I don't usually read 'Hints from Heloise' but when I saw the 'The
'sweet' facts about owning ferrets' headline in my local paper this
morning, I had to give it a read. Heloise mentioned before that years
ago she owned a pet ferret(s) so a reader was asking for advice before
possibly purchasing pet ferrets for her children. From a pet store, no
less. Heloise didn't even mention the possibility of going to a rescue
to the person who asked about getting ferrets.

Hrm, well, among other things, she tells readers to give ferrets 'fruit
and sweet vegetables' as treats. I think we all know by now that
ferrets are obligate carnivores and cannot digest these mentioned
'treats'. I know I'll also be mentioning in my e-mail to her that she
is putting her readers' ferrets lives at risk, as feeding these foods
can cause painful intestinal blockages and lead to expensive (been
there, done that on the blockage surgery) surgeries and/or death.

She also says 'A good ferret breeder will spay or neuter and de-scent
the babies before selling them to you.' Hmm, never heard of this one,
either. The only time I've heard of getting an already speutered ferret
from a breeder is when you purchase a retired breeding ferret. Sure,
you can purchase a kit on a contract that you have the kit speutered,
but you're still the one responsible for and paying for the surgery to
be done. I mean, I could be wrong, I've never purchased a baby, much
less a ferret from a breeder (all my ferrets have come second hand :-P)
but I always thought, you know, the point of getting a baby, was to get
a baby. And don't most breeders recommend waiting until the ferret is
just under a year old before getting it speutered?

I also don't like the part where she says 'Do not need a large
cage, but should be allowed out every day for exercise and mental
stimulation' Yes, we all agree that ferrets *DO* need to be left out
for at least 4 hours every day for exercise. However, I have never
read *anywhere* that ferrets 'do not need a large cage'. Anyone else?

LOL, she also says, in making her point that owning a ferret is not
like owning a cat that 'ferrets are weasels'.

She does make good points about ferret proofing your home and it is
better to have them in pairs, 'NEVER feed ferrets breads, nuts, grains
or dairy products.' and all, she's not 100% off the mark. She mentions
that they will need annual vaccinations (sadly, doesn't mention an
'exotics' vet).

Here is a link to the entire article:

http://www.indeonline.com/lifestyles/x1566715046/Heloise-A-few-facts-about-ferrets

And here is Heloise's e-mail address for the letter writing campaign:

[log in to unmask]

This page contains all her contact information:
http://www.heloise.com/contact.html

I know I'll be at least sending an e-mail and most probably a fax, as
she warns right on her page that she most probably won't read every
e-mail she gets but that faxes and letters do get to her desk.

And here we go, as ferret owners, to clean up the stupidity of others!

(sorry if you see this more than once, I'm e-mailing pretty much
everyone - and please feel free to pass this along!)

~Tammy - a.k.a. Kesrael

[Posted in FML 6440]