Quote
>I believe that spay/neuter at such an early age is not a good thing.
>BUT, that said, I have this thought on the subject.  Dogs, cats, and
>other "pet" animals are not routinely "fixed" before sale.  We have a
>huge overpopulation problem with unwanted pets because owners won't
>spend the money to fix their animals.  If we start adopting/purchasing
>un-fixed ferrets, then I would expect that we would have two things
>happen very quickly.  First, we would have a glut of cheap ferrets and
>"free to good home" ferrets, so the pet stores could no longer charge
>$100 + per ferret.
 
Hi, this is Darrin's other half Melissa.  I just wanted to share my
thoughts on the early sterilization issue.
 
Personally, I am strongly opposed to sterilizing kits before selling
them.  My opinion is that desexing ferrets at 6 weeks of age prevents
healthy development of the kit leading to a much greater potential for
health problems as they age.  No I don't have the scientific evidence for
this statement but can only tell you from experience with our 'rat pack'.
 
Out of 10 ferrets we have 2 that have serious health issues.  One was
between 6 and 12 months old when we rescued her from a pet store, her
story would make you weep but that is a different story.  Because of her
'care' by this abhorrent person she has an enlarged spleen and a skeletal
system that our vet has never seen the likes of before in any animal.
 
The 2nd ferret was our first ever ferret and he has adrenal problems.
Now I lay the blame for him developing this problem entirely in my lap.
I was the one that wanted to get him desexed before both testicles had
descended.  One testicle had just broken through and the other was about
2cm (3/4 inch) away from completing its journey as well.  All of our
other boys had the chance to scoot their new acquisitions on the cool
linoleum floor, some going through an entire season, others didn't get
the chance to leave 'snail trails'.  The point is these boys are all
healthy robust individuals with no aggressive tendencies.
 
Again I have no scientific evidence for my thoughts but I equate
sterilizing a kit at anything less than 6 months of age to that of
sterilizing a human before reaching puberty.  Even when adult humans
are sterilized that testicles and ovaries remain intact because of the
function they perform in our health and when they are removed medications
and supplements are prescribed to continue these functions.  I know what
I am saying is extremely simplistic but it is just commonsense.
 
Now I am not saying that when we sterilize ferrets that we should not
desex them, just that we should at least wait until they have become
adults.
 
So how do we overcome the problem of irresponsible owners and cardboard
box kits.  Rather than make it law to desex ferrets before they are
sold to the public, make it law that the ferrets are sold with prepaid
desexing certificates.  This would make the kit initially more expensive
but the new owner would have already paid for the desexing and will have
reduced future veterinary expenses by allowing the ferret to reach
adulthood, potentially preventing some illnesses.
 
Yes ferrets would be more expensive, but personally I would rather see
kits sold for $250 or more with a prepaid desexing voucher than for $100
already desexed.
 
In my experience when pet store customers see the higher price of those
extra cute tiny bundles of fluff they are less likely to buy a kit on
impulse.  The higher price of babies would also make abandoned ferrets
that have found their way to shelters more appealing to first time owners
as they are generally less expensive and have already been desexed.  Also
a shelter ferret can be matched to the human family and they have the
added benefit of experienced people passing on their knowledge and
experience to fledgling ferret slaves.
 
Hope I didn't rant too much.
Melissa
 
PS Darrin has also found that having ferrets is an excellent
mother-in-law deterrent.
[Posted in FML issue 4672]