roam your ferret(s), you're still required to have a cage in case of emergencies.
Hallmark signs of an unsafe cage for ferrets:
- Flimsy bars (ferrets have gotten injured trying to squeeze out)
- Wire floors (damage to toes and risk of limb injury)
- Lack of air circulation (e.g. glass/aquarium tanks)
- Steep shelves (fall risk, injury risk, uncomfortable for ferrets)
- Marketed for 'small animals' (often does not fulfill ferret habitat standards, even if there are ferrets in product pictures)
- Marketed for: Guinea Pigs, Bunnies, Chinchillas, Gerbils or Chickens (each of these animals have unique humane habitat requirements)
Brands of cages we DO NOT approve, in accordance with humane habitat standards:
- Prevue Pet Products - Only the Feisty Ferret cage is approved, with modifications (the floor has exposed bars & shelves are small).
- Kaytee Cages - All Kaytee cages are too flimsy & too small for ferrets.
- PawHut Cages - All Tiered cages from PawHut have steep shelves.
- WARE Ferret Home - All WARE products have steep shelves.
- A&E Cages - Cages are too small and shelves too steep.
- Yaheetech Cages - These cages are not humane for ferrets.
- Please note: any cage not listed on the approved cage list may be rejected.