Things have been pretty quiet lately on the FML front.  I would like to
introduce a potentially volatile topic.  Everyone always insists "you can't
make money breeding ferrets", unless of course you are a mass breeder such
as Path Valley or Marshall Farms.  Does anyone disagree with this statement?
The reason I ask is I know there are a lot of people that run shelters that
also breed ferrets "on-the-side", but is this considered a hobby or as a
legitimate form of fund raising?  If you are fund raising, how many
breeders do you have compared to shelter ferrets and how many kits are
produced per year?
 
Do you seperate the costs of your breeding ferrets from the shelter ferrets,
and not just lump all care and supplies together?  Do you physically keep
your breeding ferrets seperate from the shelter ferrets (in a different
room, for example)?  Are your breeders considered pets (and get that special
interaction with you that pets get) or are they more of an investment?  When
you list you shelter numbers, do you include breeders and pets, or just list
the actual shelter animals?  I would like to know the views of others on
this topic.
 
My second controversial topic is I'd like to know what the minimum standards
of care are, that everyone can agree upon, to be considered an ethical
breeder.  What are some "warning signs" that things are not right?  I'm not
talking about gross negligence, such as lack of food, water or bedding, but
there must be a higher level at which the animals are given their basic
biological needs, yet are still being "abused" by the person breeding them.
 
Examples of the level of standards I am talking about are:
 
1. Only breeding ferrets that are not  "nippy"
2. Only breeding ferrets with known backgrounds and acquired specifically
   for breeding (not individuals that have come in as shelter ferrets)
3. Following the health of kits and curtailing the breeding of lines that
   have shown medical problems
4. All kits are sold to good homes before they are ___ age
5. Breeders and their kits are cleaned and handled daily
6. Kits are left with their mother for ____ weeks before they are sold
7. Kits are sterilized at an appropriate age
8. Breeders are retired after a certain age and become your pets or
   are adopted out.
 
I'm sure you have other opinions and ideas, and I want to hear them.  How
many of these standards can be violated before the ethics of the breeder
comes int question, even if they think they are doing it for a good cause
(such as making money to support a shelter)?  I do NOT want to talk about
breeding ranches.
 
Please post what you think constitutes appropriate versus inappropriate
breeding practices.
 
        - Inquisitive Ferret Friend
[Posted in FML issue 2025]