Dook dooks but with a sad heart and much concern.  Being a ferret lover
as much as all of you on the FML and owned by 2 of my own ferrets, I
have some real major concerns with some of the ferrets I am seeing in
our local pet stores in my area.
 
I am from Central Pennsylvania and have recently visited a brand new pet
store in our area called Super Petz to check on ferret products/prices
and was appalled and heart-broken to see the ferrets they had for sale.
I have read and seen many pictures of kits at various ages, and I can
tell you that the ferrets in this particular store and even some of the
other stores in my area, are selling ferrets that are maybe 5 weeks old;
six weeks at the most.  These ferrets can hardly walk yet, stumble all
over the place and cannot stand completely upright on their legs.  They
are also eating watered down kibble because they cannot eat the dry
kibble.  I even seen a few of the ferrets trying to nurse on the other
kits.  Then to top it all off, the one ferret that had just came in the
day before, was quite sick.  It had crusty stuff on it's nose, around
it's eyes and on its fur on the face and it's back.  My oldest daughter &
her fiance was with me that day and we all made it known to the people in
the store that this ferret was quite sick and asked what was going to be
done with this ferret.  They said they knew it was sick and it was going
to be removed and taken back to an isolation room where it would be taken
care of.  We also asked if the people taking care of the sick kit knew
what they were doing.  They assured us all would be fine, but we were not
really satisfied with that but did not know what else to do.
 
When we questioned these people at this store and the other stores in our
area that we frequent, our one main question is always, "Where are these
ferrets from" and these very young kits are always from Marshall Farms.
I am disgusted that Marshall's are selling these ferrets too young and
why are they aloud to do it or get away with it?  Has any one else ever
noticed how young Marshall Ferrets are in their local pet stores?  One
more note: When I purchased my first ferret and then my second ferret a
week or so later(both Marshall Farm Ferrets), both of them needed to go
the vet within a week of getting my second one because they were both
quite sick(my second ferret being the sickest); having upper respitory
infection that traveled into their intestine's causing them severe,
greenish diarrhea , no appetite, weight loss and malaise.  They needed to
be put on antibiotics, nutrical and AD wet food.  My vet said for them to
be this sick this quickly, they had to have been sick at the pet store.
 
What can a person or persons do to stop this?  These poor ferrets are in
jeopardy and it breaks my heart.  Marshall should not be allowed to do
this.  I know one thing, when I am ready to get another furkid(s), they
will not come from a pet store but from a private breeder or shelter but
that still does not solve the problem of these Marshall Ferrets being
sold way too young to pet stores and them becoming sick within a day or
few days after reaching the pet stores and god forbid dead.  Can anything
be done about this?  Or how can we approach these stores?
 
Thanks for listening, but I love ferrets deeply.  Ferrets have taught me
the true meaning of  what love is.  Any questions, advice or comments are
welcomed.  You can send it privately if you wish.  Try to be nice.  :-)
 
Dooks,  Linda--owned by Kodo & Tacoma
With lots of love for my ferrets and all ferrets in the world
 
_____________________________________________________________
With love from Linda(aka PinkyFerret) & Dooks from my ferrets--
Tacoma & Kodo
Ferret grandma to Fria, Loki, Vivi and Duke...missing Jamocha
"Ferrets leave tiny little paw prints on our hearts"
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Visit my daughter & her fiance's ferret web site at
http://www.hideyhole.org
[Posted in FML issue 4804]