hi all... jsut a quick commentary...
 
had to say that i agree mostly with what Kathy Parson said, especially the
part about business logic...I just dont agree with the last statement...
look on the other side of this coin...IF they were sold un-fixed...what
about the cruelty to the ferrets (or abandonment of them) from the owners
after they start to smell...or become agressive from being in rut...or the
female dying from not being bred?...which is the lesser "cruelty"?...the
general public is not responsible enough to get the ferrets fixed at the
'right' age...
 
after talking with pet stores and owners alike, it is not for humanitarian
reasons (or therefor lask of ..) that ferrets are spayed/neutered so
early...it is purely for economical reasons.  A ferret will cost less to
the owner "in the long run" if it is done prior to getting to the petstore
compared to the fees associated with bringing your fuzzy to a vet and then
having it spayed/neutered.  if i gave 100 people a choice between choosing
the exact same ferret, would they choose the ferret that will cost them
$100 more or $100 less?
 
Really, this debate is not about cruelty, but economics, and not just for
MF, but for your wallet too folks.
[Posted in FML issue 3043]