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Post by Desiree on Jan 3, 2015 21:57:11 GMT -5
Celene, that irks me so much! When I went to adopt my two, I was told they were two and three years of age, I was told they were healthy, I was not given any food or cages and I was told they were both friendly. Of course, all of this was a lie, Riot is around 4 or 5, Rebel is closer to 6, Riot has adrenal and Rebel has insulinoma. Rebel is my biter. Her last owner told me she nips. Nipping to me is very different than biting and she bites. But we worked on it, I used the sin bin but now, if I just move my arm away and say "no, Rebel" in a gentle voice she stops. She finally started war dancing for me and loves to play chase with the cat toy. I was SOO overwhelmed, between the medical bills, the biting, the sexual aggression from Riot (which hasn't stopped, hopefully the implant becomes available soon), the switching to raw, but I made a commitment to these two. I would love them and care for them for the rest of their lives. I made that decision when I picked them up. I could never just give them up and I would not separate them now. They have become such loving ferrets. Rebel kisses me now! So rewarding. I feel for that little one that is now alone in a new home without his friend. I hope he found his forever home and I really hope that if she gets a new ferret that they will be with her forever since she made a commitment to them.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2015 23:46:26 GMT -5
If it wasn't for Marshals and Petco I wouldn't have any of my babies. When I got my first few ferrets I didn't live within 500 miles of a rescue.
When I got Nax, I really tried to obtain a rescue first. I searched Craigslist everyday and contacted rescues across the country. Nothing panned out.
Yes, would I rather get a rescue or even more ideally, from a private breeder? Of course. Am I going to turn down a little one that speaks to my heart if I am in the position to get another ferret, just because they came from pet store? No!
If every one quit buying from pet stores today, what would happen to the ferrets that are there right now? It is not logical. The ferrets can't help that they came into this world via an evil corporation.
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Post by Celene on Jan 4, 2015 2:16:34 GMT -5
It's true nixxie, the only ferrets I have ever owned were Marshall. I love kits, but it's so hard to justify buying an adorable baby from a store when there are so many older ferrets locally who need loving homes and will have a harder time finding them.... But they originally came from a pet store, and were sold to someone who was not able or ready to care for a ferret.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2015 8:11:59 GMT -5
Just another point that's most likely been made already; the mass majority of ferrets and beagles bred by Marshall Farms go to research facilities and universities, upwards or over ¾ of the animals if memory serves.
I will continue to adopt rescues but I will also include store bought animals as well, because they need rescuing too.
The only and best way to "fight" MF is awareness, educating others and refusing to buy any of their other products. Fuzzies and beagles are living breathing and emotional creatures, cute little beds, hammies and toys are an entirely different matter and within our ability to directly influence their profit margin.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2015 21:35:54 GMT -5
i will probably stick with rescue. i hate the idea of supporting a mill and even prefer to buy my feeder bugs and rodents from small places where they breed on site
now having said that it took me nearly a year to find my 2 ferrets. i dont live near any breeders and all the ferrets in the rescues by me and being rehomed were either old or sick, and i really wanted something young and healthy for my first ferrets. i ended up with a 2 year old and a 6 month old. i love them to death but honestly if they hadnt had to be adopted out as a pair i would have just gotten the 6 month girl. im very happy i got both though since my boy ended up having the personality i really wanted
if i could find a petshop that sold them but didnt get them from marshals i would totally buy one from there. ive found places that said they got their animals through local breeders but a bit of research and i learned their local breeders were still the same big name mills i try to avoid
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2015 0:40:07 GMT -5
I'm late in reading this, and I might just be repeating what someone else said...
But I'm an avid Boycotter and I think this is an important issue. Being an environmentalist/ animal lover, it's important to me that I avoid supporting the not so nice companies, even if it makes my life harder. People shrug their shoulders and say well you're not really affecting anything, the problem is too big. But I don't want to be a part of the problem if I can help it. But I think you are right, There's a profit to be made off of animal lovers, and I think it's our responsibility as animal lovers to recognize this.
After spending the last several months looking for another ferret, it's made me realize how many ferrets need homes just in my city! There are so many, and most of them were pet store/ Marshalls ferrets. The higher price didn't keep these families from re-homing their ferret, or provoke them to do their research. They don't want them or can't keep them anymore.
So for any animal, whether it be dog, cat, horse, or parrot, try and find a shelter pet, why not? If we collectively refused to participate in bad practices, then the attitude would spread, till there were less and homeless and abused animals.
I do know the world is far from perfect, and nothing is black and white. But it makes me sad to see what we as humans have done in our greed.
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Post by racheld on Feb 17, 2015 11:04:46 GMT -5
I agree. I absolutely hate when people say things like 'we might as well keep buying them, because one person not buying them won't make a difference'. If enough people decide not to buy, it DOES make a difference.
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Post by Heather on Feb 17, 2015 16:56:27 GMT -5
It won't for Marshals farms. If you could get people to boycott Marshals farms pet division you would succeed is shutting that portion down, that's it. They don't make money on their pet line. Their money maker is in lab animals. They're a huge corporation, with fingers all over the world. You will never, ever make a dint on their bottom line until you can shut down the use of lab animals that's where their money is. Their pet line is like a hobby. It fills a small niche market nothing more. I was more than horrified when I did some research a few months ago on Marshals. Look up Marshal BioResources if you want to see how much you and the general public would win if you boycott buying their "pet" ferrets. It's like hoping your going to shut down proctor and gamble by stopping buying palmolive dish detergent. ciao
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2015 17:38:12 GMT -5
I dont want to even imagine what they do to ferrets in their labs. So, I will not be looking that up. Sometimes out of sight out of mind is good.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2015 16:57:00 GMT -5
The point isn't to hurt Marshals though. The point is that if you're going to adopt a ferret anyway, why not adopt shelter ferret? The point is about doing the right thing and building a culture that's more about helping and taking responsibility for the ferrets we've brought into this world already. By buying a ferret or any animal from a mill you are communicating that their product is viable and therefore they will continue to produce more animals. That's why there's an overpopulation.
Change might be very likely, but supporting a more thoughtful culture is important, even if it does fail to spit in the eye of the bad guy.
I recently took a trip to Thailand where I had the privilege to meet Lek Chalert. A tiny Thai woman who is devoted to rescuing horribly abused elephants and spreading awareness about their treatment in tourism. She started out with a tiny bit of land a couple of elephants, now she has over 40 elephants, a huge plot of land and a team of volunteers, workers and experts taking care of these elephants around the clock, they also rescue horses, cats and dogs. In Thailand this is nearly impossible. People don't view animals as anything more than tools, and they HATE Lek because she's stirring the pot. She's had her life threatened, her family rejected her, and the government is always looking for ways to kick her out of the country. But even now with her and combined efforts of others the Thai government is issuing laws that will give animals more rights. If this Tiny Thai woman could do the impossible, in a culture that doesn't understand compassion for animals. Than we Americans can sure as h*ll do a better job to make sure our animals are taken care of.
It's not about winning, it's about doing the right thing.
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Post by racheld on Feb 20, 2015 18:05:26 GMT -5
Whether or not it will make a difference in their bottom line, I would never choose to financially support a company that does such abhorrent things. If I disagree with a company's policies or actions, I don't give them my money. Obviously there are some limits to this (i.e. if I needed medication) but I feel better about myself when I actively choose not to pay for goods (or animals) from a company known to abuse their "products".
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2015 22:28:45 GMT -5
I LOVE this post, I feel better knowing that Marshall isn't a good brand so bless everyone who posted here. But it's kind of hard to find non-Marshall products in Quebec...
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Post by racheld on Mar 5, 2015 23:30:12 GMT -5
Marie, what are you looking for specifically? Lots of folks sell hammocks, beds, and cage decor on etsy, and you can check the cat toy section for suitable toys and treats.
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Post by Heather on Mar 5, 2015 23:33:48 GMT -5
As far as buying ferret accessories they're everywhere with a number of auctions that no only provide you with accessories (everything from toys, to hammies, cubes and cuddle cups to name a few) but you can help support shelter ferrets while you're getting things for your little ones. It's much better than supporting Marshals farms ciao
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2015 0:23:18 GMT -5
Yes, I checked etsy and other online stores (that don't have Marshalls) but most of the time it's either super expensive shipping or they don't ship to canada at all, but I probably didn't check far enough.
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