>From: JOSEPHINE HANSEN <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Petco selling ferrets - WHY NOT?
 
>... rather than fighting Petco and other Pet Stores that want to sell
>ferrets, why not cooperate with them in raising the awareness and educating
>people in the responsabilities of ferret owning.
 
Working with individual franchises to improve the conditions under which
ferrets are kept, educating store personnel, and helping them to educate
consumers are all wonderful ideas.  On an individual basis many people on
this list (myself included) have made an effort in that direction and will
hopefully continue to do so.
 
However, looking at the situation from a wider perspective one has to
question the motivations of any retail outlet in the business of selling
ferrets.
 
There appears to be a relatively small window during which ferrets will
sell.  This lasts only as long as they are small adorable kits.  Once they
reach a certain age they seem to end up being sent back to the breeder,
destroyed, or left languishing in a cage in the back room.  This points to
a heavy reliance on impulse purchases.  If people just wanted a ferret they
wouldn't have a problem buying an eight-month-old instead of an
eight-week-old.
 
If they told every customer about the time, energy, and money needed to care
for a pet ferret they would be curtailing the number of impulse purchases.
And once that happens they would be dealing with a saturated market.
Ferrets are relatively hardy animals and live much longer than other small
animals.  How many repeat customers could they possibly get?
 
It is not in their best interest to properly inform consumers.  My response
to this is to make an effort to get the major retailers to stop stocking
ferrets altogether.  As Ann D. Phillips pointed out, starting with Petco is
a good idea since they not only seem receptive but are a publicly-traded
company and therefore more apt to respond to public opinion.
 
Ferrets are far more profitable than rabbits and more popular than iguanas
so I don't think any retailer will give up on them altogether.
 
A better option may be to get them to stop STOCKING ferrets.  If a customer
wants a ferret one can be shipped to the store within a few days.  This
would eliminate impulse purchases and also bring home the message that
ferrets are more akin to cats and dogs than hamsters and gerbils.  It would
also curtail the number of "older" ferrets stuck in pet stores.
 
melissa a. durfee
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[Posted in FML issue 2411]