Hello, everyone.  I haven't posted for a long time but read the FML every
day.  I have a problem and need your help.  There is a new pet store in
my area called Petland.  They are one of "those" pet stores that sells
every kind of animal possible.  The first time I checked it out there
were about 10-12 very young ferrets being sold.  I have learned that they
are Peterson Ferrets.  Of course they were all nippy and rambuctious.
Very adorable.  Typical young kits.  I went back the other night to
purchase some things for my aquarium and there were the ferrets and my
had they gotten big.  It didn't seem that they had sold hardly any of
them.  Well, that little nippiness never left.  In fact a couple of them
are serious biters.  One little tiny girl in particular.  She will jump
from a tunnel log to anyone's arm that is in the enclosure and latch on.
I tried everything I knew to keep her from biting.  She would never quit.
She wouldn't hold still long enough or even look at me.  Wiggled like
crazy.  I talked to the asst.  manager who I had met previously and who
has 4 ferrets of her own about the ferrets and she said she is at a loss
as to what to do.  I suggested several things.  The only thing she hadn't
tried was scruffing and hissing.  I tried it but it didn't phase this
little girl.
 
My vet is the vet servicing this store and is also a personal friend.  I
talked to him about it last night and he is aware of the biting.  He said
that the whole group are giving ferrets a bad name.  I had never heard of
Peterson's Ferrets before so I asked him about this breeder.  He said he
thinks they are out of Wisconsin.  I know they are another outfit like
Marshall's because these kits were only about 6 weeks old the first time
I saw them.  They are now 12 weeks old.  Earlier this summer my vet gave
us a ferret that the owners had returned to the pet store because he had
a diarrhea problem and they didn't want to deal with it so the petstore
had my vet find a home for him.  He is the most loving gentle ferret and
such a big boy.  My vet said that the first litters coming from
Peterson's were gentle but the more litters they get the worse the biting
has become.  My biggest worry was about the ferrets and what would happen
to them.  I feared that they would be destroyed but he said that more
than likely the store would start marking them down or give them to
someone to find homes for them.  Like all pet stores they are in it for
the retail value and not the welfare of the animals they sell.  This
breaks my heart.  He said he only checks out the animals if there is a
health problem.  I thought maybe the little girl might be deaf.  She
wouldn't hold still long enough for me to find out.  I would love to take
this little girl off their hands but I already have 8 and am against
buying ferrets from a pet store.  I used to but that was before I have
learned so much over the years.  Now we just get ones from a shelter or
from people who are needing homes for theirs.
 
Anyway, after all this rambling...what can I do and does anyone have any
information about Peterson's Ferrets.  My fear is that they will sell
these beautiful ferrets to people who don't understand them and will
eventually dump them off or bring them back to the store just to be sold
to someone else that doesn't understand.  They are all beautiful panda
mitts and in very good health.  Personally, I think a lot of the problem
is that these ferrets are in an enclosure at the front of the store and
there are so many people handling them constantly.  There are people
reaching in and picking them up and who knows what else.  The little
girl ferret bit a boy when I was there last and the clerk had to pry her
mouth open to get her to let go of the boy's finger.  I even got bit.  I
always go to the ferrets when I go there (which isn't often because I
can't stand all of those animals being sold when so many need homes in
shelters) and head for the ferrets to listen to what the clerks are
telling people.  I have to say that the personel has been trained and
for the most part does a good job of getting the story straight.  But,
afterall they are trying to sell the ferrets so they don't always tell
the whole truth.  There was a family there last night with three young
girls looking at the ferrets.  I was afraid they would buy one so I
whispered to the father that ferrets are not good for young children.
The sales clerk made it sound like they were so wonderful and didn't
mention the work involved so I spoke up and said that a person has to
ferritise their homes, keep all objects that could be eaten away from
the ferrets reach, etc.  That is when I left and talked to the asst.
manager.
 
Okay...once again sorry for rambling.  If you have any suggestions that I
could pass along to this store to help these ferrets please email me and
I will let them know.  They are taking good care of these babies.  Plenty
of food, water, play things, hammies, yesterday's news for litter and
like I said the asst.  does have 4 of her own.  This is why I think they
might be open for suggestions.  I just want to help these precious
babies.
 
Thanks so much for listening to me running on.  I wanted so badly to
stand up in the front of the store and scream.
 
God bless all of you and your precious little furrbabies.
 
Pat and the Krazy 8 (Marie, Thumper, JJ, Muzie, Sam, Jade, Bonnie and
Clyde)
[Posted in FML issue 5054]