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Post by lorelei0922 on Jul 10, 2011 17:23:20 GMT -5
Hi guys.. sorry I've not been around.. After Cammy's surgery etc we had to dash off rather quickly for our month long holiday in the USA.. so Yay.. I'm back and rested .. lol hopefully... Cammy did fantastic at her ferret hotel.. spoiled rotten in the bedroom of a 14 yr old ferret mad girl who has been in love with Cammy for years.. she was over the moon that her mum let her keep Cammy in her room too !
I'm after starting a new project and hope you guys can give me some insight. I want to learn more about the US ferret husbandry, show circles and Breeding programs. To do this i need to attend some of the big events like the Buckeye Bash and get my name out there as a reputable breeder.
So.. i'm thinking.. what about putting together a litter of kits next spring... and selling them to people in the US. My goal would be to sell 10 kits which would allow me to pay for their shipment and part of my ticket to Columbus where i could meet up the new owners and with other US ferret owners and breeders and suss things out there in person.
any thoughts? do you think people would be interested? what would YOU pay for a naturally bred and raised ferret from excellent English lines (history for 3+ generations) shipped to the US and to be collected from the Buckeye Bash? You would be able to watch the kits from birth on the cam and choose your kit well in advance....
Look forward to your thoughts and ideas !
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Post by Sherry on Jul 10, 2011 17:32:22 GMT -5
If I remember correctly, breeder kits here can go for about $200- $400 depending on whether or not they are "show" quality. That seems to be the figure I've heard, anyway. I think you'd be highly successful in placing your kits once people hear about you.
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Post by joan on Jul 10, 2011 17:36:53 GMT -5
I'd be interested in a kit or two if the parents are dark sables (polecat color and markings) from a background free of dilute colors and white markings, as well as the type and quality I'm looking for.
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Post by Heather on Jul 10, 2011 18:38:04 GMT -5
It is definitely an interesting concept. I wouldn't be in the market for the next couple of years but as long as they were dark sables (no selfs) and like Joan, no white markings or dilutes...it could indeed be an interesting idea. I was planning to be going to the Buckeye Bash this year (not to buy ferrets ;D)...but...didn't get my passport done in time Looks like it will be next year before I get to have the fun of investigating a ferret show ;D and meeting all the wee ones and their people. It was so much easier before when we just had to show proof of Canadian citizenship to travel across the border Right now the ferrets have an easier time travelling across the border than I do ciao
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Post by joclyn on Jul 10, 2011 19:01:06 GMT -5
i would definitely be interested in purchasing a kit with clean lines!
i haven't been able to make it to the buckeye show, though (and, again, this year i can't do it & no idea how things will be next year). i do regularly attend the winter nationals and spring nationals shows, though. both of those have pretty high attendance rates - for both other breeders as well as just us regular owners.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2011 19:07:46 GMT -5
The best way to get involve with selling ferrets in the US would be to join a breeder's forum...a LOT of US breeders are bringing in some European bloodlines. I suspect there may be some interested breeders. Please let me know if you want any info on some of the breeder forums.
-jennifer
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Post by lorelei0922 on Jul 10, 2011 19:16:38 GMT -5
Hi guys.. and thanks for the input... how dark would you say a dark sable is? got my hands on a few with very good lines but i dont know how dark is dark lol as we dont class them the same here in the UK.. i tend to stay away from splotches, mits or markings as well.. .. what exactly do you mean by dilutes?
and Yes... Jennifer.. i would LOVE some insight to the breeder forums.. i'm on one via yahoo but its rather slow.. i have sooo much to learn about the american side of things that it feels like starting over.. a bit overwhelming to be honest lol
I'd consider one of the other shows but of course our breeding season is just about over here... and its unlikely that i'd have the litters i want until next spring... kits must be 8 weeks to travel to the US so that puts us July / August time minimum
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Post by ferretfreke on Jul 10, 2011 19:18:34 GMT -5
If you have any angoras, even if they haven't been bred with the lines you're talking about, you'll basically be blacklisted as a breeder here in the US tho, just fyi. I don't know if you do, but I know they are very popular in other countries. They don't like them here.
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Post by lorelei0922 on Jul 10, 2011 20:00:46 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2011 20:11:36 GMT -5
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't sandy colored ferrets a cross between a sable and a albino?
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Post by Sherry on Jul 10, 2011 21:49:22 GMT -5
Oh, I think I would do almost anything for one of your albino hobs But....not for a long time yet
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Post by Heather on Jul 10, 2011 21:52:00 GMT -5
Ohh, she's got 'binos.... I love 'binos. ;D What adorable little ones. ciao
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Post by Sherry on Jul 10, 2011 22:03:57 GMT -5
DEW girls are my alltime favourite, but big old albino boys are a VERY close second
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2011 22:31:51 GMT -5
"Dilutes" are any colors that are lighter than sables that are not true albinos. chocolate, roan, champagne/sandy, DEW/BEW, etc. Any of these lighter colors are dilutes. Black ferret have black fur. My Shaman is either a bad black mitt or a bad black roan mitt (roan used to be called silver in the US. the body should be 50% white guard hairs and 50% black guard hairs to be a black roan mitt. Shaman has roaning on his legs , but the guard hairs on his body are black - so he does not fit either color standard (black mitt vs. black roan mitt) well. Tomichi is a dark sable - she is dark brown. Her nose is brown. Sable is the natural ferret color. Black is not. The best way to understand color categories in the US is to read the AFA standard. This will explain the colors and the patterns. www.ferret.org/events/colors/colorchart.htmlAll standards are available on the AFA site. I will get the info on the breeder forums for you. If you decide to attend some shows here, you'll already know some people from online communication on the breeder sites. This will make attending a show in the US a lot more fun, and you'll get more value from the experience if you already know some of the breeders here before you go. -jennifer
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Post by lorelei0922 on Jul 11, 2011 1:37:14 GMT -5
Thanks for all the info guys! i'll check out the AFA stuff and see what works with what i got lol and thank you again for getting me the contact info for some breeder groups i'm looking forward to investigating and getting some knowledge of how things work there.
Here in the UK we do things on a rather looser and perhaps more natural route. Very rarely is there any vet interference in any breeding program as it simply isn't needed... and if you are a good breeder you'll have a bit of history of your ferrets before hand and you will avoid going for "fancy" colors or silvers or DEWs .... thats about it for strategy here lol
we dont vaccinate as it isn't required and franky is unneeded...my vet hasn't seen distemper in a dog let alone a ferret in well over 18 yrs of experience here in Devon, we dont test for ADV cause we dont have that here either.. So i need to find out also what stuff along THOSE lines will be "required" to be considered on the up and up as well.
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