STOP! Read this before buying ferrets from the pet store. Be sure to check out our new ferret advocacy group: Ferret Freedom Fighters. Dedicated to spreading awareness about the horrors of the pet mill industry. This post is written for the group, along with those still debating the ethicality of purchasing pet store ferrets. 1. Nearly all ferrets sold in pet stores come from ferret mills. Ferrets at pet stores are up for sale, not up for adoption. To the store, they are products, part of their inventory. Not pets. Animal mills treat their animals in the same manner. Adult ferrets are kept in overcrowded cages in rows, with wired floors and no enrichment. The mother ferrets are bred constantly, "Ferrets all year round!" until they become too weak to continue, at which time they're killed. Their kits (baby ferrets) are ripped from them and mutilated (descented, and neutered) shortly after birth, making them more appealing to potential buyers, even if it compromises their health. The unlucky ferrets at places like Marshall Farms, are used as test subjects until they die, or are killed. Forced to be experimented on in vaccine research and development. Many are killed and their tissues harvested. Undoubtedly discarded right into the nearest garbage can. Ferrets in animal mills never get to experience love, or joy. They will never get to know their mothers, or their siblings. Purchasing from a pet store further helps the profits and continued business of mills. 2. There's no guarantee the ferrets are healthy in all aspects. Oftentimes mill ferrets arrive at the stores in poor condition, still crying for their mothers. There are countless consequences when removing babies much too soon from their mothers. Kits miss out on bite inhibition through play with their siblings and mother. Failure to learn this will result in kits who have no control over their bite. They will fail to learn how to submit when misbehaving. The mother ferret teaches basic manners making them very difficult to train. Kits removed too soon are prone to anxiety and nervousness due to lack of proper mental and psychological development. Resulting in aggressive behavior towards other ferrets or humans. It's the equivalent of taking a toddler and sending them off to camp all alone, expecting them to be able to thrive and cope emotionally and socially. Many people don't know ferrets are social animals, and only purchase one. This is a major mistake, and the kit is forced to navigate the world with no understanding of anything. Mill ferrets are not carefully selected for breeding. This leads to unknown lines with inbreeding, and various health issues. Hence why we have so many ferrets with genetic disease. Reputable breeders do not breed animals with genetic disease. 3. Pet store ferrets often have psychological problems. Along with suffering the problems associated with leaving the nest too soon, ferrets in pet stores are continuously mistreated. Before pet store employees go after me- obviously this is not the case everywhere. But it certainly is a prominent issue that needs mentioning. Ferrets are often kept in small reptile tanks, on loose bedding, with small litter pans, and no time outside of the enclosure. The store's justification for these awful conditions is that the ferrets are not meant to be on display for long. It's a short term situation. Does this make it okay? No. Ferrets cannot be kept in reptile tanks, ever. There is no healthy ventilation, The ferrets are at a large risk of respiratory infections, and trust me, many get them. Ferrets are no rodent nor reptile. They're mammals that need a large space, with proper airflow. The stores often stuff 8+ ferrets into one tiny tank. Loose bedding is a lazy act of "keeping enclosures tidy" and so that employees don't need to spend the time to actually litter train their animals. They provide tiny corner litter pans, but the kits often dump the contents (or they are just left empty). On numerous occasions I've stepped into these stores to see built up poop sludge all over the walls of the enclosure. I've complained and my voice is never heard by the stores. They don't care. If it wasn't bad enough, kits suffer massively due to little handling during their crucial stages of development. This is why kits have such a hard time adjusting in their new homes, and are a danger around small children. 4. Rescue ferrets are usually healthier and cheaper. Ferrets at shelters will not be adopted out until they've been cleared by a licensed veterinarian. Shelters also generally charge a much smaller fee, and your money goes to directly helping the shelter. You are not supporting animal mills by rescuing at the shelter. 5. You will be better able to find a good fit for your family by going to the shelter. Reputable shelters do not just re home to anyone who wants their animals. Potential adopters must fill out paperwork, and interact with the ferrets first. Some may offer foster-to-adopt contracts, so you can see if the ferrets work well in your home before committing. You will also have a better age range. If you have a senior ferret at home and would like a similar age to match them, you can usually find them at shelters. At pet stores, you're stuck with kits under the age of 1. These are just 5 reasons why you should pass on the ferrets at your pet shop. Sadly, there will always be those that don't listen and continue "rescuing" (as they call it) the baby ferrets at the store. I encourage you to further your knowledge on animal mills by viewing the links below. https://www.devonvet.com/blog/10-reasons-not-to-buy-puppies-from-pet-stores https://youtu.be/p-3wkAFv8WE http://boycottmarshallpetproducts.blogspot.com/2013/08/victory-green-hill-closed-forever.html http://boycottmarshallpetproducts.blogspot.com/2013/07/marshall-farm-awa-violations.html https://nopetstorepuppies.com/dog-breeder/marshall-farms-group-ltd https://fpv.tv/nyc-police-arrested-activists-using-a-drone-against-animal-cruelty/ https://bfp.org/marshall/ https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/ties-between-pet-supply-and-lab-experiments/ https://spiritofliberation.wordpress.com/shut-down-marshall/ https://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org/what-we-do/breaking-news/italian-court-confirms-prison-sentences-dog-cruelty https://www.humanesociety.org/teddys-story https://neavs.org/blog/problem-of-supply
1 Comment
Lmao no
10/20/2020 10:13:34 am
https://www.change.org/p/marshall-s-ferret-farms-stop-marshall-s-ferret-mills/psf/promote_or_share?recruiter=
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