I was going to stay quiet about this but I have gotten really angry.  I was
in Petco this weekend, inevitably I walked up to the ferret cadge and was
looking at the babies in there.  I struck up a conversation with an
associate and he mentioned that they had a "big" ferret in the back.  The
guy took me to him, the fuzzy was in an aquarium all by himself with 1 toy.
 
The associate then says that this ferret bites and that is why he is back
here.  That they have had him for a month and this is the little guys last
week in the store.
 
I carried around the fuzzy for a while (and sure enough he bit hard) I asked
the guy what happens to a ferret if they cant sell it, and he had me talk to
the manager who said that they send them back to the farm (they are not MF
ferrets) "so what happens then" I asked do "they send the ferrets to a
rescue or what?"
 
He kind of shrugged and said that he was pretty sure that they were "put
down, or sent to a lab".
 
Another associate said to me that he doesn't think that the ferrets make it
to the van and implied that they break the necks of the unwanted ferrets
outside the store (I am not making this up).
 
The manager was completely unresponsive to the idea of sending them to a
shelter because he gets a credit when he sends back unwanted ferrets.
 
I then asked about educating people with a flyer or something before they
buy a ferret that way people know what they are getting into.  Again he was
unresponsive said that I would have to call the corporate headquarters to
get an ok to put a flyer on the cadge.
 
I ended up buying the ferret for a pretty good deal because I am associated
with the thee GCSFA (ferret association) and I will foster him until he
calms down.  As it turned out I am pretty sure that the little guy is deaf
and that is why he bites.  I am just so angry that the Mgr..  was so willing
to send him to his death, he took my number and kind of gave me an eye roll
when I said that I wanted to know about all unwanted ferrets that come
through the store.
 
Does anyone else have and experience like this?  Is it true do they really
kill the unsold ferrets.  About a month ago someone mentioned a petition
against Petco and selling ferrets ( I went on vacation and I dont know what
became of the Idea).  Is this something all ferret farms do (I really don't
know it the pet store has any say in what happens to a ferret once it leaves
the store)?  Please tell me it isn't true.  Am I just being naive?
 
Kirstin in PHOENIX
 
P.S. I think we will call him Ben and he terrorizes ... oops I mean, gets
along fabulously with both my cats and my ferrets. He is a happy healthy 3
month old :)
[Posted in FML issue 2392]