mnoble wrote:
>Also tell them and do go to your local pet store and contact the corporate
>parent companies of the large pet chains and ask them IF they will be
>still selling ferrets to please consider getting their ferrets from a
>different supplier like Path Valley or another breeder that does not sell
>to labs.
 
I have to comment here.....I am familiar with ferret kits from Path Valley,
Triple F Farms, Marshall's, etc.  The issue of lab animals, pro or con, is
something that will never be solved here on the FML, so really shouldn't be
brought up.
 
However, there are reasons *to* sell MF ferrets.  Of all the commercial
breeders, MF ferrets have 1.  The greatest color varieties, and more
importantly, 2.  have the most even disposition.  Path and Triple F kits
are very aggressive and take a bit more work to bite train.  From a pet
store point of view, this is important..customers want to hold an animal
before they buy..if the critter draws blood, the potential customer may not
buy, not to mention the liabilities the pet store may open themselves up
to.  And something else I would bet no one has considered..if one is
handling a very aggressive kit and it latches onto a non-ferretwise person,
that kit could be thrown or tossed and injured by the person trying to
extricate his hand/finger/nose/, etc.  One may say GOOD, (Not about
injuring the ferret!) they shouldn't be selling ferrets...That is easy for
us to say, but in reality, a pet store should have every right to sell
....pets....!  The worn statement, 'go to a shelter' is well and good, but
it is only a realistic goal for those of us in the know...a new time
purchaser knows nothing of shelters or rescues.  Besides, a pet store is in
the business of selling animals, not referring business away to shelters.
And, contrary to popular belief, the majority of first time buyers ARE good
owners.  Believe me, if that weren't true, considering the numbers of
ferrets sold annually in the US and Canada, our shelters and rescues would
have many times the numbers they deal with now.
 
I think our efforts would be better served by helping pet stores by
providing sources for on-line information about ferrets for them to give
to new ferret purchasers.  We are **NOT** going to stop ferrets from being
sold in pet stores, so instead of fighting them, why not help these stores
by giving them the proper information about food, caging, grooming, toys,
harnesses, habitat issues, and emotional needs of a ferret.  If the
resources are available, pamphlets are great.  This information can then be
passed along to their customer, accurately.  We would be doing a far better
service to our ferret companions being advocates to the pet industry,
rather than being opponents.  Think about it...
 
For our ferrets!
 
MC, The Rude One
(With Garret, Snorkle, and Tuzigoot.  In spirit, Bubba and Billy-Bob)
[Posted in FML issue 2959]