Modern Ferret Magazine - about Mary and Eric Shefferman

Modern Ferret is Eric and Mary Shefferman (a husband-and-wife team) and our current five ferrets -- Trixie, Balthazar, Cauliflower, Koosh, and Gabrielle. That's it! That's the whole company. We started Modern Ferret in 1994 (back when we had our original three ferrets) as a combination of our interest in caring for our ferrets and our desire to have a home-based business. We saw the lack of a magazine for ferrets as a serious impediment to the growth of the ferret knowledge base (veterinary care, training, safe products) and to the popularity of ferrets as pets. We wanted to create a resource which would promote how much fun ferrets are as pets while at the same time sharing care information and the latest medical developments. With stars in our eyes we leapt into the world of publishing.

Since then, we've been really busy! We've grown the magazine in size and scope while maintaining our original vision -- and without adding any other people to our staff (although we did add ferrets!). We've gotten tremendous publicity, from The New York Times to various syndicated cartoons, CNN, and The Late, Late Show With Craig Kilborn. We've been featured in many magazines, from LIFE and TIME to PC Magazine and Playboy. We've even been featured in Borders Books commercials!

We do everything ourselves: writing and assigning articles, photography, editing, scanning, layout & design, data entry, and fulfilling mail order (not to mention all the business aspects of running a company!). That's a lot of work for two people, but we work very hard to streamline processes wherever possible.

We started the magazine in the summer of 1994 and our first issue came out in February of 1995. For the first two years, it was difficult for us to hit our production schedule and we were putting out only four issues a year. We have since added a lot of technology to help with the production process and we have a lot more experience in laying out the magazine. Most of the time we have been producing a new issue every other month. In 2000 we had production problems due to Eric having a severe flare-up of Crohn's Disease. We are now busy moving ahead and recovering from the aftereffects.

Aside from producing an enjoyable magazine about ferrets, we have demonstrated that it is possible for two people to choose what they want to do with their lives (play with ferrets) and create a business that revolves around that. Your subscriptions and other purchases make it possible for us to continue producing a magazine about ferrets created by ferret owners who care about the accuracy and relevance of the information they provide. We appreciate your support.

We bring you information you can TRUST.
For ferret owners. By ferret owners.™
Start your subscription TODAY!
Your ferrets will thank you!

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Why "Modern" Ferret?: We felt that one of the things holding ferrets back as a popular pet was the lack of "coffee table legitimacy." Other pets -- dogs, cats, horses, fish, and even reptiles -- had their own magazines that their owners could put on their coffee tables to demonstrate that their pets were "legitimate." We wanted to show that ferrets had come into their own as a modern pet of choice by producing a magazine that ferret owners could proudly show off to their friends (as well as learn about their pets).
What color is Mary's hair?: Mary's hair is... to say the least... ever-changing. One of the features of the magazine is that you never know what color Mary's hair will be. See some photos of Mary (and Eric) on the Mary & Eric page. Changing hair color is nothing new for Mary. She's been making her hair various colors (most commonly in the red family) for nearly 15 years. What color is Mary's hair naturally? Only her hairdresser knows for sure.

What people are saying about Modern Ferret

Comments about Modern Ferret from both the news media and from our readers.

About Mary & Eric

Learn more about Mary and Eric (the two ever-working people behind Modern Ferret) on the Mary & Eric page.

About our ferrets

Learn more about our ferrets (they are the BEST ferrets in the world, although we admit we may be biased) on the Our Ferrets page.

Awards, Honors, and Great Moments

From our launch in 1995 when we were chosen as one of The 50 Most Notable Launches of 1995 to being chosen as one of the 12 Best Magazines in the Business in 1999, Modern Ferret has set a standard for editorial quality that comes from the fact that we are ferret owners. We want to do the best we can for ferrets. That includes verifying the accuracy of medical information we publish, testing training methods and toys on our own ferrets, and doing what we can to support legalization efforts in New York City and other places.

Famous folks who've been in Modern Ferret

Get more information about some of the celebrities that have been featured in Modern Ferret including Tiffany Taylor, Harry Anderson, the Budweiser Ferret, Nikki Fritz, Tim Gore, and Jennicam on our Celebrity Interviews and other brushes with fame page.

Why do we find celebrities so important?: Celebrities do a lot to shape American culture. Organizations like PeTA and the NRA routinely use celebrities to held influence public opinion. We hope that by presenting celebrities with ferrets we will help dispel some of the misconceptions about ferrets and demonstrate how wonderful ferrets are as pets. For better or worse, celebrities have an impact on American culture, and we're trying to help use that impact to the advantage of ferrets.

Minding Your Own Business

About running a magazine and home-based business.

We bring you information you can TRUST.
For ferret owners. By ferret owners.™
Start your subscription TODAY!
Your ferrets will thank you!

Order your subscription at our online store.

Get information to mail in your order.

(About Us): About Us - Testimonials - Mary & Eric - Our Ferrets - Awards - Celebrities - MYOB