Many thanks to those who were brave enough to respond to my request for
information on breeding practices.  Hopefully more opinions will be
expressed.
 
I am not a breeder and I don't run a shelter, so I am relying on those that
do to give honest answers from their experience.  I am not against breeding
as a hobby, everyone needs a hobby, but I am concerned about the monetary
and human resources that I have personally observed being poured into a
shelter that insists breeding is a money-making venture that is esstential
to operate the shelter.  I want to make sure that the statement "you can't
make money breeding ferrets" doesn't mean "you can't make a living breeding
ferrets" rather than, as I suspected, "you can't make a PROFIT breeding
ferrets", at least in the long run.  I hope to eventually convince the
shelter operator of this seemingly undeniable fact.
 
To clarify one point: the breeding practise standard that referred to age at
which kits find homes was trying to get at how breeders make sure they do
not produce more kits than they can sell before the kits grow into adults.
Do you have a "waiting list" of kit requests before you breed?  Do you space
the litters throughout the year (avoid having several females raising kits
at the same time)?
 
             -Inquisitive Ferret Friend
[Posted in FML issue 2027]