all of you potential ferret owners....be warned..

[loosbrew]

ok, so ferrets happen to be one of my favorite animals in the world! they are just little balls oof joy! it is an unfortunate fact that marshall farms, or "pet-shop ferrets" have a horrible track record for cancer. almost 90% of the ferrets that come from marshal farms get insilonoma or other types of life threatening cancers because of improper breeding and bad gene pool. about 90% of all ferrets in pet stores are from marshal farms, as they are the major provider of these pets. we owned a ferret for six years until she died of a surgery to remove a tumor from her pancreas(sp?). i vowed never to buy another, i mean can you replace a lost child? so anyway...ij ust found out that marshal farms not only supplies ferrets for the pet trade but also for research. they also breed beagles for research as well. they have had many citations for poor caging and improper breeding practices and i feel they should shut down, but thats not why im saying this. i want to warn anyone who is thinking of purchasing a ferret to consider a local breeder of quality blood lines and health. and here is a garauntee... you will save yourself years of heartache and hundreds of dollars in vet costs if you purchase a well bred ferret!! PERIOD! dont purchase from pet stores unless you can prove they are not from marshall farms, but if they have been nuetered or spayed before 6 months of age, you risk thier health in the future!. most marshal farms ferrets have a tatto on the inside of thier ears, so look close and be careful, i would hate for anyone to go through what we did with our little angelthere are many sites online about marshal farms; practices and flaws so do some research and good luck.

loosbrew

 

[Modeps]

loosbrew:
wow, my friend is planning on buying one soon! where did you get this info from?

 

[loosbrew]

here are a few links i found from google...theyre just a well known facts!

one
two
three

its hard not to sound fanatical, but i just care about ferrets to much not to try and help.

loosbrew

 

[loosbrew]

lets try and keep this up!
loosbrew

 

[Azraele]

I am aware of the problem with Marshal Farms and agree that something needs to be done. I have ferrets from Marshals (got the before I knew how Marshals operates) and love them to death, though I often worry that they may develop problems such as insulinoma.


One word about your ferret of 6 years though. Six is getting on up there in years for a ferret. She lived a full life for a ferret, and cancer in older animals is one of the problems of old age. Be happy of one thing. She did not die too young, as too many others do.

 

[loosbrew]

well, her death was a fluke. it was a routine procedure to remove pacreatic tumors and she came out of surgery full of piss and vinegar like she always did. but, after a few hours of fighting to get out of the cage at the vets office, , she went downhill fast! they guessed it was a bloodclot. i know for a fact she wasnt ready to go, she was a trooper. im sure if that fluke thing didnt happen, she would be here today at age 8 and still full of piss and vinegar and crap too, all over my bathroom floor!! man i miss the little things i hated when she was here.

loosbrew

 

[shazbot]

what kinda conditions are required for ferrets? and do they make alota noise? I'm going to be living in an apartment w/ roommates next year for school, and was thinking about getting a pet.

 

[Azraele]

Awww.

You're right about the pooping too. I've never known an animal to poop so much.

Was yours as much of a theif as mine are.

 

[Viper GTS]

Where would you start looking for one, then?

I've wanted one ever since a substitute teacher brought one to class when I was in gradeschool.

Viper GTS

 

[RDMustang1]

I'm sorry for your loss, it's almost harder losing a pet than a loved one (almost)...

 

[Azraele]

<< what kinda conditions are required for ferrets >>



These guys are high maintenance animals. The need a big cage and they need to be let out for at least 2 hours a day to romp and play. When they are out, you need to make sure that the room they're in is ferret-proofed. Ferrets can and will find trouble if there's trouble to be found. Make sure there's nothing they could get stuck in (ferrets have been known to be crushed in chairs, sofas, etc) choke on (they love to chew) or fall off of (they're climbers and have no head for distance when it comes to jumping).

They do make a few noises, such as chirping and chittering (dooking it's called) and hissing.

They can be fed ferret food or high quality kitten food.

Females especially need to be fixed, snce they can die if not bred when in heat.

Ferrets have a musky odor. Wash their bedding often and make sure the one you get is descented, and you'll not have to worry much about the smell.

Ferrets (especially kits) are nippy, and need to be trained (like puppies and kittens) not to bite.

<Edit>
When vaccinating them, beware of the distemper vaccine. Though the disease is fatal, some ferrets react badly to the vaccine and have had a close brush with death. If youf ferret is vaccinated for distemper, watch it closely for signs of reaction, since some of the reactions can get pretty scary and become critial in a short amount of time.

 

[Azraele]

<< Where would you start looking for one, then? >>



Pet stores have them, but most of pet store ferrets come from Marshals.

Run a search for ferret breeders in your area. You can also check shelters. There's no shortage of shelter ferrets in need of a good home.

 

[loosbrew]

a thief! she was the best! i never saw such a small animal drag a 5 lb bag of potatoes up a flight of stairs!! and under my bed! she also had her stash of sponges in plastic wrap and not to mention stolen cough drops under the couch!! just do a search on google or yahoo for a local breeder, or you can ship from other countries. i know that germany and sweden has super bloodlines, with less than a 1% cancer rate!! these quality bred ferrets can live upto 10-14 years!

you can also get angora ferrets!! so furry!
loosbrew

 

[Azraele]

<< a thief! she was the best! >>



Mine have a thing for rolls or paper towels, slippers, and wallets.

 

[loosbrew]

oh yeah, and she also made a nest out of a half dozen toilet paer roles in the bathroom cabinet!!

anywa...heres a good place to start

ferretsden

 

[LadyNiniane]

I've also heard and read of the problems with Marshall farms; at one point, there was talk on one of the listservs about a boycott, but I don't know if anything has come of that.

(I do not own any ferrets, but have several friends that have them; we have &quot;pet-sit&quot; for them more than once, which makes for really interesting times around our house when the ferret cage comes over and the cats get wind of it.:Q )

For those considering a ferret as a pet, you need to be aware that ferrets are still classed as &quot;wild animals&quot; in a few states (notably California among others, unless they have finally changed their laws within the past year). In those places, people cannot legally keep ferrets as pets (although many do). There are various petitions and legislative activities afoot to change these archaic rules, but check your local rules (or find a group that supports such changes).

Lady Niniane

 

[Azraele]

CA has not changed its laws to my knowledge, though there's pressure to do to.

Ferrets are also illegal in parts of TX, NY and other places.

Go here for a list.

 

[loosbrew]

thanks you for stating that! yes california and hawaii are the only two states i believe that wont allow ferrets as pets. this doesnt mean you cant smuggle them in, but be warned that you will have a helluva time finding medical help. and the risk of losing it to the authorities. so its not rcommended. i found this great place in long island that sells a unique strain of angora ferrets. i have seen the guy who runs the place a few times on martha stewarts living show, but unfortunately i havent had the wonderful priviledge to see them personally.
parrots of the world

loosbrew

 

[loosbrew]

up

 

[Colt45]

me and a friend found a ferret once, but it was a tame one. we gave it back to the owner.
BTW, loosebrew, do you have a pick of the angora ones? ive never seen one.

 

[Cooltech2k]

wow my room mate just got a ferrett about a month ago &amp; I Just checked for a tat on it's ear, &amp; Sure enough it's there... If these facts can be backed up than the owners of these ferrets that have either died of cancer or undergone expensive surgery to cure the cancer can sue the crap out of them. putting aside that it's a live creature they are selling a product with a 90% defective rate.... That would guarantee them more business in the future from parents who are replacing there kid's past on pet.

 

[trmiv]

Damn, I wish they would change the law here in California, I would definitely buy a ferret if they did.