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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2011 18:31:16 GMT -5
If you plan to go to the Utah show, a wide variety of breeders will be there so you can expand your options on where your adopting. I believe GFX and JBF will be there judging, so if interested in their ferrets contact them asap to find out. I am thinking other breeders from WA will be there like: Wanna Be Wild Weazels (WWW), breeders name is Paula Woodland, she has very nice kits! with really nice pedigree and would be my top pick as a breeder for the west coast She had the Number one Breeder ferret of 2010, which is a impressive accomplishment. WWW dont have a site but if seriously interested I can get you her email. Out of your choices Ferretown or Mi Corazon, I personally would go with Mi Corazon, breeder is Linda Gurule. I've seen her ferrets personally, very nice with nice pedigree too. She has kits right now, I have been getting lots of AWWW moments looking at the pics of them (posted on FB), they are adorable! I'm sure Ferretown would be fine, I dont personally know the ferretry enough to have any opinion, nor do I know the pedigree and such. But they are AFA, which is good. Nice bred kits are pricey, but so worth it!! Sure any ferret can get sick whether farm or nice private bred, but generally a well bred ferret is much healthier. My hob was about $350, and jill $400.... but so worth it! My kits came with their shots, ADV test, vet check, microchip, health guarantee, pedigree, and what is great is they are already raw/prey diet!! As thats what they are brought up on Shoot my hob even came home with a starter packet of food lol. And my Jill, all her medical & pedigree stuff was in a really nice binder with her pic and pedigree on front, loaded with lots of helpful info, and also had her own AFA show sheet to keep track of her points/placements/ect... She showed her 2 times for me before I could pick her up and it was all filled out, so nice!! Like with anything, even when adopting any pet, I truly think you get what you pay for. Sure might be a more pricey adoption fee but look what they come with, plus the better health, and the one on one communication with the breeders is a HUGE plus. Any time I have needed their help or input (even with my rescued marshal ferrets) they are always there for me and more then happy to help! Another plus is your not supporting the ferret farms, and if you adopt from a breeder they can match you up with a ferret that best fits you and your family.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2011 0:34:36 GMT -5
OK,I 'll try this again... I lost a huge post on this thread the other day. I've been trying to find time to post since I have quite a bit to say here. In a nutshell, the best ferret is the one that suits your needs. I will explain this in a series of posts on this thread. Ferret can very quite a bit. The AFA show guidelines exemplify this because they describe standards for different types of ferret. According to the AFA standards, a ferret should be judges according to its general type. One type is theoretically no better than the other. Please note that a type is neither a breed nor a color. Some ferrets are longer and more slender (sometimes called "slinkies") while others are shorter and stockier (sometimes called "bulldogs"). Of course, there are all kinds of variations in between. The goal o the AFA is to NOT develop breeds. I've attended a ferret shows of the the span of several years. I've also assisted with the judging process as a "Steward" ( I think "Steward" is the term that's used.) The Steward sits next to a judge and takes notes as the judge examines each ferret. Over the years, I've noticed that there are definite trends that dominate the show rings. Trends change. For example, there's currently a STRONG preference for stocky ferrets with "heavy muzzle". This look is considered to be "closer to polecat", and judges are curently looking for that "polecat structure". At one time, "muzzle" was not as important in the show ring as it is today. So what does a polecat look like? At this point, I'll point out that European polecats are geographically segregated into different populations that do not mix. There's a HIGH degree of variability in the DNA across these segregated populations. Reference: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00095.x/abstractTo add to the mystery, we are not 100% certain that the European polecat is the actual and/or/only forerunner to the domestic ferret. There are still many unanswered questions regarding the possible role of the Steppe Polecat may play in ferret ancestry. Let's talk about breeding for a moment. In general, the goal of breeding is to "improve" the species or breed. The objective is to consistently produce offspring that adhere to the defined standard (this includes temperament). This requires the "fixing"of traits. Line breeding is the only way to reliably fix a trait. Line breeding can fix both desirable and undesirable traits. When genetic testing is not available to identify genetic faults, responsible breeders must follow their animals' histories to determine whether or not undesirable genetics have bred into a particular line. If a line proves harbor an undesirable trait, that trait should be "bred out" (this is VERY difficult to do, if at all possible), or the line should be culled (ended). all of this is very difficult to do since animals are usually bred many times before any genetic issues begin to surface within bloodlines. That being said, animals most likely to "clean up" in the show ring may not necessarily be the healthiest, longest-lived ferrets. If showing is important to you, you'll want to look for ferrets that are doing well in the show ring. today. In general, it's common a common observation that ferrets are shorter-lived and have more health issues than they did in the 80. There's much speculation that breeding for color and other desirable traits has resulted in genetic issues for many of today's ferrets. Some breeders have either brought in new, European bloodlines from various different countries and/or they have maintained some of the older styled bloodlines, which produce more variability in offspring. (Lines are not tightly bred to fix traits within a relatively short period of time.) These type of breeders are typically very small- scale breeders that are lesser known. The one thing to keep in mind is that there are NEVER any guarantees. Most of the breeders who are doing very well in the AFA show-ring today are charging $350-450 per ferret. Showing is very expensive, and so is breeding. Many people will gladly pay high prices for a ferret that comes from championship bloodlines (especially within the last 2-3 generations) because that ferret will have a higher probability of carrying the traits the judges are currently looking for. Is current show-winner necessarily a better or healthier ferret? Maybe. Maybe not. I have 4 beautiful bouncing brats. Three of them are coming up on 6.5 years of age, and the 4rth one will be 5 next month. They have been extremely healthy (minor adrenal and only a couple of insignificant things.) You can see their pictures if go to the original forum and look for one of my old posts - I had a banner on the old forum. My kids have quite a bit of the older style bloodlines - they have a mix of East- and Northwest coast bloodlines. For today's show ring, you really want to focus on the East Coast look, which my kids do not have. Do I care? ? h*ll no!!!! They are GREAT ferrets, and they don't need no stinking ribbons to prove it - LOL!!! Linda Gurule/Mi Corazon is currently breeding a lot of ferrets that reflect the East Coast show ring - hence the price. Her ferrets are GORGEOUS, and they're doing very well in the show ring. Nancy Park/Ferretown USA has some of the older bloodlines. My ferrets have a very strong influence from Nancy's bloodlines. The champagne ferret (Mr. Rex) on the Ferretown USA web site is a cousin to 2 of my brats, Tonto and Kachina. I chose Mi Corazon because Linda had quite a varied mix of bloodlnes (East & West Coast), she is close by, and her prices were low for a private breeder because she had not yet started showing. Will my kids ultimately live longer than most? Who knows - only time will tell. I will say that both Linda and Nancy have wonderful ferrets.....I would not hesitate to recommend either one based upon the health and temperament of my brats. A lot depends on what you're looking for. Please let me know if you have any questions. -jennifer
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Post by crazylady on Jun 12, 2011 14:51:38 GMT -5
Jennifer I applaud you on your post very well said ! I judge ferrets all over the world what do I look for good bones good eyes a good skull a good jaw line overall balance in the body colour to me is the last thing I look for ( colour is the easiest thing to add !) and I ask myself the important question is the ferret capable to do what nature intended is it strong enough to hunt and survive ! people forget show standards were set by breeders who were breeding those animals if for example your ferret was producing kits with a few silver guard hairs dotted in here and there what happened oh we will have a roan class ! classes were formed to fit what was being bred ! ( makes for sales ) when I started judging years ago and boy do I mean years ago lol ( I am now 51 and have owned ferrets since I was 7 ) the classes in England consisted of albino, polecat , sandy and any other colour ( these were ferrets that didn't fall into any of the set colour ranges ) the silver was unheard of as was the dew there were no separate classes for darker or lighter polecats if it was a polecat ( sable ) colour no matter what colour the undercoat it went in one class the same applied to sandy we don't have butter scotch champagne etc its simply sandy back then shows were simply for fun it was a way of working people meeting sharing stories and showing off there latest hunting friend a ribbon meant nothing but a ferrets strength and hunting ability meant everything that was prized more than any ribbon Do I breed ferrets yes I do for me I work them I judge them and yes I used to show them my goal as a breeder is to breed for longevity and to breed the ultimate hunting machine does it have to be black to do that NO but I also want a ferret who once his day of work is over is content to curl on my lap my ferrets are my friends we work as a team I say to those who attend shows just keep in your head ( and yes I am a judge lol ) its only for fun another show a different judge its only there opinion after all and hey your ferret has given you the greatest prize any ferret can give to its owner its love trust and respect ! take care bye for now bev aka crazy lady
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2011 18:47:09 GMT -5
Very good post jennifer, how true it is.
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Post by lorelei0922 on Jul 9, 2011 19:21:53 GMT -5
you guys would freak if you realized how cheap ferrets.. naturally bred never farmed are here in the UK...
the very most i have Ever gotten for a kit is £15... that equates to about $25 US!!! Come September if you are unlucky enough to have a late litter.. you will be inundated with kits you can not find homes for for free!!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2011 9:54:14 GMT -5
Oh God, Don't tell me that....next thing you know, I'll be in search of a cheap plane ticket to the UK for the October time-frame ;D ;D ;D
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Post by joan on Jul 10, 2011 12:29:43 GMT -5
I thought very seriously of doing just that, Jennifer, as I hated to rely on photos to decide whether or not a particular ferret/hybrid had the type and qualities I was looking for. After checking it out, it would have cost me more than double the cost of shipping two ferrets, so I had to rely on the knowledge and honesty of the breeder(s) I was dealing with. I wasn't disappointed as Basil and Cybill were the high quality I'd hoped for, and had outstanding temperaments and personalities.
The biggest drawback for me in importing UK ferrets is that so few breeders keep any health or breeding records. I could usually get info on the parents and occasionally the grandparents, but rarely anything beyond that. Ironically, those who work their ferrets generally had better records than the show breeders or those who bred their pet jill to the nearest available hob.
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Post by lorelei0922 on Jul 10, 2011 17:17:05 GMT -5
watch the breeder space.... i'm cookin up some ideas
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Post by ferretfreke on Jul 10, 2011 19:54:37 GMT -5
I know Nancy of Ferretown USA personally and her ferrets are beautiful. I got to play with some of her babies and her famous male, Fonzie yesterday. They have sweet dispositions. As far as I know she takes great care of them. When I held her breeder male he just snuggled up to me. Wanted to walk out with him I think she has some older ferrets that are still in great health. She feeds them a partial raw diet and has been learning more about doing more.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2011 21:38:34 GMT -5
I know Nancy of Ferretown USA personally and her ferrets are beautiful. I got to play with some of her babies and her famous male, Fonzie yesterday. They have sweet dispositions. As far as I know she takes great care of them. When I held her breeder male he just snuggled up to me. Wanted to walk out with him I think she has some older ferrets that are still in great health. She feeds them a partial raw diet and has been learning more about doing more. Oh how fun! Which babies did you play with and which breeder male was it? She has 3 different litters right now: www.ferrettownusa.com/2011-kits.html
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Post by ferretfreke on Jul 10, 2011 23:05:04 GMT -5
I think it was Creamy's babies. They were 10 weeks old and 3 females. It was so fun. My friend took one of them home. It was kind of sad cus she cried for awhile after being seperated from her litter mates. She was fine after being joined with her new cage mates. They hit it off well. It was Fonzie I was snuggling with. I love that boy!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2011 8:32:08 GMT -5
Fonzie is the 6-pounder. I LOVE TO hold him...he's such a love bug!!! My Tonto is like that - but he would only get to be 5 pounds in the winter. Now he's an old boy and does not carry as much muscle - Neutering really takes its toll on these guys. I do love Nancy's brats -jennifer
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Post by Heather on Jul 11, 2011 15:23:31 GMT -5
I couldn't believe the difference between the muscle tone of a hob and a jib. I was totally amazed and how fast they lost that tone after being altered. Are the jills like that too? ciao
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Post by lorelei0922 on Jul 11, 2011 15:57:42 GMT -5
jills tend to be just themselves neutered or not... some chill out a bit.. but body wise.. i've not noticed a difference
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2011 16:07:56 GMT -5
What about an intact hob on DES? Do they still lose most of the muscle tone? I wonder if we could take a page from the latest in bodybuilding pharmacology, and give neutered male ferrets SARMS (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) to help them maintain muscle tone? Who knows if they would be effective in ferrets though. The idea behind SARMS is that the testosterone receptors in muscle tissue and bone will react to them as if they were testosterone, BUT other tissues will not. The result they are trying to get with SARMS is to get the benefits of testosterone, without the virilizing / sexual effects. Sounds perfect for a neutered male ferret right? LOL... Makes me wonder if anybody is sneaky enough to use SARMS on their jibs to help them do better in the alter class at shows
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