I know I should not even get involved in this, but........ I am a small
hobby breeder and I see the point of both sides. I also manage a veterinary
hospital, so I get to see it all. There is NO money in breeding animals of
any type, unless you mass produce them, or give them less than quality
care. If you are making a profit, you are doing SOMETHING wrong. If you
mass produce them, unless you are wealthy and can afford a full time staff,
I do not see how you can possibly take care of them, and socialize them
properly. When you breed animals, you have to realize you are creating a
life and you are responsible for that life, from beginning to end. If you
place that animal and find out later you made a mistake or it is not being
properly cared for, I believe it is your responsibility to get the animal
back. I stay up until 3-4 AM taking care of mine every day and then have
a full time job. They take precedence over social affairs, vacations and
sometimes sleep. I am not a martyr, I do not expect sainthood. It is my
choice, but I firmly believe my animals are my responsibility. They did
not ask to be born, I brought them here and it is up to me to take care of
them.
You do not have to feed gold to come to the amount Sam does per week just
the proper diet.I go well over that price easily and probably more on
litter as I will only use Feline Pine. My ferrets also get cooked meat
and some get spring water, so that cost is factored in.
Ferrets are not easy animals to breed. A few C- sections or other medical
problems and you can really run up some major vet bills. There is the cost
of vaccinating all the kits and whatever else may happen in between. They
can catch colds and other things just like children. People who want to
breed should ask themselves some basic questions. Can you afford it?
Factor all the what if's in to decide this. Find out ahead of time what
your vet charges for different things. Figure ferrets can have anywhere
from 1-15 kits in a litter. Can you keep them all if you do not sell them?
I do not agree that we do not need genetic diversity, we do. However, even
with extensive planning and research, things can and do go wrong
occasionally, nature is funny that way. Can you afford to neuter and keep
any that may be less than perfect ? If you HAVE TO sell them, then you
should not be breeding them. I do not take in rescues, but that is so that
I always have the ability to take back my own, at any time and for any
reason.
I seem to have the opposite problem. I DO ask for a vet reference, and I
DO check references. I am told I am way too picky about choosing homes
for my ferrets. Oh well, I bred them and it is my prerogative. I do not
believe in placing them anywhere or with anyone just to sell them. I do
not HAVE to sell them. If I find great homes I will and if I don't, then
they stay. The price of selling an entire litter of kits will never come
close to the price of caring for one. If you cannot comfortably deal with
that, then you are breeding for all the wrong reasons and should not be
doing so. Lastly, it seems that no matter what anyone writes on this list
someone takes offense or finds something to flame about. If this strikes
anyone that way, feel free. Do so privately though, so you do not waste
everyone else's time here.
Pat Stauffer
Weasels
http://pages.prodigy.net/staufferp/
[Posted in FML issue 2791]
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