It always makes me mad when I see ferrets for sale in pet stores that are
unaltered (and undescented, though that's not as important).  There's a
pet store in and around Portland, OR, that has done this before--Scamp's.
There's several things awful about this: The pet store personnel are in no
way knowledgable enough to make someone understand how difficult and
expensive it is to breed ferrets.  And when they sell these little "whole"
creatures...they're cheap!!!  At least, compared to a corrected and
descented ferret.  I bought my youngest, Sybil, from ScampUs precisely b/c
she was one of those "39.95" unaltered/undescented critters (I didn't want
her going to someone who might not have her fixed--as it is, she had six
brothers and sisters).  It cost me $160, and that didn't include descenting
(though it did include the wrong blood test and price--her spaying should
have cost $120).  With her original price, it actually cost me more to buy
her in this condition than if she had been spayed and descented before sold
to the public.  When I think of all the cats and dogs that get sold
unaltered and wind up having litters...it scares me to think of what will
happen to these ferrets if they fall into the hands of someone who doesn't
want to take that extra step (and extra money).
 
Speaking of Scamp's...I went in there last week and was confronted with 7
baby ferrets in a 2 ft by 3 ft cage, with two extra 1/2 layers (and nothing
on them), broken ladders btwn the layers, unprotected wire floors, *two*
knocked over (and empty) food dishes and a litter box in the middle of the
already cramped cage.  One ferret was frantically trying to dig at the food
that had fallen under the floor (w/o much success).  I told two employees,
and both said "we fill up their food bowl and they knock it over.  Every
time".  And then didn't *do anything*.  I told them they could use a heavy
ceramic dog bowl, chances are the ferrets will move it around but won't
knock it over.  I also told them they could put enough shavings under the
wire so it reached up to the wire, so if they knocked any food over it
wouldn't fall through.  I hung around twenty minutes before someone fed
them again.  They followed my advice about the food bowl, though rather
reluctantly.  The manager glared at me.  I have to wonder...isn't it in
Scamp's best interest to present their ferrets in a clean, spacious area
with enough food and water and kept-up litter box?  Aren't they selling
them for $179 (these are MF ferrets)?  While I was there one ferret jumped
to the top 1/2 level and pooped in a corner, which landed on a pile of
ferrets sleeping.  I told Scamp's that too but they didn't seem to care
about that either.  Ugh.
 
Minta
[Posted in FML issue 2736]