There are rarely ferrets at our local animal shelter, and I don't want to adopt from a pet store that supports puppy mills. (Right now I'm leaning towards a Petland in my area.) If I ask the store and they DO buy from mills, they will probably lie or skip around the question. Is there somewhere I can go on the internet to find out what pet store gets their puppies from mills?
2007-03-07 17:57:36 · 10 answers · asked by kaliki 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
They will lie. Some of my ferrets are from Marshall Farms. I detest them for their breeding practices. I just rescued 3 from a local pet shop. Marshall Farms sent them to the store when they only just got their fur and barely opened their eyes!! That is horrific! I am lobbying right now against Marshall Farms, although I doubt it will do any good. If you do any research on it you will see they have been getting away with this sort of thing FOR YEARS! I don't know why the government doesn't shut them down!
With that aside...if you do not get a ferret from a breeder it probably comes from Marshall Farms. The best option (of course) is to find a "ferret shelter". If you contact your local "Animal Rescue League" or "Humane Society/Animal Shelter" they will be happy to give you the address and phone number of a place near you.
The supposed tell tale sign that a ferret is from Marshall Farms is the 2 blue or black dots tattooed on its ear. This is misleading as even breeders use blue or black ink with two blue dots for tattooes.
Wherever you get your ferret from good luck! Take care of those fuzz-butts! I also recommend doing your research...they are exotic animals and need a lot of attention and care. I recommend this site:
http://www.ferretuniverse.com
2007-03-08 00:45:17 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Find a breeder.
100% of all ferrets in stores come from eiether
A: a Mill
or
B: a backyard breeder
There are no if's, and's, or but's about it. No reputable breeder will sell their animals to a pet store. And you will find that most animal registries do not allow their members to do so. I'm a member of the AKC and if I ever was found selling a puppy to a petstore I would be black-balled faster then I don't know what. And it's actually anything, I also breed rats for EarthDog and I can't even GIVE my extra rats to the local natural pet store or else i'm in violation.
Also buying from a breeder you will get a healthy animal that is less likely to have medical problems down the road. Be it respitory problems or cancer.
2007-03-08 05:55:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Large chain stores, such as PetCo or PetSmart, etc, that do not sell puppies from puppy mills will still get their small animals from mills. Yes, there are such things as ferret mills and guinea pig mills and the like.
Your best bet would be http://www.petfinder.com If you have trouble there, you could even try http://www.craigslist.org They have classified ad listings for pets needing new homes in your regional area, and you could get lucky there. If all else fails, you could find a local breeder, either online or in classified ads. Good luck!
2007-03-08 02:11:59 · answer #3 · answered by Citrine Dream 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would not give a dime to any pet store that sells puppies at all. Period. If they're not getting them from mills, then they're getting them from backyard breeders... which are the same ugly- just smaller scale. NO ethical breeder would sell their pups in a pet store.
as always... you can check http://petfinder.com
If you buy from a store, make sure it's one that offers a health guarantee, and the ferret's paperwork with the breeder's info.
2007-03-08 03:32:01 · answer #4 · answered by Celena 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Locate a breeder. All petstore animals come from irriputable breeders, be it BYB, oops litters, or mill. All of them.
It's hard to find small animal breeders, though. Do a littler research and know that even if you spend more having to pick it up, you'll save in vet bills. then again, I've never known anyone personaly that has taken their ferret to the vet... It's like taking a hamster, it's just cheaper to buy a new one that'll get sick just as quick. Also, if you really care, take it to the vet ASAP just to be sure. Heck, if you pick it up and go straight to the vet, that'd be great.
2007-03-08 02:34:59 · answer #5 · answered by mandy 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They will absolutely lie. All pet stores get their dogs from puppy mills and their kittens from kitten mills. Why not look for a ferret breeder instead?
2007-03-08 02:00:40 · answer #6 · answered by Kacky 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The terrible shame about ferrets is that the inbreeding makes them susceptible to cancers. I have two 3-year-old characters and I hate thinking of them as little time bombs.
2007-03-08 02:10:55 · answer #7 · answered by The man in the back 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is a ferrets rescues see because in some states ferrets are not allowed but see there you can get one for free good luck
2007-03-08 10:01:18 · answer #8 · answered by lovepets 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes - just do a google and type in adopt ferrets
2007-03-08 02:01:01 · answer #9 · answered by Mr. Happy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most of the pets store have it.
2007-03-08 02:10:04 · answer #10 · answered by cure white 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋