Chasing a moving object in play for a short while is one thing; it's totally
different when a supposedly-pro-ferret, but apparently uninformed author
tries to sell a book which teaches people (INCORRECTLY) that ferrets can
hunt and kill poultry.
 
In long term illnesses we've had the last year to last year and a half run
as high as $2,500 per ferret and know of a few who had higher expenses, so
that's a possible goal toward which to save.  Those in less expensive areas
of the country will find everything cheaper because just the land (without
structures) for the animal hospital won't cost at least $400,000 and
$12,000/year in taxes.  Practises where there aren't vets who did
specializations may cost less, too, but the vets can also be less informed,
and there may be less useful emergency equipment, or no back-up during
off-hours then so the quality of treatment for non-typical pets can suffer.
(Hey, if you had a quarter million in student loans like some of the
veterinary specialists do you'd have to take that into account, too!)  When
newbies have asked us this question we typically have replied that they
should put aside between $150 to $200 per ferret each year.
 
About Marshall Farms and other large breeders: I don't know anyone who
condones practises like the tech-done sterilizations, lack of space,
research sales, etc.  There certainly ARE things wrong and some of those are
whoppers, but the fact is that these places exist and they WILL continue to
exist, so the way to get improvements is to show why and how changes will
PAY FOR THEMSELVES.  This strategy has led to MF doing several things to
help ferrets and to discussing further ways to change policy with some
people who understand that only a business approach is going to make sense.
Yes, Marshalls knows well that helping try to change the illegality in
California will help their sales, but at the same time this effort does
good for OTHERS, too, and may help save some CA ferrets' lives.  They know
the same about some of their other efforts, including ones which change
things at the farm itself.  The problem is that if people just treat them
as a devil incarnate then they KNOW they can't get through to those people
anyway, so they might as well write them off as anyone to listen to, and
that IS what business do in such a situation.  When people are willing to
acknowledge what they do certain things right and then explain what they
are doing which is cutting into their sales and how they could change these
practises without lost income (good publicy translates to higher sales,
translates to more into pet rather than research sales, and off-sets lower
income per ferret sold.  It's all a matter of keeping the Profit Ratio
firm.  Sounds cold, but it's what cuts the mustard with businesses.) then
the practises improve.  That has already happened with several things at
MF, and there ARE folks talking with them now about further improvements.
So far, it's the ONLY thing which HAS worked despite other efforts, and it
probably will continue to be the only thing which does unless the USDA
changes some regulations (Wish they would.).  Hopefully, FML readers will
feel free to explain to Marshall Farms which practises upset them and why
without vilifying them and explaining what they DO enjoy about MF and its
ferrets.  Business people listen to business logic, that's all.
[Posted in FML issue 2335]