Hi All,
 
I meant to respond to the post regarding Petco ferrets when I first saw
it but I have been Ill, please accept my apology for the delay.
 
As some of you know, I am an animal specialist for Petco in NY.  I want
everyone to know that I am answering for my store only because I have
noticed that within my company things are not always done the same.  This
is sometimes good, or sometimes bad, depending on the situation.
 
In my store when we have either ferrets that have come in young and have
grown and are not selling or we have ferrets that have been donated or
abandoned we NEVER send the ferrets back to the breeders.  In my store
I have never had that happen!  We choose not to because for one, the
ferrets that come from the breeders are already neutered and obviously
no longer useful for breeding and therefore we are not certain what the
future of those ferts would be.  Plus we would not subject any ferret
that comes to us to a life of breeding on a farm.  They deserve much
better than that!
 
The staff at my store just feels that all ferrets that come to us are
deserving of the chance at a good home with a loving family.  When we
have larger kits that are several months old, they sadly become less
desirable.  Instead of just ordering more small kits in to boost sales
we will wait until we find homes for every ferret.  Not all stores will
do that!  People tend to pass over the bigger ferts when we have baby,
regardless of the fact that usually the others are still babys themselves
and equally loving and friendly.  Sometimes we do get in the ferrets with
biting habits, These guys are obviously hard to sell.  We will not return
these guys either.  We work with them until good homes are found.  All
donated and abandoned fuzzys are treated the same compassionate way.
 
Its hard to think about the fact that all pet stores do not handle
ferrets in this way, But the truth is that not all stores do.  We take
great pride in our animals and their care.
 
I hope this helps in some way.  I am going to check with my district
manager and see if there is a policy for this in place.  I am not aware
of one although there may be one.  I will post again when I get the info.
 
Sincerely,
Kathy Homan
[Posted in FML issue 4273]