Hello!
 
Linda -
I will try to briefly explain (to the best of my knowlege) why declawing is
an operation that should _not_ be performed on a ferret vs.
spaying/neutering which should be performed (if you do not intend to breed
your ferret).  Descenting will also be addressed.
 
First, as I discussed in a previous post, declawing a ferret is NOT like
declawing a cat.  A cat has _retractable_ claws.  A ferret has nails like
you and me or like those of a dog.  While I am not crazy about declawing
cats, this operation can be performed with somewhat less intrusive damage to
the animal.  (Vets, help me out here; I've never declawed a cat!) Removing a
ferret's nails would be comparable to removing your finger nails and finger
tips.  This operation would be a pretty horrible mutilation.  You don't hear
about people declawing dogs, do you?  (If people are actually doing this, I
don't want to know.)
 
A  female ferret _must_ be spayed or she will almost certainly develop a
life-threatening disorder called aplastic anemia (sp?).  As for males,
neutering is arguably less necessary. To quote from the ferret FAQ:
 
  "Ferrets intended as pets must be neutered or spayed.  Neutering
  drastically reduces the odor of a male, prevents him from marking his
  territory with smelly slime, and makes him less aggressive (males in
  season may kill other ferrets, even females).  Spaying saves a female's
  life, since once she goes into heat she will need to be bred or she
  will almost certainly die of anemia."
 
Descenting, on the other hand, is considered unnecessary.  Discussions here
and elsewhere have indicated that descenting does _not_ decrease the
day-to-day odor of a ferret.  Rather their anal scent glands are only used
as a defense mechanism.  Even then, they do not "spray" like a skunk, and
the odor does not linger long.  Furthermore, descenting, if incorrectly
performed, can be damaging to a ferret's nether parts.
 
Hopefully, I have helped to explain why two operations
(declawing/descenting) are unnecessary/undesirable and why neutering
or spaying are more necessary (albeit no more natural!).
 
Gina
and
Paleface (I like my toesies just where they are!  How else could I dig
in the dirt?)
[Posted in FML issue 1366]