Okay, #1 to put that subject to rest, I HOPE.........my information
on Rainbow and Petco came from a regional manager over 3 States. Also
Rainbow sent their ferrets up to Pa to be sold at auction two weeks ago
when they were getting out of ferret breeding. They are still claiming
they are getting out of the ferret business. Now that doesn't mean
other animals, we are talking ferrets. So I don't know how Petco
received a load of ferrets from Rainbow unless that is the last of
their "stock" in the ferret business or it came from another breeder
that you knew wasn't Marshal Farms and assumed it was RE. If you work
for Petco and they did come in, then again I would feel that is the
last of their stock UNLESS they do decide to continue to breed them -
and that is not beyond them.

I did not say ALL backyard breeders were bad. And let me clear up what
a backyard breeder is: Backyard breeders is now a term used in the
dog and cat industries to cover animals being breed in volume by
individuals that are NOT companies or corporations which are set up to
take care of their "stock". Breeding a ferret ever now and then is not
considered a backyard breeder.

Yes I have friends who bred one or two litters a year and kept them in
the house. My best friend did intending to be a breeder - she bought a
lot of the ferrets from Amy Fleming in Michigan when she moved to UK.
She had trouble all the way from having just 1 or 2 kits to the mama
closing up before she finished birthing, had to go caesarian at $350
each time. She kept the litters with her in her bedroom and it smelled
bad even though she kept it exceptionally clean as she did the rest of
her house. It was very offensive and worse than the adult ferrets,
natures way to protect them from predators supposedly.

I personally had 15 whole ferrets (not all at one time) I had them
fixed when they were a year old, I wasn't breeding, I just wanted
ferrets that were not farm ferrets due to the controversary on adrenal
problems. (proved not to be the truth as they did have adrenal tumors
also - now it is claimed to be the light not the early spaying
neutering that causes the adrenal problems.) AND while whole, OH did
they stink. Boys were loving and sweet and wanted attention wanted to
be picked up all the time but they did splash on the toilet water,
their coats turned YELLOW, sticky yellow, they drew lines with their
little pencils across the floor, food dishes, bedding (I never caged
mine) so if a female wanted to trace them down, they wouldn't have any
trouble doing so. If you picked one up, you got the odor on you strong
enough you had to wash, change clothes whatever because it was there
period, it was not at all like handling a fixed ferret. I don't believe
in bathing them unless its a haveto case because it dries them out.
When they get older they scratch due to dry skin just like people do.
I did have to bath these regularly, it didn't help much. I could put
the boys together as long as a female wasn't among them and not have a
problem but not the females, they were little toots and grumpy, they
fought each other tooth and nail and they would spray each other just
because they felt like it, grumpy. In the air, that fades in 10 to 15
minutes on their coat, that stays. Mine were pets, came in at different
times, never more than 3 or 4 whole at a time. I would hate to think
how much worse it would be if they had been a bunch here for breeding.

So keep in mind when I say backyard breeders, it doesn't always mean
they were kept out in the hot Texas sun. I mean if they are done in a
larger scale, you just aren't going to keep a dozen whole ferrets in
your livingroom and try to watch tv if you have any sense of smell. Now
to breed one or two, not so bad but you sure can't supply the USA with
enough for people to have them as pets. What happens is when there is a
demand for something, people seeing the big $ hop on board and you have
unregulated, unwatched backyard breeders treating ferrets like objects,
just like the dog and cat industry.

If you think Path Valley is better, fine but when I say MF I am
referring to the big farms period. If they are big enough to supply the
demand of ferrets, then they should have some kind of regulations and
be inspected regularly and in face of a whole lot of backyard breeders
who aren't big enough for regulations and they are the ones who slip
through fingers.

I obviously cannot make those who have sealed their hearts see
sometimes cutting off a source is far far worse than seeing the good in
it and trying to work it to be better. I talk from experience when I
say backyard breeders, having seen some horrific situations, having had
whole ferrets of my own, having worked with people in power with first
hand knowledge, - I do not go by rumor or what someone else has claimed
they know about (such as they give bribes under the table to the
inspectors so they can mistreat ferrets more). I cannot say Petco DID
NOT receive shipments in other states from Rainbow but from what I do
know, it just doesn't make sense to me.

Millie and her Cleaning Crew
www.Txferretrescue.org

[Posted in FML 5892]