Also look out for dental floss (included used floss), thread, tinsel,
string etc. As the intestine moves those tend to get stuck and then
they cut right through the intestines just like people sometimes use
dental floss to cleanly cut cakes.
--------
<http://www.petproductnews.com/headlines/2009/04/01/hearing-slated-for-nonnative-species-ban.aspx>
including the attempt to possibly ban ferrets nationally
It looks like HR 669 originated from an importation ban based on
assertions of environmental damage:
http://www.petage.com/news040905.asp
but if people allow the assertion that domestic ferrets cause
environmental damage to continue that could encourage actual bans
later IF HR 669 does not call for them now.
Years ago a Wall Street Journal reporter on the Leonard Lopate Show
mentioned that the total annual amount spend on pets and their needs
was 32 Billion (with a B) and that of that ferrets probably accounted
for 2 to 3 Billion (with a B). The number for ferrets helping commerce
will be higher now.
Plus, we are talking about a species that does NOT form wild
populations in the U.S. where we don't have warning rabbits -- except
on San Juan Island which has the warrening rabbits back in spades (bad
joke about shoveling there) after someone's bad attempt to release
ferrets to control the rabbits wound up with the ferrets only lasting a
short while, but now eagles and foxes are using those rabbits as food
and the locals in recent years prevented the fed from poisoning the
rabbits in some federal land there.
To find your own representatives in Congress and how to contact them
if you don't have that info handy (if you are embarrassed about not
knowing then you can pretend to be someone who recently moved in):
your librarian
your town hall
your local small newspaper (some even list all the gov't contact info
on their editorials pages)
BY ZIP CODE and address (if the zip code splits districts):
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt
The name will come up and you will see that there is a click-on link to
the Representative's official website so click that and you will get
contact info
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/http://ferrethealth.org/archive/http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.htmlhttp://www.miamiferret.org/http://www.ferretcongress.org/http://www.trifl.org/index.shtmlhttp://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
[Posted in FML 6294]