>From:    K Warniment <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Small local breeders
 
>Hi everyone!  Can anyone recommend a good way to make sure you find a good
>local breeder, and not one who is just in it for the money?
 
It has been said before, but here it goes again.  Being a hobby breeder is
not a good way to make a living.  Anyone trying to make money of breeding a
few ferrets will soon find out that it's not that easy.  If you sum up all
the vet bills, food expences, supplies etc.  you will find out that even
after you sold the kits you have less money than when you started.
 
What you really need to look for is people who know what they are doing,
takes good care of their ferrets, and that have a healthy/happy ferrets.  If
run in to someone who keeps their ferrets in a rusty cage out behind their
trailer,stay away!  I have seen breeders like that, and it doesn't amuse me
when they tell me that they just put in a couple of jills with a hob to see
what they'll get 42 days later....
 
Always ask to see the parents to the kits.  Play with the kits to see if
they are active and playfull as all kits should be .Check for extra or
missing toes.  A young kit should have a nice little round belly and not be
skinny.  The kits should be alert and not afraid of people, this way you
know that they have been handled and are used to people.
 
There are many good breeders on the FML that have kits available during
season.  We can recomend Bill & Diane Killan (Zen and the Art of Ferrets)
sine we now have 4 of their wonderful ferrets =)
 
Lars & Nadine Eriksson
 
[log in to unmask]
 
 http://erau.db.erau.edu/~erikssol/ferrets.html
 http://www.tbdreams.com/qf/quality.html
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[Posted in FML issue 1766]