Pyrthrines can cause poisoning in humans.  Get out my herb post with info
from the related PDR just a week, or two, or three ago.  Last year, think
it was, one FML member had something like 8 ferrets die of this suspected
poisoning.
 
Well, I seem to recall that someone posted a reply from MF that they do
BOTH the ears and toes.  That's because there were others duplicating their
tattoos and then selling non-MFs as MFs, just as there were ones passing
along fake MF guarantee papers; then when these were badly inbred back-yard
breeder ferrets MF wound up holding the bag.  Have to have BOTH tattoos
(ear and toes) to be MFs, I gather.  Oh, and last I heard their facilities
are in N.Y.  only; I recall someone said that a store said that they had
Florida-bred MFs.  Unless things have changed that would be pretty hard to
do.
 
Anonymous wrote:
>Out of nowhere?  How much experience do these people have?  Should they
>be breeding?  Didn't this list JUST have a big brouhaha about backyard
>breeders, mill breeders, and hobby breeders?  And this is OK?  I just don't
>understand ...
>And all these ferrets they are getting - have they all been ADV tested?
>Are they ECE positive or negative?  Do they know?  Do they know what ADV
>or ECE is?  Do they care?
 
Those are actually very good questions (as were some of the other ones in
her/his post).  We have a situation mentioned in which the established
breeders are just becoming aware of possible health problems and possible
reductions in longevity in certain fancies.  How aware will newcomers be?
How able to trace the lines for health and longevity will newcomers be?
We all know that new people with pet ferrets often have difficulty even
spotting health problems for the first few years of having older ones --
even when they only have two or three ferrets at first; imagine having
one's attention spread among so very many (hundreds) while not knowing
the animals themselves.  I don't know the people involved, but if this
situation is correct as portrayed then it is very likely to become a really
huge time bomb.  Yes, it scares me as portrayed.  Heck, there are enough
things already wrong with the existing factory-sized breeders, but at least
they KNOW and have EXPERIENCE with health aspects so can catch problems
early enough.  If it's as described then it's possibly bad on bad.
 
Lot of "ifs" in there, but thtey have to be till enough is known.
 
Simple fact of the matter is that having show champs means NOTHING except
that the ferrets are pretty.  Now, think of the human beauty kings and
queens you have read about who died young.  Beauty means NOTHING in
relation to health and longevity.  People who have their ferrets ion their
families to share love with them need to ask about the important things and
put looks farther down the line.  I don't care WHICH breeder is involved:
health, longevity, and personality come first.
[Posted in FML issue 3207]