The biggest threat to a ferrets life? Impulse buying. Ferrets require research, dedication, time and lots of saving $$. Yet they are sold as a beginner pet at stores along with an inaccurate information pamphlet. Not to mention most pet stores get ferrets from Marshall Ferrets. The largest "puppy mill" of the ferret business, who also sell ferrets to research facilities that test on animals. You can tell if it is a Marshall ferret if there are 2 black dots in the ear. If you buy from a pet store you need to immediately take them to a vet, they (8 times out of 10) come home with ear mites and illness due to improper care before being shipped out and poor care in the store (single level habitat, run out of food continuously, no dark places to hide, water bottles that can chip young teeth, no real space to play away from feces or urine). However, Marshall tells you not to worry because they will guarantee your store bought Marshall ferret for up to a year IF you feed them Marshall Ferret food for the full year, ironically (or coldly calculated so they don't have to replace your ferret), the worst ferret food on the market.

Save their lives by boycotting the pet store ferrets and supporting local breeders and ferret shelters (there are many breeders in Europe an England as well as a few in America and Canada). If you don't buy the ferrets in store they will be put up for adoption.

Did you know?: 

1. Ferrets require AT LEAST 4 hours of free roam around you house.
2. Many ferrets that have unusual coloring (blaze down the forehead, champagne color, ect.) are EXTREMELY prone to deafness and/or mental illness (similar to autism) due to selective and irresponsible breeding.
3. They are obligate carnivores and are more prone to sickness when on a kibble diet instead of a raw because they are MADE to only digest meat, organs and bone.
4. They are very clumsy and one bad fall can result in up to $1500 in vet bills because they classify as an exotic pet, therefore you need an exotic vet near you which is much more expensive.
5. They need yearly shots like rabies, distemper and lupron injections (to help fight adrenal disease) and vet visits every 6 months or so.
6. They need a spot that is 100% dark available 24/7 or Adrenal Disease will start sooner.
7. If they ingest anything like fabric or string it can result in a blockage that they can't digest resulting in more outlandish vet bills.
8. Over 60% of ferrets die or are abandoned/surrendered within the first year due to impulse buys because the owner wasn't even aware of the challenges.
9. Many of those abandoned/surrendered ferrets never find a new home and grow old and pass away in ferret shelters.