This is a letter written by the chief veterinarian for Triple F Farms
back in 2005, when the ferret community was petitioning the USDA to
create ferret specific regulations as part of the Animal Welfare Act.
Alas, nothing was done by the USDA, despite the overwhelming evidence
of the need and the support of veterinarians, owners, and even some
pet stores. The main opponents were, not surprisingly, the big ferret
farms.
--

Laurel Hill Veterinary Service, Inc.
Burlington Rd. P O Box 35
East Smithfield, PA. 18817

I would like to share some comments concerning the issue of the welfare
and protection of ferrets under the current Animal Welfare Act. I
believe the present rules are adequate if they are enforced. I have
been involved with a ferret colony for over twenty years and I'm basing
my comments on those experiences. The petition stated that shipped
animals were arriving with diseases. If this is the case they were
either exposed before shipping or during transit, in either situation
I don't see that changing any requirement will help. Ferrets are very
susceptible to human flu and can become exposed during transit but
clinical signs are very minimal.

Another comment was that animals were arriving thin and/or emaciated.
This could result from neglect by the shipper to put enough food in the
crate for the shipping time. Also a delay in the transportation could
be a cause. Improper care before shipping could be another cause of
emaciation.

The age of weaning and shipping is brought out as being too young
causing problems. The kits are usually pretty well weaned by the mother
because the young are eating on their own and the mother's teats are
sore from the growing teeth. The maternal bonding seems to be gone by
about 5 weeks of age.

The request stated that shipping ferrets too young is causing them
to develop behavioral abnormalities, such as aggression not normally
seen in ferrets because their inherent needs are not being met during
weaning and the transportation process. I can remember when it was
illegal to have a ferret because of their aggressive hunting abilities
to chase rabbits from their dens or holes. In my work I remember a
ferret aggressively killing a day old puppy. The reason ferrets are
not aggressive is because the breeder has someone spend a lot of time
handling them after weaning. If the age at shipping is increased you
will find more aggressive unmanageable animals.

Starvation, pneumonia, rectal prolapses, and seizure problems on
arrival at pet stores are stated as common. These problems are quite
common in situations were owners are not knowledgeable about caring for
ferrets. These are the same problems seen in many different animals
because some breeders are trying to make a fast dollar. I feel making
breeders keep these animals longer will only aggravate these problems.
My experiences have seen more problems caused by inexperienced people
handling the ferrets than the need for new guidelines. One time we
were involved with a loss of shipped ferrets because someone left them
outside in the rain resulting in hypothermia. Another shipment was
delayed in transit causing some losses. In general the shipments I've
been involved with over twenty+ years have had minimal problems. Some
of these shipments have involved ferrets going to Italy, Japan, The
Netherlands, and most of the United States

Considerations for cage space during shipping seem to be OK now. The
seat space people have while flying is much more confining and we keep
filling up airplanes. I think these space calculations would be very
reveling.

I feel very fortunate that I've been able to work with clients that
have integrity. Unfortunately, integrity can not be legislated.

[Posted in FML 7174]