>From:    Angel Howse <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: about breeding
 
NOTE: This is not a direct response to Angel, only a jumping off point for
comments regarding similar responses.  Comparing dogs and ferrets isn't
necessarily correct unless you also note than dogs (and cats) are striving
to reach the point that ferrets have already achieved.  Pet ferrets achieve
levels of neuter/spay that the animal welfare groups are striving to
achieve.  Unwanted dogs and cats are put down everyday.  Unwanted ferrets
are handled mostly in the private sector and are not put down because of
numbers.  To the best of our knowledge all ferret shelters are "no kill"
because there are few enough strays.  Bob Barker would be proud of the
ferret owners for this (if he knew - maybe he does!)
 
Now before you (to quote our youngest daughter) "get your panties in a
bunch", let me explain how we arrived at the idea that there are "few
enough" in shelters.  Unfortunately just as there will always be some 5% of
the human adult population unemployed (in a stable economy) there will
always be situations where a small percent of the ferret population
experiences a homeless state.  Using information from the USDA report on MF,
MF places some 80,000 ferrets a year into the country.  Let's assume that
these 80,000 ferrets a year are the only ferrets in the country.  Most
shelters seem to take in dozens of ferrets a year (approximately).  Some
shelters can and do take in 100+ a year.  So we'll use 50 ferrets/shelter a
year as an average.  Most lists of shelters come up with approximately 50 or
so shelters in the U.S.  and Canada.  So again let's assume some 50 ferrets
get into some 50 shelters each year for a total of about 2500 ferrets a year
in shelters.  2,500 is just over 3% of the 80,000 ferret population each
year.  In reality there are more than 80,000 ferrets in the country every
year since there are other breeders, large ranches such as Path Valley, etc.
contributing to this number.  This percentage would then be lower with a
larger number of ferrets in existence each year.  When you look at the "big
picture" this cannot be viewed as a major problem.  Yes it is a problem, but
not a "major" problem.
 
We all have a tendency to look at it on a closer, personal level since we're
very attached to our pets.  We have trouble accepting the idea that a ferret
is unwanted or homeless.  Therefore even one ferret in a shelter is too
many.  All of us should continue to support our local shelters.  We should
always consider adopting from a shelter as an alternative to buying a kit
from a pet store or adopting a kit from a breeder.  Education is the key
here.  Educating the public on the idea of adopting from local shelters.
Educating the public about ferrets in general.  A good number of ferrets we
see in our shelter each year are due to impulse buying; same reason a lot of
dogs and cats end up in shelters.  If people would only realize the
commitment of time, money and above all love that goes into the purchase of
a pet and really think about what they're getting themselves into
beforehand, the numbers of animals in the shelters would diminish.
 
Responsible breeding can also be effectively accomplished through education.
We actively discourage "random" breeding of a single litter.  By educating
people of the many problems which can be associated with ferret breeding we
are finding that more and more people are being discouraged from this
practice.  Just learning that there can be a typical 20% mortality rate in
litters is enough to convince some people this is not for everyone.  Add in
the real possibility of losing the jill and even more will think twice.  For
those people who want to have a litter so their kids can experience life I
sure hope they're just as prepared to explain death because there's a strong
possibility both will be witnessed.
 
>From:    "March, Jim" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Great outdoors?
>This argument just plain doesn't wash: proto-ferts such as the European
>Polecat were rabbit >eaters, but they didn't just *eat* the rabbits...they
>lived in the burrows for days after a kill..
 
I don't believe rabbit hunting was or is as simple as walking 15 feet to a
new burrow.  That would be one heck of a lot of rabbits.  Nomadic roaming is
not the same as condo hopping from rabbit warren to rabbit warren.  Rabbits
in Europe don't live like rabbits in the US.  They have larger warrens, more
like prarie dog towns than like single burrows.  A polecat would be able to
run in to a warren but the rabbits would get out pretty quickly.  Most would
escape.  Being warren colony type situations the rabbits would likely not
set up a new warren only a few feet away.  James McKay in his books on
English ferrets discusses the polecats and their habits as well as rabbit
hunting and ferreting.
 
>In outdoor cages, ferts canNOT manage their temperature nearly as well as
>their wild cousins in burrows.
 
I've been to several ranches.  Ferret hutches, like rabbit and mink hutches
are designed to be as close to ideal for the animals as possible.  If a
ranch was to totally abuse the animals to the point of letting them die due
to heat or cold they would go out of business.  Not a sound business
practice.  Ferret ranches have been at this for hundreds of years.  There
just aren't as many of them in this country anymore since laws have been
passed which make hunting with ferrets illegal.  Ferrets have survived and
thrived.  Animals and humans seem to be pretty adaptable to their
environments.  Just as people who live in the northern states seem to have a
better tolerance to the colder weather than those in the southern states, so
too are the animals who spend time outdoors as opposed to only being inside.
In England the ferrets are normally housed outdoors, or at least partially
outdoors.  It has been regularly discussed here that the European ferrets
seem to be healthier and have longer lives than their U.S.  counterparts.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1717]