Hi Everyone,
 
I would like to respond to a couple of Bill Killian's comments on my post.
First though, I would like to thank him for the information on what can
happen during the birthing process with ferrets.  I had no idea due to a
lack of experience with whole animals.  New knowledge is always a good
thing.
 
I do think I inadvertantly left out too much of Sampson's story.  First of
all, the former owners were not breeders.  They only had the one breeding
pair.  The first litter they had ended up at the shelter after they were
unable to sell dark sable kits as cinnamons for $120.  Unaltered.  I had
talked with the woman for the Houston club.  She had called trying to sell
them and said they needed to get rid of them because they were driving them
crazy.
 
They kept all seven kits together in a cage without bedding of any kind, no
toys and no litter.  And even after their "shower", the kits were covered in
matted hair, filth and fleas.  The shelter operators spent several hours
bathing and clipping nails and such with their new charges.  The owners did
not work with the kits at all.  They did tell the shelter that it was
genetic with Sampson's foot.  When my vet examined him, she said the the
foot had been removed, there is a surgical scare.  She said it must have
been from injury since it was in a location that mother nature does not
leave the way it was left.  And also due to the location she decided it was
probably from a wire cage.  Sampson had lost his foot right at the ankle.
She had seen similar injuries before, as her speciality (she has a degree in
it) is exotic animals.  Her practice is birds, reptiles and small mammals.
 
As for wire floors, this last year I purchased a huge cage for my guys.  It
is a wonderful and well constructed cage.  But it did have a minor design
flaw that the maker changed after hearing about my incident.  George, my
3.5lb sweet boy who is a clutz, was checking out the brand new cage for the
first time.  I was still in the room with them.  Each level has 2 smaller
shelves on it with ramps.  Each of these shelves also has a upturned lip to
keep the carpet liners in place.  Georgie decided to jump off one of the
shelves, and in doing so, got his foot inserted into the lip.  He was
hanging upside down and screaming and thrashing around with his foot wedged.
He could not free himself.  If I had not been there it would have been very
easy for him to have permantly damaged that foot with his panic.  And yes,
it has been made safe with the addition of wooden slats onto the lips.
 
I can understand that Mr. Killian wishes to make everyone understand that
injuries from improper animal management are *not* the only reasons for
missing body parts on the ferts.  I agree.  I did not mean to imply anything
about breeders as I do not consider this couple breeders.  They were in it
to try and make money without having done any kind of reasearch on the
subject and not caring about the animals.  And I do know that there are
special animals out there for all kinds of reasons that need loving homes
also.
 
Mo' Maggie and the Maniac Mob (in memory of Miss Jezebel)
[Posted in FML issue 1839]