>From:    june batz <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Quirks and questions/breeder question
>I have heard and read, some breeders say that they are not in it for the
>money, that they barely break even..you risk the jills life and could
>possibly lose the lives of some or all of the kits .  My question then is
>why breed..with all the shelter ferrets we have, why perpetuate an already
>large problem?..I mean if you are in it for the money..then that is one
>thing.  Is it to put out show quality papered ferrets?  Or to put out
>healthier pets than the ferret mills can produce?
 
Well you didn't offend.  But you perpetuated a myth.  Shelters are NOT
overfilled because of an overpopulation of ferrets.  We still have shelters
with waiting lists at the same time we have shelters that are bursting at
the seams.  Some shelters that are full because of their own 'mistakes'.
Some from taking on too large a region.  Some because of unfortunate
circumstances.
 
It is not a large problem.  Really.  With millions of ferrets we have only
hundreds to maybe a thousand or so ferrets in shelters.  We do not have to
put down ferrets because of population like we have to for dogs and cats.
 
Those that are too full through their own fault obviously ought to fix
whats wrong.  There seems to be a great reluctance to use this forum to
help fix problems in shelters.  Too bad.
 
Those that take on large regions have to realize that the more area they
are willing to 'cover', the more ferrets they will get.  Most that are
these urban center type shelters seem to realize that.
 
Those from unfortunate circumstances usually can work it out and return to
a more balanced state reasonably quickly.  Especially if they aren't too
egotistical to ask for the right kind of help.
 
It is a fact of life that we will always have a 'need' for ferret shelters.
People get pet ferrets and can't keep them.  It has always and will always
happen.  We need to accept this reality and work around it.  The alternative
is the PeTA approach of the extinction of ferrets to prevent the
maltreatment of any ferret.
 
I speak for diane and myself but suspect other breeders feel about the same
on at least some of what I'll say below.  Since no two people are alike
there may not be other breeders that feel identically.
 
Breeding ferrets is a hobby.  Most of us breed because we enjoy it.  We
think we are breeding 'better' ferrets than are produced by ranches.  We
feel that our kits come from a home where the breeder cares more about the
kit than the money.  Everything is a risk, we think the risks of breeding
are more than compensated by the benefits to ourselves and those that adopt
our kits.  If we didn't, we wouldn't breed.  Just as people think the risks
of an auto accident from driving to work are worth the benefits of having a
job.
 
-bill
 
--
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2569]