The discussion on breeders that are also shelters...

I never thought about this before. But what happens to all the breeders
over the years who cannot sell their product? I imagine that some are
careful to get a list of people who would take the babies before hand,
though I do not know if you could know how many there would be. How
many babies do ferrets usually have?

When the ferret does not have the look or sex that is wanted by
someone, or a person changes his or her mind...what happens to all
those ferrets over the years? Do the small breeders sell them to pet
stores? Do they put them on sale and label these animals as adoptions?
Do they get stuck in cages in someone's basement or garage? Do the
animals get euthenized?

What are some of the things that occur? I don't imagine there is a
breeder who would say they terminate life of ferrets not sold. I don't
think anyone on this list would be here if they did such a thing. But
what are some of the things that happen to all of the other ferrets
across the country that are not euthenized that for whatever reason
are not sold directly to a family?

Do some get dumped on shelters in the area? Are they sold at flea
markets? Are they sold for animal testing to various institutions?

Can a breeder that cannot sell a ferret here or there legally turn
around and say the animal is up for adoption, thus getting revenue
in this manner, as a product not selling will go up for sale?

[Posted in FML 6469]