To Lauren and whoever else;
I agree absolutely with you about pet shops needing to supply more
information about ferrets (indeed-all pets) to possible buyers.  I have
worked in pet shops in Illinois, California, and England; big shops and
little, and have had lots of experience with not only ignorant customers,
but ignorant pet shop owners and managers.  (Ignorant here means lack of
knowledge, not willfull stupidity.)
 
Up-to-date, accurate info sheets on all animals that go out the door would
be a wonderful thing, but more wonderful would be knowledgable employees who
will tell the customer the truth about an animal, in order to ensure a good
and responsible home, as opposed to the employee who says what the customer
wants to hear in order to get a sale.
 
There are also pet shop owners who don't care, do whatever is cheapest for
them, and don't see to the animal's health or happiness.  Such as keep
ferrets in aquariums alone, on pine shavings, and put the spare ferret in
another such cage, in the back room, on a dark shelf.  Or keep a parrot in a
cage with no toys...(you get the idea)  I have worked for owners like that,
and it doesn't matter what you say, what proof you give, even if you offer
to do the extra work.  They don't care.
 
There are also those customers who will ask you what you think and then
argue with you on every point, saying they have a friend or relative who
does something different and THEIR animal is just fine.
 
I guess my point is that no one person or place is ever to blame for
someone's ignorance except that person who chooses not to learn.  Some of us
have tried mightily to no avail with both owners and customers, and I have
outright lied about a ferret kit to keep it from going to a person that was
very obviously not going to give it a good home.  (I just told him the kit
was too young and needed a couple more weeks, by which time a responsible
two-ferret person came in and bought it.)
 
I have offered books, pamphlets, phone numbers, etc., to which I was told,
"Maybe next week."
 
I could go on and on with specific horror stories, but I won't.  I quit
working in pet shops because I couldn't deal with the frustration.  Sorry
this went so long, but just wanted to share my perspective.  Ferret kisses
to all, Chris-owned by Willow, Smudge, Cricket, Jasmine, and Silly the long
suffering Lab
[Posted in FML issue 1360]