I was wondering why people are so against breeding ferrets? The reason
for so many ferrets being in shelters are the big farms and the pet
stores that will sell them to anybody that has the money with no
screening or education to the buyer. I have bought ferrets from
private breeders and adopted them and even got one at a store. Ferrets
unfortunately do not live forever, if there is no more breeding, where
will we be able to get more of the companion animals we love to cuddle
and spoil?

If shelters breed, as long as they do not fund breeding with shelter
donations(as in charitable donations that are for shelters), what is
the issue? I know when my ferrets pass, I will most likely want to
have more and if no one breeds them, where will I get them?

When I got my ferrets from the private breeders, they talked to me at
length about how I care for the ones I had currently and gave some tips
on things that will help enrich their lives and help them live better.
They check in with me occasionally to see how they are and they are
always glad to hear from me on how my furry friends are doing.

I don't even think that it is a complete sin to get a ferret from a pet
store, at least it is going to a person who will give it a good life,
and I really don't think the people here on the FML are the real
problem. We all understand for the most part what we are taking on when
we acquire the wonderful little creatures. The problem is people who
are just getting them because they are cute there and think they are
not as much responsibility as they are then dumping them. Or parents
who get them for their kids and then the kids get bored and the parents
don't want to be bothered. It happens to dogs, cats, hamsters, just
about any animal. There will always be somebody to buy the ferrets from
the stores, and most of them uneducated in ferret care. So unless we
can stop every person in the country from buying ferrets at stores,
they will be bought and re-supplied by the big farms that don't care
either.

I think that education management if you see a problem is the better
way to go, and maybe talking them into doing a package deal that with
every ferret they get a copy of "Ferrets for Dummies" or something.

Either way, private breeders shoudl not be scolded for breeding ferrets
for people that love them and care for them.

[Posted in FML 6620]