There's been so much discussion on the topic of commercial breeders that
I felt a need to put in my two cents.
 
The pet market has been created for the purpose of selling animals so pet
stores can make big bucks.  This, in every aspect is wrong.  There may very
well be 100,000 people that would like a ferret as a pet.  Does that mean
those 100,000 should have them?  Hell no!  This is what perpetuates the
need for rescues and shelters.  Your average Joe walks into a Petco or
similar store and sees ferrets.  Nine to twelve ferrets in a plexiglass
tank, two feet wide, 3 feet long and 2 feet high.  Well , says Joe, If this
is how the pet store displays and keeps them, then this must be how they
live.  So Joe goes home with his new pet that in all likelihood will spend
the rest of it's life in a similar enclosure.  This is not bashing.  This
is the God's honest truth.
 
I walked into a Petco (Lutherville MD by the way) and saw this.  When the
sales associate opened the tank and I put my hand in, the babies lunged for
me and I pulled my hand out with two of them hanging from my fingers and
drawing blood.  The associate then proceeded to flick the kit in the nose
in an effort to make it let go in spite of my protests to let me handle it.
Then as I stand there bleeding, she did not even offer me a band aid let
alone some sort of antiseptic.
 
I was extremely concerned over one of the kits.  It was malnourished ,
extremely under weight with a prolapsed rectum and fecal matter hanging
from it's bleeding little butt.  When I brought this to the attention of
the sales associate, he shrugged it off and said "That's common with
ferrets, they'll grow into it.  "Yeah, that may be," I said, but in the
mean time you could put some ointment or something on the area.  His
response was: Nah, we don't do that.  I can only hope that this sales
associate at some time in his life finds himself in the same situation as
this poor helpless little animal and someone treats him with the same
indignity.
 
Then I proceeded to inquire about how they're handled while they are in the
store.  I told the manager who is also in charge of the rescue area of the
store, that they're biting because they're not being handled and asked her
how often they are left out to play.  Her response?  Never.  They are put
in the tank when they get them and stay there until they are sold.  This
could go on for weeks.  Is it any wonder why so many of these animals wind
up unwanted?
 
Ferret breeding should never, ever have been extended beyond that of the
private breeder.  Everyone has heard the nightmares about Marshall Farms
and I have had my own personal nightmare with Path Valley which I will
also share with you.  I have a friend that works in a pet store so she
has information first hand.
 
Ferrets arrived at her store in October of 2000 in cramped little crates.
The crates themselves were cold, the ferrets were all sneezing and it was
obvious they d been out in the cold for an extended length of time.  Most
likely all night.  Marshall Farms ferrets arrive at the pet stores in
wooden crates with chicken wire tops that allow no head room whatsoever.
Their bedding is some type of shavings, no litter pan and pelleted food
scattered among the shavings.  Oh , they also included a tin can that I
assume had food it in before it got knocked over in the shipping process.
But hey, Path Valley ferrets come with a warranty.  Isn t that wonderful?
You can return your ferret; a living, breathing creature for a full refund.
Wanna know what happens to that ferret if it s returned to the farm?  Do
you think Path Valley is going to see that it receives medical attention?
Ha!  These animals are a product to them.  They're as disposable as a
broken blender.  They kill them.  That s exactly what they do and the
numbers must be staggering.
 
When I got my first ferret she had a cold and a prolapsed rectum.  When I
contacted the store about re-imbursement for the vet bill I was told to
just return her for my money back or another ferret.  Just return my new
baby.  This was never a consideration but out of curiosity I asked the
owner what happened to ferrets when they are returned.  That was my
question .exactly.  He became extremely irate and screamed at me over the
phone, What do you think we do, take them out back and hit them over the
head with a shovel?  Through tears, I laid out this poor excuse for a human
being.  Thanks to my big mouth he no longer carries ferrets.  And by the
way, I did email Path Valley and I asked them what they do with ferrets
that are returned under warranty and I did not even get a response.
 
I know, I know, tough question.  As far as I m concerned, one life is too
many, not to mention the staggering numbers that we re actually talking
about here.  The retail chain receives their credit, the customer receives
their money back or God forbid another ferret and everybody s happy.
Everybody but that poor little creature who s life has just been sacrificed
for the sake of the market.  It s about time that laws were passed
regarding the sale of some types of animals via pet stores and ferrets
should be at the top of the list.  They are mis-handled and mis-treated
from the time they are born to the time they are sold from the store.
And unfortunately, for many of these babies, the loving home they should
be going to will most likely turn into more neglect and/or abuse.  It s
just not fair folks and I know it s not just ferrets.
 
The number of ferret rescues springing up from these practices is all the
proof you need that excessive breeding (and in breeding) exists.  From the
time they leave the farm they are victims of ignorance and neglect.  Then
the customer comes along.  They walk out with their new pet with no more
education about the ferret than when they walked in.  The pet stores are
not ( in most cases) informing the customer about the basic care and needs
of a ferret , not to mention the projected medical expenses for the host
of diseases that ferrets are susceptible to.
 
Please don t respond to this post with accusations of bashing.  This is
not bashing.  This is truth and these are my experiences and it's about
time something is done.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read my rant.
 
Kim Fox
These comments do not reflect the opinion of the FML.
[Posted in FML issue 3474]