Hello everyone,
 
First I would like to respond to the person who thought I said Shelter's
charge $150 - $400 (Comment was something like "WHOA THERE NELLIE ...).
Obviously they misread my post.  I responded privately to them, but I just
want to make sure no one else thought that was what I was saying.
 
Here is a copy of my response for anyone else who misread my post:
 
    I think you need to go back and read my post more carefully.  I
    said shelters allow many people who are NOT in a financial
    position to buy one or perhaps several ferret at $150 to $400
    apiece to still get one.
 
In other words people who CAN'T buy on for $150 to $400 at a BREEDER, can
still get one from a shelter at a MUCH lower price.  As far as not being
able to initial lay out $150 to $400, that does not necessarily mean people
can't afford the upkeep.  I personally couldn't justify spending that kind
of cash right now for another ferret (I have 2 already) but I can certainly
afford to upkeep the ones I have now and if anything happened to them I have
several credit cards to pay for vet bills.  In fact I have spent over $1,000
in vet bills to keep Jitterbug alive and in good health this year.  But
those are emergency situations.
 
I suppose you could say if I had the money for those bills than I could
afford $1,000, but I certainly wouldn't have just gone out and spent that
money on, say for example, clothes.  I don't have the money to spend.  But
an emergency is an emergency.  As far as upkeep, food, litter, and toys is
MORE than affordable.  Their vaccinations are only once a year and as I said
if an emergency comes up their is always a credit card.
 
Ferrets are not just for rich people.  My point in my post was someone who
could pay $50 for a ferret, but couldn't pay $150 to $400, should still be
able to have one.  Shelter's allow this to happen and we shouldn't therefore
begrudge them the modest adoption fee.
 
I also wanted to respond to those private breeders who responded to me about
them loosing money not making it by breeding.  First of all I would like to
express my gratitude for the calm and rational way they responded to what I
said.  They were extremely polite and provided hard facts about their
financial situations.  In my post I had actually been referring to people
who breed for a living (i.e., large breeders like Marshal Farms).  Of course
these breeders are in a business to make money and I was contrasting that to
the person who said shelters were the same if they charged an adoption fee.
On the other hand I had no idea that some private breeders lose money and
appreciate having been educated on that matter.  However, if you noticed in
my original post I also said that private breeders also did it hopefully to
improve the breed.  I assume if they are not making money off it than this
is their goal.  In any event I still place the primary difference of
shelters and breeders as being one assists ferrets that already exist in bad
situations, and one actively creates new ferrets (either for profit, to
improve the breed, or to enjoy ferrets throughout their cycle of birth -
hopefully responsibly by finding good owners for the future ferts).
 
Hope I haven't offended anyone, everyone was very polite to me and I am not
at all offended.
 
     Love and Dooks,
     Rebecca, M&J
[Posted in FML issue 1807]