OK I talked directly to the man who is advertising the free breeding
ferrets.  He is located near Sidney, MI, which is NE of Grand Rapids and NW
of Lansing.  This is the same person referred to in posts by Troy Lynn and
Sam.
 
I could not get him to say how many he had to begin with or how many are
left, but he did say there were still "plenty to choose from".  He is
giving them away as "breeding trios", 2 males and one female.  After the
first litter with one male, you can breed female offspring to the second
male to avoid inbreeding.  He told me about 12 trios had gone out today,
and a similar number were being picked up tomorrow.
 
While it is true this man does not want assistance in placing the ferrets,
it also appears to be true that the numbers are fairly high.  Perhaps that
250 pair was not a misprint (though he told me it was wrong.)  But giving
out 24 or so trios in 2 days is a lot of ferrets.
 
This whole situation bothers me so much I hardly know what to say.  As
someone who runs a shelter in another state where whole ferrets are not
that difficult to find, we see first hand the results of failed attempts by
people who think breeding would be fun or profitable.  We get in the males
kept alone in the garage because they stink, the sick jills who have been
in heat too long, the unwanted litters of nippy kits.
 
Nor do I know what we as members of the ferret community can do.  I only
hope those people getting these free ferrets will take the time to learn
how to properly care for them, and will decide to keep them as pets rather
than breeders.
 
Linda Iroff
Raisin Retreat Ferret Shelter
Oberlin, OH
http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html
[Posted in FML issue 2554]