>From:    Tracy Tunnison <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Breeding questions/answers
>Also, why wouldn't you want to breed the same two together time after time?
>When you get good, healthy, sweet babies, sounds like a winning combination
>to me.  Don't mess with success.  Bill Killian, any comments on this?
 
Mostly concurrence.  We and the other breeders we work closely with will
only breed a jill three times (once a year for 3 years, if we decide to
breed her each one of those years).  If she and a particular mate did well
there is no reason not to breed them together again.  However, as we learned
by breeding the same pair twice, you can't always predict the outcome.  The
first year we got an entire litter of Sable Siamese (or points) with pink
noses and the second year we got an entire litter of Sable Standards with
dark noses.  It really has no net effect on in-breeding or gene distribution.
 
>From:    Linda Iroff <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Operation Oberlin results
>I wished then we had picked her.  After conferring with our vet, I will have
>Richard call him and say the vet said he didn't need to wait til she was out
>of heat and that she should be spayed asap.
 
BUT how is this jill being brought out of heat?  They don't normally come
out by themselves. Since he doesn't have a vasectomized hob he'd have to go
to a vet for a hormone injection.
 
>From:    Cheryl Lovett <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: litter and other things
>I have since learned (through the FML) that all wood chips are harmful.
 
Not aspen.  Not recommended for home use but aspen is fine.
 
Highly recommended is Pine Fresh, Cat Works (I think thats the name) or wood
stove fuel pellets.  These are all three made of sawdust.  The first two are
pine but without the added aromatic oils present in the chips.  The oils are
added to the chips to make them "work better" even though it is less healthy
for the animals.  They are not apparently added to the to cat litters.  The
woodstove pellets are hardwood with none of the oils added or natural.
 
>From:    Karri Knutson <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: age, games, and a question
>I have a ferret that is suppose to be a Marshall Farms, but she has no
>tatoos.  She doesn't seem as healthy as the rest
 
Sometimes the tatoos are harder to find.  As the ears grow they often get
covered by darker hair or recede in to the folds.  However pet store people
are not usually paid well nor well trained unfortunately.  It is a business
with such slim margins that stores can't afford people with good knowledge.
The person may not know where the ferret came from or have been told
incorrectly.  Shouldn't matter too much.  Some of the lesser ranches have
less solid stock and do appear less healthy than Marshall Ferrets - for a
real shocker check out a ferret breeder/ferret show and see what ferrets
look like if allowed to grow properly.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1743]