Beth,
I saw on your webpage, on your ferret care page that "just the scent
of prey animals can cause ferrets to be aggressive"
http://www.crittercamp.biz/Ferretcare.html
(quote) "The ferrets we have as pets here in the U.S. are European
ferrets that originally were bred in captivity to hunt rabbits and
other rodent prey for royalty. Therefore their instinct to hunt is very
strong and it is not advisable to keep any prey animals (even in secure
cages) in the same room as ferrets. Just the scent of the prey animals
(such as hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, rabbits) can cause the ferrets
to be aggressive and 'on the hunt' all the time, not to mention what
will happen once they get their nimble little paws on those cages."

This statement is just not true. I can put a live mouse in the ferret
room & the ones that do not eat whole prey (they do eat raw, just
haven't transitioned to whole prey) do not care about the mouse,
because they don't recognize it as food. Only my ferrets who recognize
it as food will dispatch it & eat it. Even if there is a sqabble over
it, it's not them turning aggressive, it's because they recognize it
as a higher value of food. They eat, then go about their business. You
contradict yourself in your statement to me, saying your ferrets can
play along side of rodents, (without any desire to kill/eat it) & this
statement above, from your webpage.

Another comment you have on your page, about descenting;
(quote) "Ferrets are members of the weasel family and are related to
skunks too. They are born with a scent gland very similar in function
to a skunk's for use as a defense in the wild. All ferrets in the
United States must be descented and spayed or neutered before being
sold as pets by law, so you won't get sprayed by a ferret. However they
do still retain a musky smell that some people find quite unpleasant,
yet others actually like. The odor comes from oils secreted onto their
skin. Bathing them often will only increase the oil production and make
them smell worse! So you definitely need to be sure you like the unique
aroma of ferrets before you acquire them."

There is NO law stating ferrets must be descented to be sold as pets.
Ferrets are descented for the convenience of the people. Commercial
ferret breeders use this ploy to get people to think that a descented
ferret will smell less. Go to any reputable private breeder, who
focuses on the betterment of the breed, striving to improve the health
a longevity of these critters, & they do not descent the ferrets. I
don't know any vets that will do it, unless medically necessary for the
ferret. Ferrets will "poof", when startled, aggitaged, etc, & it goes
away fairly quickly. ALL carnivores have anal scent glands, including
cats & dogs & also have the ability to "poof" or spray, whichever term
you prefer. One of my dogs, used to "poof" when startled as a puppy.
Removing those glads are not necessary & can cause problems for the
animal.

There is also NO law stating ferrets must be neutered or spayed before
being sold as a pet. Another advantage to obtaining a ferret from a
reputable breeder, is one of their intentions is to allow the ferret to
go through it's first cycle (jills go into heat, hobs go into season").
This allows them to fully receive all of the hormones as they grow &
develop.

Your website also states;
(quote) "(Interesting fact- well interesting for us animal folks
anyway- the more carnivorous an animal is the more its poop stinks!)"

It's not the fact that they are a carnivore that makes their poop
stink, it's the food they eat. A animal fed raw/whole prey will have
MUCH LESS stinky poops than one fed kibble (ANY kibble). There is
even a big difference in smell of the poop between low quality & high
quality kibble. It just goes to show that the more nutritional value
of the food that goes in, the less amount & much less stinky poop that
comes out.

I applaud you for taking in all of those unwanted animals & caring for
them. I just get frustrated when I see statements that are not true
being made,that can lead others who do not know, into believing in
these myths & misconceptions.

I hope you read this as an attempt to correct misconceptions, that is
my only intention.

Thank you,
Heather

[Posted in FML 6228]