Krista writes
 
> -Why does PetsMart feel as though they have to sell ferrets??  Just
> because of a high demand from their customers??
 
That's called "customer service"!  Seriously, not everyone can get
ferrets from shelters or private breeders.  There just aren't enough
of them around, and when they do exist, they may not be easy to find.
Check out the shelter list at http://www.supportourshelters.com/
Some fairly large states only have one or two listed, and some have none.
 
And even if there is a nearby shelter, not everyone wants to get a
middle age ferret that's already had surgery.  Most people want young
healthy animals, and there is nothing wrong with that.
 
Private breeders can be even harder to find.  These places aren't listed
in phone books and don't have color flyers in the Sunday papers.  And
they can't meet the demand, especially outside of the summer breeding
season.  It's even rare in most locations to find ferrets in the
classified ads, a location many look for getting dogs or cats.
 
Pet stores are a logical place for people to look for ferret kits.  If
they get enough requests, it's just not good business for the stores to
ignore it.
 
> -Why can't PetsMart just let Petco make the big mistake of selling
> ferrets??  Why do they have to join in?
 
Because Petsmart believes they can do a better job of it than other
stores.  They believe they can raise the standard for how ferrets are
sold in pet stores.  If they are successful, Petco and others may have
to follow suit.  There are two ways companies generally compete: one is
on price, the other is on quality.  Petsmart is trying for the latter.
 
> - Why is no outside help allowed, even from ferret organizations?
 
Dr. Mike did not say no outside help was allowed, but that policies
should be changed based on input from "knowledgeable sources."  If
someone unknown to the store staff walked in and said "You are doing this
wrong, you should do it this way", the staff are unlikely to listen to
what that person says, especially if that person questions the staff's
own knowledge or commitment to the animals.  (This is not to suggest
that anyone has done this!)
 
Instead, a mechanism needs to be in place for concerns to be addressed
appropriately.  One way is through the FML, since Dr. Mike is reading
this forum.  If anyone has concerns that they do not want to be posted
here, they are welcome to send them to me, any IFC member or to BIG, and
we will forward it to Dr. Mike.  Maybe Dr. Mike has other suggestions.
 
Certainly if you see anything imminently dangerous, you should bring it
to the attention of store staff in a polite and non- confrontational
manner.  For example in one of the Petsmart stores, someone noticed the
kits were chewing on a hammock and brought it to the attention of the
staff.  The hammock was replaced with different bedding.
 
For those who do visit a Petsmart store to check out their ferrets,
please remember the staff have their own jobs to do, and that is to
help all the customers.  Be polite and friendly--you catch more flies
with honey than vinegar!  And get word back to Dr. Mike on what is being
done right or wrong (remember the honey though!) :-)
 
Linda Iroff
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress/org
[Posted in FML issue 4884]