>From:    yanivr <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Kitten food bad?
 [and]
>From:    Michelle Graffam <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: (RE:Food for F'rets,) OOOOPPS!
 [and]
>From:    Dawn Gsoell <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Thelma and Laweasel are eating wierd stuff
 
Kitten food is better for ferrets in general than cat food.  High grade cat
is better than bad kitten food perhaps but from the same manufacturer the
felince growth or kitten foods more closely match the need of ferrets than
cat foods.  The better ferret foods are better than the kitten foods but
their are no real clear distinctions.  The better cat and kitten foods
though are better than the worse ferret foods.  To make it even more
confusing - some ferrets do better on different foods than other ferrets.
You just have to know your own ferrets.  Some folks with lots of ferrets
chose to mix foods.  THis is probably a real good idea.  Those with fewer
ferrets (like 1 or 2) might be better off with less mixing if they don't go
through the food fast enough for it to stay real fresh.
 
Oh and Clarance from Warm Fuzzy is a good bright man.  (okay and a friend of
ours) They special made an extra super large harness for our "Fat Elvis the
Las Vegas Years".
 
>From:    Anthony Smith <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Ferret Health Questions
>Is it normal for an albino to turn a little shade of orange on the base of
>the tail or is this a sign something is wrong?
 
This is that terrifying <grin> condition known as "new hair coming in".
Sables tend to look blueish.
 
>From:    "Monkey, Kona, Two, and Mitz Schlossberg" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Help! worried!
 
Not trying to really contradict but clarify... We agree on discouragin
breeding but not absolutely.
 
>Please don't breed them.  For one you will have a hard time finding them
>unfixed.
 
Well not really.  Depends upon where you live.  We see more whole than
altered ferrets but thats because we hang out with other breeders and the
like.
 
>There are already alot of hobby breeders ( breeders who aren't a large
>company).  They do NOT make a real profit.
 
In some areas yes.  In other areas no.  But there is no money in breeding
at less than ranch scale.  We "lose" more on our ferret business than most
people make but we do far more than most breeders too (but not more
breeding - weird how that works)
 
>If a ferret isn't bred it can DIE.
 
Jills only When they go into to estrus if not bred (or "false bred with
hormones or vasectomized hob) they can get aplastic anemia and die.  The
odds in testing were at least 50% not something you'd gamble against.
 
>And it is in season ALL spring and summer.
 
Hobs only AND THEY STINK while in season.  No really I mean they smell bad.
Bathing in urine is part of it.  There are ways to reduce it though.
 
>This means you have to fix each baby (approx $100), and ferrets only sell
>for $150 max.  Then you have to get each it's first distemper shot.
 
Jills getting spayed ranges from we think as low as $50 but rarely that low
to over $100.  Hobs getting castrated ranges from $25 (again rarely) to
maybe $75.  Thats when its simple cases.
 
Ferrets prices vary drastically.  Anywhere from $25 (thats scary!) to $400
or more for true exotics with special pedigrees.  The average price though
is basically $100 to $150.  The cost of getting the ferret to that age
though is quite significant.  The wholesale price for a ferret from a ranch
seems to hover somewhere from $60 to $75.  Varies by region mostly.
 
The more "reputable" hobby breeds wait until a kit is 12 or more weeks old
and supply all three kit shots.  8, 11 and 14 is normal so the kits
sometimes come back for the last shot.
 
>There are already plenty of ferrets to fit the demand.
 
Depends upon the region.  Some places have incredible shortages.  Some
don't.  Some shelters that have trouble placing kits and generate huge
populationss are those that are extremely picky on adopters.  Part of the
price of being so picky is having fewer qualified applicants - but that is
not necessarily a bad thing.  One can be too picky or one can be not picky
enough.
 
Other shelters with huge populations are those that like the GCFA shelter
work as a collective rather than a lot of isolated shelters.  In their case
(its not the only one) they have large numbers but its because they serve
such a large region and are the equivalent on numerous smaller shelters.
The DC area for example has mostly smaller shelters so the population is
spread over a lots of places.
 
We still think of shelters in this area (DC) as redistributing the ferrets
rather than housing an overpopulation as they have high turnover rates.
Most pet stores in the area can place all the ferrets they get and most of
the breeders (even some we'd avoid) place all the kits they can breed.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1945]