Ilena E. Ayala spoke thusly:
>This is the same Petco I go to.  I have *never* seem kits that I would mark
>as 5 weeks old in the store.
 
Have you been there recently?  Because their kits are *absolutely* getting
younger and younger.  I bought Justin from there on 1/25.  I estimated his
age at about 6 weeks, which was later confirmed by my vet within a week of
my getting him.  He was the smallest one they had.  When I bought Nikodemos
on 3/12 I went *directly* from the pet store to the vet(do not pass go, do
not collect $200-).  The vet was *shocked* that Niko was so young.  He was
so small he could barely walk around on his own without stumbling.  Very
limited motor skills there.  This was a *young*, *young* set of kits.
Younger than I had ever seen them there previously.  I wish I had clearer
photos of him from the day I got him(mine are all kinds blurry...I was too
close), so you could see just *how* young this kit was.
 
>The kits are young, yes-probably that 7-8 week old span.  I have never seen
>kits who's eyes weren't fully open there.
 
You should have wandered in the day I did.  You'd have been surprised.
 
>Don't trust what the employees tell you there either; I asked about a kit
>there once who was older (there was ONE kit in the cage at the time).  One
>employee told me 8 weeks, five minutes later another told me 16... (16 was
>probably the accurate one.)
 
*l* I *never* trust the staff there to know *anything* about ferrets, as
it's relatively obvious they don't.  They are nice folks, to be sure, but
they don't know a thing about ferrets.  Not even enough to know why the
ferrets weren't using their litterbox (they had it in the *middle* of the
tank, and the ferrets were using a corner).
 
BTW, was the kit you saw by itself a black sable?  Did you see it within the
past week?  If so...These people can't even tell a male from a female
ferret.  2 *different* employees (including the store manager) insisted that
that particular ferret was indeed male.  It was up for adoption because it
had been returned for allegedly biting a child.  The poor thing was so
lonely and so sad that I agreed to take it.  At this point I realize *any*
ferret I bring into the business is going to get ECE.  I accept that.  So
does my vet.  I had them put it into a carrybox for me, and it was not until
I got it home that I discovered it was *not* male(I *really* did not want to
add any female animals to this household....).  I will keep her, because she
needs a home and is happy with my three boys.  But I am just trying to
illustrate the lack of knowledge on the part of the employees of Petco.
<snip for space, not content>
 
>The incubation period for ECE is about 2 days after exposure (fits your
>description) and usually lasts 7-10 days, so I wouldn't expect to see
>healthy kits in there so soon if there was a problem within the store.
 
Not necessarily.  They get *new* kits in that store *every* Thursday.  They
are usually all gone by Sunday afternoon, according to store staff.  So
there is no real way of knowing, seeing as how these kits are not the same
kits that Niko was in with.  If these kits came in on Thursday, depending on
what day you came in, then they could be still incubating the disease.
 
>If it was exposed at MF, or even at the distribution facility, I would
>expect it to have been sick *at* the store.  (I'm assuming it would have
>been exposed more than 24 hours before you got it.) Did you ask how long it
>had been in the store?
 
Yes.  One Hour.  The kits are delivered to that store every Thursday
afternoon.  I knew this in advance.  I went there specifically to get one,
and I got the first one they sold out of that batch.
 
>If it was there more than a day, chances are it got exposed in the store or
>on the way home, not at the distributors or at MF.  I know that's not
>something you want to hear, but it is something you should consider.
 
To me, it matters not in the slightest *where* the kit was exposed.  What
*does* matter to me is that the Petco store now warn everyone considering
buying one of the possible danger.  And that Petco honor its guarantee of
healthy animals.  They have agreed to pay for Kender's vet bills, as I said
earlier.  However, as you might imagine, I remain suspicious until I get the
check in the bank, as ir were.
 
>The Hartsdale Petco generally is pretty good to the ferrets in the store.  I
>go in there regularly, and the kits are provided with good food, moistened
>if they are young, fresh water in bottles, and toys.  The cages always
>appear to be cleaned regularly.  The set up is not perfect, but they try,
>and seem to listen.
 
I agree completely with that.  The guy that usually takes care of them is a
nice kid.  I'm not saying they are monsters.  I am saying they have an
infected store and need to let people know about that.
 
Waiting for my check,
elf.
(who is indeed female btw, since someone seemed to be asking)
 
bronxelf
Dominatrix at Arms and Guild Hall Lieutenant of the Renaissance Mercenaries
Guild.
A.F.R.  Goddess of Steel
http://www.i-2000.com/corwin/axi
"To err is human, to forgive is not our policy."    --Anonymous
"I believe pregnancy is a Sexually Transmitted Disease"- Me.
 
"I got more cream than a Twinkie or a Zinger"-"Humdinger", Chucklehead
 
The creativity of an elf knows no bounds.
[Posted in FML issue 2258]