I am not entering the debate on slamming or flaming or whatever it is
called and I am not going to go into whether moderators should censor
posts (although last time I looked free speech was still a right...).
 
But Kathy I have to admit your post actually raised more questions for me
than it gave answers.
 
Admittedly I have never bred ferrets, although I have two stud boys and
am very involved in the litters that they sired which are expected in a
few weeks - it is breeding season down here right now.  But I have bred
rats, and in a lot of respects you face the same issues.
 
Kathy, I will attempt to address my concerns as objectively as possible.
 
* You have a fulltime job AND socialise and monitor the health and
temperament of 150+ kits in a breeding season.  I would imagine that
that would be a fulltime job on it's own.
 
* You breed the colours to your orders?  All my research and experience
of breeding suggests that it is better to breed for health and
temperament BEFORE colour and coat.  A good pet owner should also be more
concerened about this than the colour.  It is also in the best interest
of the species.
 
* I know a lot of breeders who will say NO to more prospective owners
than they actually say yes to - I saw nothing on your site to suggest
that you vet the owners.  Infact I noticed on your shipping page that you
state "People ordering online put a lot of thought into ordering, and I
usually hear from them after they get the ferret, so I assume that the
ferrets will get a responsible owner" ASSUME?  too late AFTER they have
the kits.  (Vetting may have meant that the ferrets that prompted this
post may never have been sent to their owner, if the issue was to do with
an army posting - it would have ensured that the person had a plan in
place for if they did have to go overseas for service.  No plan - No
ferret... might sound harsh but these little furries are our
responsiblity.)
 
* The comment on the size of your 6 week old male ferrets sometimes being
the same as that of their mothers was also concerning.  I have seen kits
with their moms and I have seen those same kits grow to be 'large' males
and there was no way they were as large as their moms at that age - Why
are your jills so petite?  and what health concerns does this pose for
the pregnancy, birth, and future of both the kits and jills?
 
* It also wasn't clear from your post, or your website, what your policy
on in-breeding (some call this line- breeding...) and genetic diversity
is?  I did note that you said "I do my final selection to see which males
I will keep as breeders" - I would like to hear more about how you ensure
genetic diversity and hence the ongoing health of ferrets as a species -
Note: research has been done to show that inbreeding lessens an animals
resistance to illness.
 
* ummm, what was that paragraph about collectables and magazines - the
lack of 'names' - only insinuation suggests a real lack of evidence.
Surely if you aren't SURE then don't say anything...
 
Jane
[Posted in FML issue 5022]