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Help Little Baby Ferrets!
Aug. 26th, 2005 12:25 pmA proposal to amend the Animal Welfare Act is currently in front of the USDA which would limit the sale of baby ferrets to those at least 8 weeks old and improve transit issues for ferrets being shipped from breeders to pet stores. Currently, there are no ferret-specific regulations in place, which essentially means breeders can do whatever they want. Baby ferrets are cute, so they are often shipped out at five-six weeks of age, while they are still in the process of being weaned from their mothers and are not equipped to eat hard kibble, and while the incision from their spaying/neutering operation is still healing. There are no regulations regarding the size of the container they are transported in, the temperatures they should be kept at, or how often they should be fed/get a change of water. As a long-time member of the Ferret Mailing List, I have heard plenty of horror stories about baby ferrets starving in these crates, unable to eat hard foods or having run out of food; dying of dehydration when they do not get fresh water; dying of heat stroke when subjected to extreme heat; arriving sick at pet shops from being crammed in a box with their own feces; developing life-long digestive problems from early malnutrition (Pan had ulcers at less than one year of age, not at all normal); never having the chance to be socialized properly by their mothers (and people wonder why they bite so much), etc.
If you feel moved to do something about this, the USDA has the docket open for public comment. Even just a few words saying you think that baby ferrets are shipped under shocking conditions and that their transportation should be regulated in a species-specific manner is enough. The International Ferret Congress has a link from its front page (under "Urgent Action Needed") to a page with all the information you might need to write a letter, along with a link to sample letters and talking points and a direct link to the USDA's eDocket page for the ferret proposal. Again, you don't even need to get into much detail, and you can do this completely anonymously if you so desire. There is a character limit of 2000, but if you feel inspired to write more you can do so in a word document and attach it to your comment.
This isn't some random internet petition thing that will circulate and go nowhere; this is part of the very real process of changing government regulations. There are a lot of bad things in the world that might be more important in the grand scheme of things, but tell me: would not the world be a better place if little baby ferrets were treated better? I think it would.
If you feel moved to do something about this, the USDA has the docket open for public comment. Even just a few words saying you think that baby ferrets are shipped under shocking conditions and that their transportation should be regulated in a species-specific manner is enough. The International Ferret Congress has a link from its front page (under "Urgent Action Needed") to a page with all the information you might need to write a letter, along with a link to sample letters and talking points and a direct link to the USDA's eDocket page for the ferret proposal. Again, you don't even need to get into much detail, and you can do this completely anonymously if you so desire. There is a character limit of 2000, but if you feel inspired to write more you can do so in a word document and attach it to your comment.
This isn't some random internet petition thing that will circulate and go nowhere; this is part of the very real process of changing government regulations. There are a lot of bad things in the world that might be more important in the grand scheme of things, but tell me: would not the world be a better place if little baby ferrets were treated better? I think it would.
