Hi All,
 
Marshall Farms is the largest Ferret Factory I know of. They sell
20,000 ferrets a year, 10,000 to research and 10,000 to pet
stores. These ferrets are line bread (they boast of their
carefully controlled breeding) which is to say , in breeding.
Controlled line breeding means breeding cousins at the very
least. It also involves mating sires with their offspring. Ask
the rabbit breeders how they achieve some of their special
colors! They only come from inbreeding, intentional or not. Often
when you get unusual markings, mitts, stripes, and spots, it is
an expression of a recessive gene. A recessive gene can be a
genetic goof up, but it takes two recessive genes to tango (or
express themselves), its hard to get two (identical recessive)
without some past relation,(usually it is one "goof up" being
passed on ad infinitum... Out, out damned spot!) Deaf ferrets
with white stirpes, cataracts, Nooooooo, do tell?
 
These people are breeding for researchers, they are breeding for
Cancer researchers...
 
"Golly, gee whiz, Doc.," sigh, "Why is it that all of my ferrets
with little blue spots in their ears have gotten lympho (cancer),
or adrenal tumors (cancer), or insulonoma (cancer)?" ...much
scratching of head, hummmm...
 
Path Valley has had problems, and they contracted with Marshall
Farms for their kits, WHICH MARSHALL FARMS HAS BEEN PROVIDING.
 
And who is this new player on the field, the Canadian ferrets
from a breeder in Manitoba, who are sending little 4 week old
jills out the day after they are spayed, (not weaned) with
dissolvable stitches which do not dissolve. There are some very
angry people here in Fairfax VA who would like there address.
These poor little creatures come with no instructions,(the pet
shops seem to know even less), they don't bother to tell anyone
that they are "weaned" on almost raw chicken and some will refuse
to eat anything else. They are so tiny they still need a bottle!
Now that the HSUS convention is over, I am going to focus
intently on this, I'll upload whenever I have news. If anyone has
anything on this, let me know.
 
 
[Posted in FML issue 0443]