I bought my ferrets from a pet shop in May 1992. They are both male and were already descented and neutered obviously at a very young age, since I was told they were approximately 6-7 weeks old when I bought them. The pet store stated this is how all of the ferrets are sold, and they get very few female ferrets because they are kept for breeding purposes. I am very worried now because of the information concerning the health problems that can occur with ferrets being neutered and descented. One of my ferrets, Teebone is already having problems. In April 1993 he developed an peri-anal abcess that the vet treated with antibiotics. He said it was caused from a portion of the scent sac being left while the ferret was descented. The abcess occurred again in July and then most recently in September. Each time the antibiotics help clear up the abcess. Teebone also gets a 104 degree fever with this. The vet is going to look into this more thoughly since it is obvious that it will reoccur. Any ferret owners have any similar problems? The vet is talking of surgery which could leave the ferret with a problem of incontinence. Why do pet stores do this to ferrets, especially when they are so young and tiny? Does neutering also affect the growth potential of ferrets? My ferrets are only about 2 lbs. each at one and one half years of age. A concerned ferret lover Judy Gallipeau [Posted in FML issue 0621]