At the risk of being a party pooper, I have to totally agree with
Steve. He has hit the nail on the head and what he is saying is EXACTLY
what will happen. Whenever a movie has been made about a cute animal
it has not boded well for that animal. Everyone wants one because they
are cute. The kids are going to pester for one and in this instant
gratification/throw away society that we live in, the parents will get
it for them without a thought.

I work in an animal hospital and I can't tell you the influx of
Dalmatians after 101 Dalmatians, the influx of Chihuhuas after Beverly
Hill Chihuahua etc. No research was ever given to the purchase and now
you have all of these people saying we didn't know Dalmatians could be
deaf or some bite, or lots of Chihuahuas bite and so they are dumped
on shelters. Whatever the latest craze is people are ready to get one
and just as ready to drop it off at a shelter when it is not quite what
they thought it would be. If pet stores can't keep them in stock, it
will only be supporting the big ferret farms.

Another repercussion is everyone who thinks they can make a buck off of
the new craze will set up shop as a breeder. You will have unsocialized
ferrets giving ferrets a bad rap and then the chain reaction you will
have unaltered ferrets going to people who plan to create their own
little money making operation.The only ones who will suffer will be
the ferrets and the shelters they are dumped on.

Let's face it, ferrets ARE irresistibly cute. Who is not going to want
one when they see all of the cute things that they do? They may even
shell out several hundred initially to get one. Then what? Aside from
the kids getting tired of it. What happens when they realize they
are not hamsters to be kept in a cage or aquarium or that they need
veterinary care and that it can be costly? Or the ferret gets adrenal
or insulinoma or one of the many other things they can get? They will
be dumped. As far as helping the CA effort you just might shoot
yourself in the foot there if they have a big influx of illegal ferrets
that need to be dumped it may undermine all of the hard work that
people have done to try to get them legalized. 18k could help a lot of
ferrets already stuck in shelters with no hope of getting a forever
home. How sad is that? I am sorry, again I have to agree with Steve. I
don't think this is a very good idea. Cute, yes, fun yes, but are we
really ready for the repercussions?

[Posted in FML 7451]