Dear Annonymous  Inquisitive Ferret Friend,
 
I'll be happy to share my view.
 
>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?
 
I don't disagree - I agree, there is not profit in small hobby breeding.
 
>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?
 
Hobby
 
>...how many breeders do you have compared to shelter ferrets and how many
>kits are produced per year?
 
myself - 2-3 jills, producing 1 litter a year if they are in the mood.
Shelter ferrets used to number 10-20 per month, 150 per year.
 
>Do you seperate the costs of your breeding ferrets from the shelter
>ferrets, and not just lump all care and supplies together?
 
No
 
>Do you physically keep your breeding ferrets seperate from the shelter
>ferrets (in a different room, for example)?<
 
Yes
 
>Are your breeders considered pets (and get that special interaction with
>you that pets get) or are they more of an investment?
 
Pets, and spoiled rotten
 
>When you list you shelter numbers, do you include breeders and pets, or
>just list the actual shelter animals?
 
Adoption numbers included kits sold, because I adopted them out under the
same contract as my shelter ferrets, with the exception of the followup for
spay/neutering.  Take in numbers included breeder ferrets, because if after
they were retired from breeding, and did not get along socially with my
altered pets, I would adopt them out.  You can only keep so many ferrets
depending on your lifestlye, and i felt it was better for solitary ferrets
to be in single ferret homes.
 
>1. Only breeding ferrets that are not  "nippy" -
   YES
>2. Only breeding ferrets with known backgrounds and acquired specifically
>   for breeding (not individuals that have come in as shelter ferrets) -
   YES
>3. Following the health of kits and curtailing the breeding of lines that
>   have shown medical problems -
   YES
>4. All kits are sold to good homes before they are ___ age -
   NOT REALLY.
>5. Breeders and their kits are cleaned and handled daily -
   YES
>6. Kits are left with their mother for ____ weeks before they are sold -
   8 TO 10 WEEKS
>7. Kits are sterilized at an appropriate age - YES
>8. Breeders are retired after a certain age and become your pets or are
>   adopted out. -
   YES
 
Pam Grant
[Posted in FML issue 2026]