>From:    Ben Wilborn <[log in to unmask]>
>I don't understand some of you people.  When a solution for one person is
>the best thing for them, (declawing) YOU think it is a sin.  When YOUR
>fuzzy bites to the Bone, YOU think it is ok, because they were scared or
>you mistreated them.... I am getting real tired of people bashing others on
>here about how they take care of there ferrets.... I get the feeling that
>many people treat there ferrets better than their own children, which is
>totally sick.... So to all the people that think declawing is bad, are you
>against the tattoo of 2 dots in the ear, because that hurts them, and how
>about giving them shots, because that hurts them, and how about getting
>them spaid and neutered, does that hurt them???  ...
 
Ben,
 
There is a huge difference between being a responsible care giver, and
unnecessary mutilation for the convenience of the care giver.  Declawing is
not a solution to the problem of ferrets digging at the carpet.  In fact,
declawing totally ignores the ferret's problem.  Ferrets dig because they
are bored, and digging gives them something to do.  It is as simple as
that.  And the solution is as simple as redirecting their curiosity, either
by providing them with something else to hold their interest, or by
covering the spot where they have been digging.
 
Declawing is a lazy solution to the problem of the human care giver.  They
don't have to take the time to figure out why a particular spot has
attracted the ferret's fascination, and expend the time and effort to
redirect the ferret's behavior.  There is a huge difference between a
responsible treatment that may briefly hurt, and the deliberate mutilation
of a ferret.  Neutering and spaying is a part of providing responsible
care for a ferret not in a breeding program.  Annual vaccinations have the
potential to hurt briefly, but they provide protection against disease
which can lead to painful death to the ferret.  Even the quick injection
of a dye into the cartilidge of the ear during the tattooing process may
briefly hurt, but it cannot be compared to the needless mutilation caused
by the amputation of a ferret's toes.  While one can find vets willing to
declaw a ferret, that does not automatically mean the procedure is right or
ethical.
 
As for biting and discipline.  Animals do not bite without justification.
That justification may not always be readily apparent to the human
receiving the bite, but there is a reason for it.  Biting can be the
result of poor socialization, and the ferret doesn't realize that a ferret
invitation to play can cause injury to the more delicate flesh of a human.
Biting can also be a symptom of illness or injury.  It is the ferret's way
of letting those around him/her know "I am in pain, leave me alone."  Biting
can also be the result of long term abuse, the bite is a preemptive strike.
They key is to use reason to discover the cause of the biting behavior and
correct it.  Unsocialized ferrets can be taught good manners.  Ill ferrets
can receive vetrinary treatment, and abused ferrets can be rehabilitated
with time and patience.  Hitting, or inflicting a physical punishment is
not a responsible solution to a bite incident.  Physical punishment usually
encourages biting.  Hitting as a form of discipline --whether the pet is a
domestic ferret or a doberman pinscher -- is not a solution to the biting
problem, it is a reaction that solves nothing.  The key to providing
responsible care -- for ferrets, doberman pinschers, or even children -- is
for the care giver to learn that it is necessary to respond to the needs of
the pet or child receiving the care, rather than to react to a symptom.
 
Scott and the Mustilid Mob
Jopal Ferret Haven
[Posted in FML issue 2465]