Sukie writes:
>I do know that I was told by someone in the know at MF years ago that
>they had decided to not breed the pandas and blazes themselves.
 
Okay here it comes.  I've never said anything negative about Marshall
Farms.  And I'm not going to now.  SO, please nobody here, twist my words
and meaning into something negative or bashing about MF, cause I'm NOT.
And I'm also arguing with Sukie, I'm just taking this opportunity to post
something that's been on my mind.
 
That said, I want to post, publicly, something I believe in my gut.  It
may reflect what others have seen in their geographic areas.  What I say
may not be correct at all in the end.  But I have to say it, because it's
been rubbing on my nerves for about two years now.
 
Up until Jan of this year, for about the past two years, the pet stores
in the greater Chattanooga area have been getting in abnormal amounts of
WS marked ferrets from MF.  There are times when a shipment a pet store
gets in not one standard marked ferret or sable, but do get in nothing
but spotted marked whites, pandas, blazes, and others with odd markings.
At time's we're talking a dozen ferrets at a time.
 
(this meanders off topic a little here) There is one very, small pet
store here who would not sell a standard marked ferret.  I finally went
to this owner and discussed this matter (of how she kept selling deaf
ferrets, etc).  She claimed that the standard sables do not sell like the
lighter colored ones and the fancier marked ones.  The owner told me that
the next shipment, she would pick out a sable just to show me how slow
they sell (she only got one or two kits at a time, I'm sure she was
splitting the shipment with another store).  So she did.  Now I can tell
you that normally, her ferrets are gone with in a week.  Sometimes those
babies don't make it past two hours after arrival to the store without
walking out the door.  So this little dark one came in the following
week.  And it stayed.  And it stayed.  And it stayed.  For weeks it
stayed.  It finally sold.  She pointed out that she could have moved 6
ferrets in that time if it was not dark.  Point taken.  (okay here we
go back on topic)
 
I now understood how huge the public demand was for "fancier" ferrets.  I
saw it with my own eyes.  So back to my point (sorry I meandered), a good
portion of shipments had WS characteristics and were deaf.  It has
bothered me to no end.
 
What's more, is that the very light Champagne ferrets from MF that came
in were occasionally deaf.  They had no odd white markings on them at all
(no blazes, etc).  Even further to this day, when even the darkest of
ferrets come in, there are white tipped toes, bibs, white knees, etc all
over them.  It's like..... almost like..... the W gene and other genes
manipulated for fancy markings are so washed out, the gene is ever where
in the gene pool that I look.  This may be good in one way.  The more
washed out the gene the less likely any problems may occur from it.  But
it shows me, that ferrets with strong W and KIT genes are being used in
breeding there.
 
I have no proof.  I have no witness's.  I have never been to Marshall
Farms to see for myself, nor have I ever interviewed anyone there.  It
could be that PV and other large farms are seeing similar things, but
since the pet stores here don't get ferret from other farms, I can't say.
 
This is not a negative post.  And whats more who am I to have an opinion.
I am observant however, and this is the situation for this area.  I have
friends in Georgia who report the same to me in person.
 
Just my observation.
So as you can see, I just....... I have a hard time totally believing
that MF never breeds any WS ferrets on purpose.  I don't feel that the WS
ferrets I come across are particularly robust from there either (they are
deaf, etc).  So.  That's my take on it.  That's what my eyes see here.
 
Maybe there is an explanation here?  One that a housewife cannot "see"?
I've always been curious about this.  And I've never brought it up,
because few people are open minded enough and mature enough to discuss
things that relate to MF at all.
 
I ask that if you cannot reply to me scientifically, with an open mind
either way, without regard as to what breeder or farm we are talking
about, don't reply to me at all.
 
Wolfy
 
Wolfy's site has MOVED to:
http://wolfysluv.jacksnet.com/
[Posted in FML issue 4064]