>From:    Pat Stauffer <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Better safe than sorry
>Your advice on not interfering with nature is odd coming from a woman who
>manipulates jills to have two litters in one season.  Particularly when
>the jill is deaf and has produced deaf kits.  Deafness is a genetic
>defect.  This jill is listed on your website as having both sire and dam
>unknown.  How do you know that she is not carrying and passing other
>genetic defects?
>
>She was bred to a hob, who has had some medical problems in his immediate
>line (father, brother.....).  You sell these kits for a high price because
>you think the colors are beautiful.  Normal hearing kits can be a handful
>to train let alone deaf kits.  You try to retire and place breeders by
>the time they are two-three yrs old.  You do not keep them long enough to
>find out what they may get.  It is not true that keeping adult animals
>unneutered is healthier, particularly older ones.  You risk the chance of
>them developing mammary tumors and life threatening uterine infections
>called pyometra in jills, and testicular tumors for one in males.
 
I knew someone would try to bring an old fight to this forum.  For those
who do not know Zima my ferret was examinded before she was bred by my
vet and an okay given.  Her health was more than excellent .  My vet and
I felt that she could have another litter without any problems to her or
the babies.  As for her being deaf.....she is a panda and many are deaf!
I always declare that and have the new buyer advised of all the possible
problems.  I also agree to take back any babies that do not work out.
 
Now this crap about Nicky coming from a line with problems is just that,...
crap.  Nicky has sired numerous litters without a single problem in any of
the kits.  Nicky himself has been checked not once but twice for ADV.  I am
beginning to get very tired of people that insist on passing out untruths,
half truths and insinuations.  As for not knowing how they turn out...again
untruth.  You see most of the people I sell animals to I keep in touch with
for many years not just a few months.
 
Manipulates jills....hmmm.  Yes, I believe I do.  Unlike some of the other
breeders who just cannot seem to get out of a rut, I do try new things.  I
also have a very good vet (actually two) that help me.  We do believe that
baby ferrets should be available to possible buyers thruout the year.  And
for your information this has been done for over 20 years with cattle and
other animals.  There is not medical reason not to do this.
 
And as for an occasional extra litter that to has no medical reason not to.
As I said my vet. is fully in agreement at this time.  I really believe I
will continue to follow and work with my vet.  as being much more
knowledgable than others.
 
Now as for a genetic defect being passed on.  Let's see....I can follow the
lead of some of the "big names" in ferret breeding and just give up ever
trying to produce a healthy panda....like them I can lay down and cry and
rant against others who want to try to improve the panda....or I can keep
working and ignore the naysayers and their insinuations, and insults and
nonsense.  I have a line of silvers with blazes and other head markings
that have no health problems and have full hearing.  I also have a DEW line
that has hearing and no health problems.  Some of you said that could not
be done!
 
I understand that many of the great thinkers and doers in this world have
had to put up with this same kind of bull so I will have good company in my
quest to improve the panda.  Don't worry tho, I will work very hard to see
that you and the other big breeders never get any of my stock.  I would not
want to offend you with a hearing and healthy panda.  After all you have
told me repeatedly that it cannot be done!
 
And please do not worry about the health of my "older" jills.  Do you read
my introduction on my web site?  I have now been breeding ferrets since
1986 and have jills over 9 years of age.....they are not dying of anything
except old age.
 
The only mistake I made this year was to follow some advice given by one of
the "big names" and thereby lost nearly one whole season of breeding.  Nope
I will go back to quietly breeding some of the finest ferrets around and
selling and giving them to some of the finest people around.
 
Judith Moon,
owner Moonsong Ferretry, a totally different kind of ferretry.
http://moonsongferrets.virtualave.net
 
[Posted in FML issue 3109]