Troy,
 
I would guess you're talking about a shelter in my area where, in addition
to the atrocities you mention, ferrets are also bought wholesale from back
east (mostly angora kits) and resold here (bumping the shelter ferrets from
the nicer cages when they arrive).  Where "pet ferrets" languish side by
side with the breeders and shelter ferrets for years on end.  Where
"favorite" ferrets come in and never leave because the shelter operator is
a collector, and after a month or two of favorite status are lumped in with
the ever increasing population of neglected "pets." Where shelter ferrets
that come into season are as likely to be bred as to be spayed or neutered.
Where any suggestion or query from the weekly volunteer shelter staff on
pet or breeder reduction is treated as a personal attack and responded to
in kind.  Where all ferrets, breeders, pets, and shelter kids are lumped
into a single "shelter count" whenever they are soliciting contributions or
issuing PR statements.
 
As others have pointed out, no one holds a monopoly on ferret neglect
and abuse, and I have seen problems with shelter-only facilities,
shelter/breeders, breeder only, and individual owners, but none on the
scale of this one shelter/breeder/ wholesaler/collector.
 
- Depressed Ferret
[Posted in FML issue 2318]