Ferret vaccination sites:
 
About where to give vaccinations.  The skin on the shoulders and neck is
the thickest skin on a ferret.  Avoiding that area to give it shot because
you can't scruff the ferret doesn't make sense - if you scruff the ferret
it naturally pulls the skin up so going subcutenaous is easy.  However
because of the thickness of the skin the act of pushing the needle in is
harder and I would suspect more painful.  Several people in the ferret
world have taken to given the shots back by the rear thigh - the skin
wouldn't be as hard to penetrate and there is anecdotal evidence by some
that there is a smaller risk of reaction.  I have no hard evidence on the
reactions.  If a single person is giving the shot it is probably easiest to
scruff the ferret and put the needle through the neck.  A vet could
probably prove or refute this however.
 
Descnting a ferret:
 
In most cases descenting a ferret is a waste of time and money as well as a
needless mutilation of an animal.  The anal scent glands are normally only
used when a ferret is really frightened or agitated.  The day to day smell
of a ferret is related mostly to the reproductive cycle.  A neutered or
spayed ferret will smell far better than a whole animal.  I guarantee that
descenting your ferret will not affect the normal smells of the animal in
virtually every case.  There are medical problems that might require such
an operation but they are not common.  Feeling got hurt last time this
topic came up because people misunderstood the almost never part of that
statement - sometimes it is a usefull operation but it usually is not.
 
What you should do to reduce the smells of a ferret will NOT completely
solve the smell problem.  Regular bathing will help but overbathing will
make it worse.  Probably not more than monthly possibly less is fine if the
rest of the cleaning is done.  Regularly clean the cages, litterboxes and
bedding of a ferret.  When a ferret is bathed pay particular attention to
the face and ears - most of the scent comes from glands around the face.
You will not make the ferret scentless - if that is unacceptable you can't
have a ferret - sad but true.  I LIKE the smell of ferrets.  The musky
smell of a neutered animal is pleasnt to me - not the litterbox odors but
the oils from the facial glands.
 
Marshall Farms:
 
Marshall Farms is not a ferret mill in the same sense as puppy mills.  You
would not like all of what Marshall Farms does but the alternative is
worse.  If Marshall Farms was to disappear the market for ferrets would not
go down but smaller operations would be formed to take its place.  These
would be like the ferret mills.  They could not afford the onsite
veterinary services.  They could not provide as good a diet.  Their would
still be a demand for research animals.  Somebody would breed them - there
are people to do anything that involves money.  The ferret mills that would
inevitably form would still have the problem of what to do with ferrets
that could no longer be 'productive'.  We can wish all we want but money
and profit are the main reasons people do anything.  Real world economics
dictate that somethings that are not pleasant will happen.
 
Like them or not Marshall Farms is part of the world we live in.  We won't
get them shutdown.  We need to co-operate with them because they ARE
FERRETS to most of the country.
 
[Moderator's note: A controversial subject to say the least, and Bill
Killian's opinion is one of many.  Other opinions are welcome as long
as they are factual - no personal attacks will be posted!  BIG]
 
bill killian
zen and the art of ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 1304]