FERRET-SEARCH@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG
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Wed, 6 Aug 1997 13:32:06 -0400 |
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Dear Annonymous Inquisitive Ferret Friend,
I'll be happy to share my view.
>Everyone always insists "you can't make money breeding ferrets", unless of
>course you are a mass breeder such as Path Valley or Marshall Farms. Does
>anyone disagree with this statement?
I don't disagree - I agree, there is not profit in small hobby breeding.
>The reason I ask is I know there are a lot of people that run shelters that
>also breed ferrets "on-the-side", but is this considered a hobby or as a
>legitimate form of fund raising?
Hobby
>...how many breeders do you have compared to shelter ferrets and how many
>kits are produced per year?
myself - 2-3 jills, producing 1 litter a year if they are in the mood.
Shelter ferrets used to number 10-20 per month, 150 per year.
>Do you seperate the costs of your breeding ferrets from the shelter
>ferrets, and not just lump all care and supplies together?
No
>Do you physically keep your breeding ferrets seperate from the shelter
>ferrets (in a different room, for example)?<
Yes
>Are your breeders considered pets (and get that special interaction with
>you that pets get) or are they more of an investment?
Pets, and spoiled rotten
>When you list you shelter numbers, do you include breeders and pets, or
>just list the actual shelter animals?
Adoption numbers included kits sold, because I adopted them out under the
same contract as my shelter ferrets, with the exception of the followup for
spay/neutering. Take in numbers included breeder ferrets, because if after
they were retired from breeding, and did not get along socially with my
altered pets, I would adopt them out. You can only keep so many ferrets
depending on your lifestlye, and i felt it was better for solitary ferrets
to be in single ferret homes.
>1. Only breeding ferrets that are not "nippy" -
YES
>2. Only breeding ferrets with known backgrounds and acquired specifically
> for breeding (not individuals that have come in as shelter ferrets) -
YES
>3. Following the health of kits and curtailing the breeding of lines that
> have shown medical problems -
YES
>4. All kits are sold to good homes before they are ___ age -
NOT REALLY.
>5. Breeders and their kits are cleaned and handled daily -
YES
>6. Kits are left with their mother for ____ weeks before they are sold -
8 TO 10 WEEKS
>7. Kits are sterilized at an appropriate age - YES
>8. Breeders are retired after a certain age and become your pets or are
> adopted out. -
YES
Pam Grant
[Posted in FML issue 2026]
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