Tara;
        Since you chose to flame me in public and have stated that you won't
acknowledge my private e-mail, I hope Chris will allow me to respond.
 
        I never, never said you were a bad person. I am quite convinced that
everyone on the FML cares a lot for ferrets.  Some, including myself and
perhaps you, have a heart the size of Texas when it comes to ferrets (and
most other living critters.) And I don't doubt that you sacrifice alot for
your animals, just as I do.  If you took my letter as implying that
you are a bad person, I apologize. THAT was not the intent.
        I too, am a student (notice the ".edu"), and I recently got a full
time job to support my family while I am going to law school (maybe some
day I can help with ferret legalization and legislation.) I do not think
that I am an expert (nor am I GOD, as you asked) and anyone who thinks they
are an expert probably needs to learn more about ferrets.
        However,  I do believe, as I stated in my private e-mail to you, that
breeding a single female ferret 3 or 4 times a year is irresponsible. I
would guess that it is probably unhealthy also, but since I am not a vet,
I will not comment on that aspect. You are absolutely right that a female
ferret will die if she is not taken out of season.  But just because a
female comes into season does not mean that she needs to, or should be
impregnated. In the e-mail you sent me, you stated that,
 
        "Nature is nature, it happens and I don't tamper with it.
        If a female is not ready to have another litter, she
        will either not go into heat or will have a false pregnancy."
 
The first sentence is the irresponsible part; the second sentence I doubt is
true. Ferrets are domesticated and are dependent upon man for their needs.
This includes being man being responsible for breeding. Look what has
happened with the unrestrained breeding of dogs and cats.  Animal
control destroys millions of animals every year because of unrestrained
breeding. About the second part, I have seen ferrets in terrible shape
health-wise go into season.
        The common ways that females can be taken out of season are by
breeding, drugs, or with a sterile male. Most breeders keep a vasectomized
male on hand to take female ferrets out of season. If you are going to be
breeding ferrets, you should have a vasectomized male(s) or be ready to
pay big $$ to the vet to use drugs to take females out of season after
they have had their litter.  Since our local shelter gets so many
ferrets, they have 7 vasectomized males to take the females out of season.
They need 7 because the males, like the females are seasonal breeders and
the two don't always coincide.
        You are probably wondering, as would those people on the East Coast,
why and how the local shelter could have such a problem that they require
7 vasectomized males.  The answer is simple: Pet stores.  The pet stores
in the Northwest sell ferrets that are not neutered or spayed. From my
understanding, many areas of country (especially on the East Coast) require
that the pet stores sell kits already neutered or spayed.  It is well
documented that early neuter and spay causes problems. However, we have a
terrible problem in the Northwest with "backyard breeders" that get into
breeding thinking that they can turn a quick profit. They buy unaltered
animals at the pet store, breed them, and sell them to anyone they can.
        Consequently, the shelter gets many ferrets that are too old to be
breeders or simply unwanted. So, selling unaltered ferrets is good for the
animal but bad in the long run.  Other people will start "backyard breeding"
and soon your area will need a shelter that can support >200 ferrets at a time,
just like our shelter is forced to deal with. Our shelter had to go
nationwide in an appeal for help last year because we could not afford to
take care of 210 shelter ferrets.  I only hope it never happens that this
country has to start euthanizing healthy ferrets because of overpopulation.
The solution: neutering and spaying.  When the animal is too young when sold
to be altered, requiring a deposit that would be refunded when the animal is
altered at the appropriate age would be one solution.
        I also told you that selling to pet stores is irresponsible.
All pet stores are trying to make a profit (that's why they are in
business) and therefore will sell to any person willing to pay money,
whether they are fit to be a ferret owner (or any other animal owner) or not.
And, even though a buyer may have a heart of gold, they may not know enough
that there is a problem until it's too late. (I could cite several
examples here.) Therefore, the "personalized" attention is lacking.  The
pet store you are selling to may be an exception, however there is nothing
as good as meeting the new owner face-to-face, screening, and educating
them before the sale, not after.
        Every week when I spend up to 8 hours helping at the shelter.  Last
year, I spent more than 600 hours at the shelter cleaning cages & other
tasks, even while working part time and going to law school.  Look into the
eyes of a shelter ferret, especially one that will probably never get a home
because it is too old. That's when I get angry at those people who
contribute to the problem. That's also why I've taken 10 of the ferrets
home with me; most of them were "hard to place."
        If you had said that you breed ferrets (one litter per year per
female) and sell them personally to the public after screening potential
buyers, that is responsible breeding; you would not have heard a peep
from me. I stand by my statements.
 
        -Carla Almaraz
 
 
[Posted in FML issue 1015]