Hmmm. . . I suppose Amy's note about MF ferrets could come off as a
bit chastising, but I have to admit that sometimes there seems to be an
almost (no offense, but) snob attitude against them. I've been on this list
for over a year now, and with all the info that's come over this line
concerning MF, I've *yet* to see a thing that convinces me that MF is the
monster it is made out to be. Has anyone ever actually been there? Talked
to the management? Can anyone *prove* that their ferrets are any less
healthy than privately bred ferrets? I plan, when I get out of school, to
keep track of where any of the ferrets I see are bred, and get some data for
this, but as of right now I've never seen any good hard statistics that
convince me that MF ferrets have any more health problems any earlier than
others. I am aware that some of the people on the list have had MF ferrets
who have gotten sick quite young, but has no one had other ferrets who have
also gotten sick at a young age? I am aware of the extra teeth/toes
problems, but in the grand scheme of things this is not a real health risk
and only poses a problem in showing, which is not terribly important to me in
my search for a new ferret. Does anyone have hard facts on what their
conditions are like? How and at what age they go about
neutering/spaying/descenting? I saw *many* very hearty-looking MF ferrets
while working for Dr. K. this summer -- older ones, too. And many sick
privately-bred ones, as well as vice versa. I'm not trying to be chastising
here, either, I'm simply asking for some *real* evidence instead of the
constant hearsay. Because the fact is from all I've heard, MF ferrets tend
to at the very least have a tendency to be gentler -- they are, I believe,
bred for that quality. And if my two ferrets can be considered
representative (which speaking from a strictly statistical point of view they
can't) I have to say that my little MF girl makes a far more friendly pet.
At 6 mos., my other one is an absolute terror still, and believe you me it's
not from lack of parental intervention! Trella, on the other hand, calmed
down long before that, and yet is perfectly active -- she just doesn't
require anywhere near as much frustration in the corrections department. I
completely agree that if MF can be equated with the puppy mills, boycotting
them should be considered, and I realize that that is the reason people avoid
them, not because their ferrets aren't worthy. But although I would *never*
buy a puppy in a pet store, I would not only by a ferret there, as it stands
now I would not necessarily discourage anyone else from doing so, either, as
I can see pros and cons in both MF (or other ferret farms) and private
breeders, whereas for puppies, I can see absolutely no advantage to buying
from a pet store supplied by a puppy mill. Those dogs are often obviously
sickly -- most of the pet store ferrets I have seen have looked *extremely*
healthy, if on occassion too young (and usually those *haven't* been MF
ferrets, by the way). I'm sorry to whitter on. I'm not meaning to lecture
or anything like that. It just seems that MF is constantly being indicted on
this list for their operation, and all I've heard so far is, well, hearsay.
Seems like rumours have just circulated and we all no how they can get blown
out of proportion. I would be *very* interested in hearing if anyone's
actually *seen* the place. I have actually talked to them once, and they
sounded quite respectable, although I am no where near so naive as to believe
this necessarily means anything. I for one, I'm afraid, am not willing to
write off a place that has supplied me with such a loving friend without some
good hard evidence against them that is more convincing than `Well, I
heard. . .' Sorry, I'll shut up now. I should probably have said more than
`well said' in response to Amy's message. Hope no one took offense. None
intended, honest.
Laura
Laura L'Heureux, Trella, and Tribble, too
U. of Illinois Vet Med Class of `96 `Have you hugged your ferret
[log in to unmask] today?'
[Posted in FML issue 0657]
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