Gina,
 
You should always consider adoption from a ferret shelter before
purchasing a ferret at any pet store.  With that said, I think many of
us are guilty of purchasing a ferret at a pet store until we learn how
many ferrets are waiting for forever homes in shelters.  Most shelters
are bursting at the seams and there are so many loving ferrets who need
good homes.  Please go check out the shelter listings at :
 
http://www.ferret.org/index.shtm
 
I would suspect that the ferret you saw was not 4 weeks old, however,
anything is possible.  You are correct, these pet farm ferrets are spayed
and neutered way to early, many before they even open their eyes and they
are taken away from their mothers and siblings way too soon, and shipped
to pet stores!  Many do get adrenal disease and insulinoma.
 
There are farms in Canada.  I actually have 2 ferrets called Real
Canadian Ferrets.  Teddy and Casper are brothers and are 2 1/2 years old
now.  Teddy was adrenal and implanted with melatonin at 15 months old (he
is scheduled for adrenal surgery on Oct.  11)!  I am beginning to suspect
Casper may be adrenal also.  I am not saying all Canadian ferrets are
like this but this is just my unfortunate experience with them.  However,
with that said these 2 boys are the most fun loving of all my ferrets.
They love to run and jump and play hard.  My Teddy though has a BAD habit
of biting you in the face if you let your guard down.  He has done this
from the 1st day I got him and nothing has stopped this.  In fact he got
me in the chin just 2 months ago.  He is such a big cute boy you get
lulled into a false sense of security and then wham!  The bite!  And he
always draws blood and leaves nice marks for a week.  Sweet Teddy
however, bites nowhere else but the face!
 
This little ferret is biting for several reasons.  He was taken from his
mother too young and is probably not very socialized, he is definately
scared and very nervous.  If you are a 1st time ferret owner he may be
too much for you to handle (just my opinion).
 
Visit a shelter and see if there is ferret there that you would love to
adopt.
 
Lisa Vible
AFA Educational Director
Oxford Ferret Rescue Volunteer
[Posted in FML issue 5379]