>are there breeders out there breeding ferrets for size? <snip>

Responsible breeders are breeding for what is best for the ferret
and that is to keep them as close to what is normal as possible. Any
breeder breeding for a particular attribute with disregard to other
attributes is not responsible. Breeding for extra large or extra small
ferrets is discouraged, especially by the AFA show system. Our judges
are trained to count off on these ferrets, as anyone who has shown a
hob over 5 pounds most likely got comments back that the ferret was
too large. Shows that encourage showing ferrets outside the norm is
not doing right by the ferret.

You also need to take in consideration that there are a lot of vets who
only see pet store ferrets. They may be a bit stunned when they see a
hob that was allowed to reach full development prior to neutering. I've
even heard back from some clients when trying to schedule the ferret
they got from me to be fixed that the vet said they didn't need to be
because all ferrets were already fixed. Hummmm......they found another
vet!

Normally jills should be from 1.5 to 2 pounds and hobs should be 3-5
pounds. Lots of pet shop jills are bigger than norm and pet shop hobs
are small than norm. These guys didn't have their hormones to help them
develop properly, so the hobs didn't get masculine and the jills didn't
get femine.

Vickie McKimmey

Just a Business of Ferrets
www.jbferret.com
American Ferret Association
Director of Shows and Special Events
www.ferret.org

[Posted in FML 5509]