Hi Shron.

I just had this discussion in reverse with a woman who wanted to list
her ferrets on Craig's List.

Not just for Craig's List, but when we do adoptions as well this is
what I explained to her.

We are in Las Vegas. We have an active (illegal) dog fight ring here.
Small animals, cats and ferrets, are used to bait these dogs as part
of the 'training process'. They literally die being torn apart. That's
number one. Number two is ferret is almost exactly half way between rat
and rabbit in meal size for the big snakes. Another horrible way to
die. That's reason two. A body is less likely to feed a $100 animal
to a dog or snake than one that costs much less, so ask for that fee.

For actual adoption purposes, shelter vs. buying...... all of our
ferrets are fully vaccinated, have worked off any personality quirks
(like biting), are potty box trained and past that destructive stage
kits go through. That new baby ferret still costs the $100, but you get
none of the above, plus you get the expense of three vet bills over the
next 6 weeks for the necessary vaccines. Here that means another almost
$150. I tell people who are thinking of buying a baby; $100 for the
ferret, $100 for the vet, $100 to set up cage, food, etc. $300 and you
aren't even home yet!

Another thing you don't get from the pet store is the support you get
from the shelter people. Ever tried asking a pet store rep a question
about ferret care? It can truly be dangerous to your ferret. Pet store
employees generally receive little to no training on the animals they
sell.

Also there are the moral implications. For every ferret you buy,
someone breeds one or two more. Have you made note of the number of
shelters that are closing to intakes because we have no more room?
Those are pet shop babies someone bought and so 'factory' produced
more. The more that are bought, the more they will produce, the deeper
we (the shelters) all sink. By adopting you have helped relieve that
problem, instead of adding to it no matter how unintentionally.

And finally....the price I ask for a ferret is not necessarily the
price I will get for a ferret. I have placed many, many ferrets into
homes, with no or next to no charge. Usually these are special needs
ferrets but sometimes it's just because it is the perfect home. Every
time I do that, I take a loss. It costs me hard earned dollars and
cents to vaccinate, feed, train and house these ferrets, usually more
than I get back in cold hard cash.

So when you look at the cost, look deeper into the costs. Look really
deeply. Don't be afraid to negotiate with the shelter. Talk with them,
at length, even consider a little volunteer time. I'll bet once they
know what a good ferret mom you are that price comes down and you'll
feel extra good about where you spent your money.

Sincerely,
Brenda,
Momma the FurpeopleWeyr
FurpeopleWeyr.com

[Posted in FML 6336]