Leslie had wrote that in RI the ferrets are still being sold from
Marshall Farms. I have been informed that Petco is also selling the
Canadian ferrets. The clubs in my area know this, too, because we have
heard many people are having terrible biting issues with these kits!

Personally - what is the difference? The Canadian breeder's may be
better genetically, but who has inspected the facilities? In Canada,
the shelters I have talked to have seen backyard breeders and ferret
farms the likes of which would make cops throw up here in the states.
I am not sure how strict Canadian animal rights laws are, or laws
regarding the ferret farm facility that is now breeding Petco's
ferrets, at least in the Western US.

Also - are they also being neutered and spayed and descented at a few
days old? I assume the answer is yes.

I am not against pet shop ferrets, but I am against the majority of
practices, regarding ages, shipping, and breeding facilities...the
overwhelming amounts of ferrets that need homes, and the thought that
if you have ferrets over a certain number of years old, their parents
have been euthanized because they are no longer breeding.

Do I prefer that ferrets not be sold in pet shops? I guess I do. Even
though I bought my first ones from pet shops along with getting
rescues. Have I bought one from a shop when it's a terrible biter?
Yes...

Ferrets just aren't good "pet shop" animals. The ones that need worked
on at a young age often get left to sit in the shops, their behaviors
getting worse. The babies have to be so young that it shocks them being
shipped...

Anyway...I am not sure what the answer is. Of course, the same issue
applies to puppy and kitten breeders who supply the expensive pet shops
in malls with "purebred" animals. The US just needs to get their butts
in gear and acknowledge that companion animals should not suffer for
the profits of companies, and start working on the shelter animal
issue. Of course, in a society that mocks you for focusing on an issue
when there are "bigger issues at hand", it makes it extremely difficult
to get any legislators to even *think* about the issues.

Laryssa

[Posted in FML 6093]