Wow.  Read an awfully scolding, sanctimonious post yesterday from someone
who seems to feel that because HER ferrets do not experience certain
afflictions or problems, therefore those of us who do have ferrets with
problems or illnesses are simply mental cases; there is nothing wrong
with our ferrets, we are just crazy.  Or we are just doing a terrible,
neglectful job of caring for our ferrets!
 
>The 'dust' from the clumping litter doesn't affect ferrets AT ALL, or it
>would affect my ferrets and it does NOT. It is how human beings treat
>ferrets that affects them.
 
Ferrets are not cloned and incapable of having physical differences
between them.  The fact that my ferrets sneezed, wheezed, and coughed when
they got anywhere near the dusty, clumping litter is entirely due to MY
attitude toward them??  Nothing to do with their repiratory system, which
veterinarians and researchers have proven is delicate and easily harmed??
Four of my six Marshall's ferrets have had adrenal disease.  How'd I cause
that?
 
Rather than jump on the list and start castigating everyone for their
cluelessness, have you considered that you may have additional factors
that affect your ferrets' tolerance for certain things?  Perhaps you use
a different kind of litter than most people do.  You mention that you're
able to slaugher poultry and feed them fresh vital organs.  Perhaps you
could take a moment and realize that not everyone is able to do that as
well??
 
>So if you are having problems... take a long hard look at YOURSELF...
>generally, you will find the problem is 'user error'... nothing to do
>with the temperment of the animal!
 
Not all problems with animals are human error, and frankly it's pretty
arrogant to cast out a statement like that, particularly on a list where
the majority of people sign up and read daily because they care so much
about doing the RIGHT thing for their animal.
 
Animals, like people, have all different temperaments that they are born
with.  I also have had a menagerie of pets, and all creatures are not
created equal!!  From one litter of kittens emerged 6 cats with VERY
different temperaments.  Some are laid-back and lazy, one is high-energy
while another suffers Garfield-style "nap attacks", one is a finicky eater
and one is an enormous pig.  Why don't they all have the same temperament?
What is "wrong" with them??  I have trouble getting the energetic one to
calm down and I have trouble getting the lazy one to get enough exercise
(he is getting a bit portly).  This has NOTHING to do with their
individual temperaments?  It's ALL my fault??
 
>all my ferrets are 'rescues' from people I consider to be nincompoops.
>You know the type, some of you are reading this email!  You get a ferret
>and then do NOT learn all about it.  AND you force the ferret to conform
>to HUMAN conditions... keeping the hours YOU keep because you like to
>watch your ferrets play.  "Ain't they cu-uuute!" And you don't feed 'em
>right, because that is too much work and you keep them in CAGES.  FOR
>SHAME.
 
While this may be true of many people, for the most part the FML is made
up of people who really care about doing the right thing for their ferret
and act responsibly.  If you've been reading for awhile, how have you
missed all the posts from people asking for advice and help and the return
posts that offer information and assistance??  This is not a community of
people who stick their heads in the sand and don't care about giving their
ferret the best care.  While that message you posted ought to be said to
many people, there are few people here that it applies to.  You're
preaching to the converted, and not in a very nice way either.
 
Your post contained some good information; sadly, it was so shrouded in
scolding and self-righteousness that I doubt much of it got through.
People rarely get much out of messages that insinuate that everyone
besides the author is incredibly daft.  Few people introduce themselves
to a new crowd of people with the opening statement, "Some of you are
nincompoops."  Sounds to me like it takes one to know one.
 
-Heather W. in Massachusetts
 Taking good care of her ferrets, yet they STILL have problems!!!
[Posted in FML issue 3743]