Sorry, but I don't think it's fair to tell about a heart-breaking lack of
responsibility on a small breeder's part while not mentioning names, but
then to condemn a large breeder because it probably does the same thing.
Was what was done wrong?  Of course, it was, and it will continue to be
wrong.  It's just that using kid gloves for small breeders while knocking a
larger one around the block for the same thing doesn't make any sense.  Both
deserve jabs for what they do wrong.
 
As we all know sometimes kits get sick.  Everyone who reads my posts knows
that Steve and I aren't people who withhold treatment (except in special
cases like not treating (almost) 7 year old 'Choppie's adrenal because it's
in the noise compared to her cardiomyopathy and post-ECE mal-absorpsion
problems, and treating it could worsen the serious problems -- so we keep
her warm enough and her skin moisturized.) Yes, I think that breeders should
treat kits.  This not only is the only MORAL thing to do for the kit, but it
also will alert any breeders to possible genetic problems for which a
breeding line should be culled.  It's always important to know what is wrong
with a sick or dead ferret; even post-mortems can save lives by catching a
problem before it kills others.
 
You WILL be glad to hear about two ways in which MORE animals from MF are
being saved:
1.  There is the MF program which donates retired breeders to veterinary
schools to teach sterilization and get vet students to think about ferrets.
It is urged that these ferrets then be adopted by vet students because the
more vets who get used to ferrets, the more will want to learn more about
them, and the better care ferrets will receive.  Sadly, this program is
still smaller than it could and should be -- my impression is that this is
largely because key people in vet schools are still largely unaware of it.
Vets on the list, could you, please, help to change this?
 
2.  As we all know, EVERY breeder wind up with some handicapped kits.  Most
are due to crowding in the uterus or inexperienced mothers who injure the
kits.  From what I have seen and read, smaller numbers are due to genetic
causes and other causes.  This is the case at almost any breeding facility.
(With the marked exception being the really, really bad backyard breeders
who are more likely to have high numbers of genetic problems.  No one has
discussed these places recently, but folks can look up some of the ones from
the past.  Be warned that they will horrify you beyond anything you have
read of other breeders.  I am not exaggerating.) What you probably don't
know is that Marshall Farms traditionally places as many of these kits
having handicaps with their employees as possible.  Now they are also
looking into a discrete way to make sure that all of those they can't place
themselves are placed by adoption through a ferret help group which is
being spear-headed by a quiet but very hard working person on the FML.  I
sincerely, hope this goes through well.  As long-timers know, Steve and I
have and have had handicapped ferrets we adopted from Path Valley.  Ones
with handicaps are dear to our hearts.
 
I know some small breeders do similar things.  Hopefully, eventually all
will.
 
I also hope that large breeders will eventually also acquire more aspects
of the  best small breeders.  If people can continue to show them how and
why such improvements make business sense (The hard reality is that this is
what the owners of such companies listen to so it's the most effective
approach we have at hand, as past changes have shown.) then we should see
continuing improvements in conditions for their ferrets.  If there are
eventually stronger USDA regulations we'll see more improvements that way,
too.  Some probably can come ONLY that way.  The people working so
diligently on these changes (directly with breeders, and through formal
government channels) are very real FERRET HEROS.  Multiple people in both
groups are here on the FML, and they are saving ferrets lives each day
without people even knowing it.
 
Lifespans:  first we need to know if there even is any ACTUAL difference in
lifespans between U.S.  ferrets and other ferrets.  I have not, yet, run
into any study which has solid numbers on this topic.  Here there was a
survey with sort of "semi-solid" numbers, but to be reliable a sample has to
be reasonably random, be worked from large numbers of animals, and have the
animals used be ones whose ages are known in a reliable fashion (i.e. NOT
estimated, even by a knowledgeable source).  If my memory serves, the
semi-solid survey found that the typical U.S.  ferret dies between the ages
of late in the 6th year to sometime in the first half of the 8th year.  As
elsewhere, we in the U.S.  DO have older ferrets.  I have known people who
had ferrets which reached FIRMLY KNOWN AGES of 10, 11, and even one 14 year
old, and I have heard second hand from realible sources of about 3 or 4 more
14 years olds, and one 15 year old.  Our oldest was probably nine, but it's
an estimate so not reliable.  Extreme old age happens here, too, but is
rare, and I suspect it's rare elsewhere.  The interesting thing would be if
a RELIABLE study found that the TYPICAL ages at death (not average (mean),
but median) someplace else were push up a notch or two -- say, centering
around 8 or 9, maybe even 10, instead of 7 years.  It would also be
interesting to see which areas have large clumps at early ages and why,
since JL might be genetic and there are certainly other potentially genetic
possible causes of death which we all hope to avoid, and hope breeders can
find a way to breed out of their lines for the ferrets' sakes.
[Posted in FML issue 2352]