I have a question about the Ferret Show that I attended on Dec. 4th and 5th
in New Carrollton, MD.  I want to first say that it was my first show and I
had a wonderful time and I very much enjoyed putting a face with the post
on FML.  It was very informative, everyone was so nice and it was very well
organized.
 
Now my question.  There was a hob and a jill for sale at the ferret show.
I was concerned when I saw this but quickly assumed that you needed a
breeders license to purchase them.  Is this true or can anyone purchase a
hob and a jill without a license.  My concern is for the ferret.  I know
nothing about breeding but what if I thought since I love ferrets that I
would be a good breeder, but I knew nothing about the care that the jill
needed with diet and didn't know anything about how to care for the kits,
say if one was rejected by the mother or their were complications during
birth, or didn't realize the costs associated with breeding and couldn't
care for any of them anymore all at the cost of the ferrets wellbeing.
 
The response that I hope to get would be "Yes, you need a breeder license
to purchase hobs and jills and they are not sold to just anyone".  I am
sure that this is the case since this show was sponsored by AFA whose one
of many missions is to control the population of ferrets so that the
shelters are not overpopulated assuming (hoping) that the ferret would
make it that far.
 
Please respond.
 
Anna, Belle & Tigger
[Posted in FML issue 2525]