There have been several reports in the FML of a "breeder in Canada
(Manitoba)" shipping 6 week old ferrets a day after being spayed into US
pet stores.  With non-dissolving stitches.  Without any warning to
prospective owners.  And some of these ferrets have had problems.
Serious problems.
 
On the other hand, my sister-in-laws (very long-time ferret owners), have
also seen ferrets "fresh" from this breeder in Canadian stores: three mos.
old, intact, and "some of the best quality, healthiest, well behaved, active,
friendly kits I've ever seen".  I should also point out that "convenience
kits" (spayed before first sale) are rare in Canada.  I've certainly
seen 6 week old kits in stores here, but NEVER spayed.
 
There seems to be no question that ferrets *are* being sold "in this
condition" in the US.  Many reliable sources.
 
The difficulty I've had with the previous FML reports have been
direct claims that the breeder is responsible.  Because of my
sister-in-laws' experiences with these ferrets, because of the
rarity of convenience kits here, and because of some "inside"
knowledge of how some pet stores/chains and pet distributors
"handle" small animals, I strongly suspect that the "fault"
lies elsewhere.  As in: the pet store and/or chain, the US
distributor, the US or state government or even possibly the
ASPCA is actually responsible, for "consumer attractiveness"
or "fish and game" style reasons, and that the breeder may not
know what's happening.
 
I would welcome further reasonably "hard" information as to
how these ferrets got that way.
 
To restate: there really are ferrets "in this condition" in
US stores.  And these ferrets *probably* originated in Canada.
But the deduction that the breeder is responsible for "this
condition" is tenuous, and indeed, more than a little damaging
and possibly slanderous.
 
[It might appear to some that I'm unduly sensitive because
of it "being Canadian", but I've been similarly concerned
with some of the comments about Path Valley or Marshall Farms.
However, in the these cases, the reports appear to be much
more first-hand with less guesswork than the "Canadian one".]
 
However, this message should stand as a warning that such
ferrets do exist, and that buyers should be very wary
of kits that are spayed at too young an age under situations
similar to this.  And avoid stores that traffic in such
animals.  Further, if you do buy a convenience kit, be aware,
and warn your vet.
 
As a personal policy, I prefer to let our ferrets mature
before spaying.  Reputable vets tend to consider 6 mos. a
reasonable age (many will discourage spaying before this),
but we wait to 8 or 10 mos.  Furthermore, females MUST be
spayed unless you intend to breed them.  By "mature",
I mean achieve near full size, and preferably before going
into heat for the first time.
 
FML policy changes: I've instituted some policy changes
in the FML faq (give Bill a few days to get it onto the
server before retrieving a copy) about these sorts of things.
 
While I said before that I'm "not interested" in being sued,
provided that I have a strong belief that "allegations" are
reliable and true, I don't mind posting such material.  But
I do have major reservations about allegations that are
based on tenuous reasoning.  Or out-and-out guessing.
 
Therefore, the FML editorial policy has been amended to allow
me to chop off likely slanderous material that has a dubious
basis.  In practise, this will probably mean that I will
ask the originator to either remove the "dangerous sections",
or personally vouch for the veracity of them and then resubmit
the article.
 
[Posted in FML issue 0453]