i usually try to stay out of the MF debate...but i was asked my opinion on this post...so here it is... this is just MY opinion and nothing else...and i do NOT expect everybody to agree with me...but it is something to think about... well...this person obviously has a long standing dislike of MF...so her story may or may not be tainted by that...i would like to hear MF's story on this...but they would need the date the ferrets were shipped to the store and the store's name and addy...and the distributor's name and addy and date shipped...and i don't know what else... my PERSNAL feelings are from a sound business point of view...if MF does stuff like this...and as often as ppl say...they could not stay in business...there ARE other mass breeders out there that would take over... i am not saying that mistakes are not made...i am sure they are...BUT not like as much as some people say... what about the other breeders?...i know Path Valley's ferrets were small too when our pet store switched to them...and not as well socialized as MF...so the store went back to MF... in any litter of any animal, the babies are of different sizes...from large to tiny...so size alone is not an indicator of age...nor is development... necessarily...are ALL 3 month old children at the same stage of development?...3 year olds?...i don't think so... as for the cruelty of spaying and neutering at the young age...it may not be as good for them as a later spay and neuter...but i can not believe it is cruel...or MF and PV and Triple F...all of them...could not get away with it...they would be turned in to the powers that be!!! and the practice stopped... look on the other side of this coin...IF they were sold un-fixed...what about the cruelty to the ferrets (or abandonment of them) from the owners after they start to smell...or become agressive from being in rut...or the female dying from not being bred?...which is the lesser "cruelty"?...the general public is not responsible enough to get the ferrets fixed at the 'right' age...look at their track record with cats and dogs...and THEIR life does not depend on being fixed!!!... i may make some enemies with this post...if so...so be it...but it is the way i feel... ===== KITY=^..^=KAT... ( a.k.a. ...FuzzieMom ) and the krew... Rascal, Sassy, Wolfie, Monkey(Shine), Meeja, Narmy, PopPye, Noodles (Slyk), Charlie, Sandi-Mandi, Hope HollyHeart, & Edison! Remembering Marcel, LittleWhiteGirl & OldGuy...at the Bridge! THE FERRETS' PAGE..."http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/2396" Help Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter...Use I-Give... http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=7364&mid=103840 [Posted in FML issue 3042]