I almost hate to keep this going, mostly because I don't believe in
complaining about something you can't fix.  On the other hand, as I've
suggested before, federal legislation prohibiting the transport of ferrets
(maybe adding them specifically to current regs.)seem worthy of a try.
Kansas City has recently been "blessed" with several Petco stores.
 
They bought out Pet Care Superstores and others.  Some are more responsible
than others - depending on the character and knowledge of current staff.  A
few months ago we received a baby ferret that a member had found ill in a
Petco display area.  An employee had allowed our insistent member to take
it for vet.  care.  Despite our best efforts, and those of a kind emergency
vet, the baby died.  Our own vet found distemper at autopsy.  We
immediately notified the Petco store so that the other babies could be
examined and so that people who purchased others in the group could be
notified.  Petco's response?  NIL.  They don't keep records of who buys
their animals so they certainly couldn't do any notifiying.  None of the
others were sick and so the one that died probably got it from the CD
vaccine, they said, and of course nobody had said anything about actually
PAYING the vet bills we incurred.
 
A second, more recent, incident.  A woman called us, very distressed
because she had bought a baby ferret at the same Petco and now her older
ferret was having nasty, green, poop, was refusing to eat or drink.  Her
vet was sure he had aquired the ECE virus.  Could this cute little baby
have given it to him?  Well, probably, yes.  Management at Petco refused to
take any responsibility for the situation.  Their displays are often left
open, despite obviously available locks, and people handle the ferrets
babies at will.  If the baby didn't pick up the ECE in transit he could
easily have gotten from some well intentioned ferret fancier who was
enamoured of him.
 
Both babies came from Triple F farms.  Petco reports that Marshall Farms
can't keep up with their demand for baby ferrets and so they have to buy
from other breeders and distributors.  Any day now they will probably
discover the nasty Missouri breeder who delivers babies with eyes closed,
stitches in their tummies, uterine remnents, and in two cases we have
doccumented, sutured ureters.  How pleased Petco will be to buy from him
as he delivers on demand and charges $5 to $10 less per baby.
 
Some Petco employees really do try to educate the people who buy their
ferrets, and one Petco store that we know of does keep track of who buys
their babies.  Unfortunatley Petco tends to hire young people who really
don't know much about ferrets and who leave as soon as they can get a job
that pays more than $4.50/hr.  We are happy to provide education for staff
and literature for purchasers.  Sometimes we are welcomed, often we are not.
 
Bobbi, Shelter Directress and Benign Despot, KC Ferret Hotline
[Posted in FML issue 2586]