What should I ask a ferret breeder?

There's a lot of questions you should ask, and we've listed a whole bunch here for you to easily access. Even if you don't get a ferret from us, we want you to walk into ferret ownership fully-equipped with everything you need and a healthy, well-bred ferret!

Red Flag: DO NOT buy a ferret from them!
Orange Flag: Approach with caution, as you may be getting an unwell/under-cared for ferret.
Yellow Flag: 'Decent' ferret breeder, but they aren't putting in  quite100%.
Green Flag: Lovely! Perfect! Doing their best!

How old are they when I get them?

Red flag: under 8 weeks
Orange flag: under 10 weeks
Yellow flag: under 12 weeks
Green flag: 12+ weeks

Can I meet the parents?

Red flag: Not allowing you to see/meet the parents is a red flag.
Orange flag: Photos/videos of the parents.
Yellow flag: Live video calls to show the parents.
Green flag: Meeting the parents in-person.

What diet are they on? What diet should I feed them?

Red flag: Kibble, kitten biscuits, 'ferret food'.
Orange flag: A mix of kibble/biscuits and meat/raw.
Yellow flag: Meat/raw food.
Green flag: Meat, bone, organs, eggs, lactose-free milk, whole prey.
Bonus: They give you some changeover food when you adopt your ferret.

Why do you breed ferrets?

Red flags: Money, financial reasons, 'I want more ferrets', 'I thought my ferret would make a good mother/father', 'I wanted another ferret just like my other ferret'.
Orange flag: 'Because I love them', 'Because they're cute', accidental breeding.
 Yellow flag: To out-compete competition/backyard breeders.
 Green flag: To better the breed, better temperament, better health, promote responsible breeding/ownership.

How old are the parents?

Red flag: Dam is under 1.5 years or over 6 years.
Orange flag: Dam is 5 years or under 2 years.
Yellow flag: Sire is under 1 year or 7+ years old.
Green flag: Dam is 2-4 years old. Sire is 1-6 years old.

What are some warning signs/symptoms I should look out for?

Red flag: They don't tell you much or just say to 'go to your vet' if you think something is wrong.
Orange flag: Give a general run down; if they're tired, if they're not eating, if they're vomitting, etc.
Yellow flag: More detailed signs/symptoms with more clinical wording: lethargic, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, vomitting, nasal discharge, inflammed/irritated eyes, rattly breath, head tilt, fair loss.
Green flag: Gives you a detailed explanation of warning signs/symptoms, including photo examples(especially of poop), and offer you their phone number/a way to contact them if you are worried. Differentiates between coat molting and adrenal hair loss on the tail.
Bonus: They give you a list of ferret-savvy vets to go to if you think something is wrong. Providing links or documents for health concerns/what to look out for.

Will they be vaccinated? Any flea, mite, tick, or worm treatment?

Red flag: No vaccinations or flea, mite, tick, & worm treatment.
Orange flag: Flea, mite, tick, &/ worm treatment only.
Yellow flag: Vaccinated before 12 weeks, flea, mite, tick, &/ worm treatment.
Green flag: Vaccinated after 12 weeks, flea, mite, tick, &/ worm treatment.
Bonus flag: Give you an extra treatment for flea, mite, tick, & worm.)

Can I talk to some references/someone who has gotten a ferret from you in the past?

Red flag: They cannot provide any references.
Orange flag: Only provides references from friends/family.
Yellow flag: Only provides 1-2 references from people who recently got a ferret from them.
Green flag: Can provide multiple references, including trusted individuals(e.g. members of a local ferret society).

Can I visit to see where the kits are living?

Red flag: No.
Orange flag: They only send photos/videos of their home and offer to meet somewhere else.
Yellow flag: They live too far away/are a long drive away but offer videos/photos.
Green flag: They allow you to visit their home. If too far away, they offer to do a live video call with you.

Have any of their ancestors had any health conditions/concerns?

Red flags: None, Waardenburg, Deafness, Blindness(in non-albinos)
Orange flags: Breeder cannot name/identify any illnesses or their ferrets haven't gotten old enough (they're all younger than 4 years)
Yellow flags: Some ferrets are deaf from birth, mentions of skin-cancer, mentions of previous ferrets passing under the age of 8.
Green flags: Breeder talks about how old their older ferrets lived to before passing, what lead to their passing(natural causes/age-related causes), and what to look out for.
Bonus flag: Breeder tells you that certain colours/patterns have higher chances of certain disorders, e.g. Waardenburg, deafness, blindness, etc.

What is the ferret's inbreeding coefficient?

25%: parent-child, siblings
12.5%: grandparent to grandchild, half-siblings, uncle/aunt to niece/nephew
6.25%: great grandparent to great grandchild, half-uncle/aunt to niece/nephew, first cousins
3.125%: first cousins once-removed, half-cousins

Red flag: They don't know what that is/don't answer or 25% and over.
Orange flag: Over 15% for isolated populations. Over 10% for broader populations.
 Yellow flag: Between 10-15% for isolated populations. Between 5-10% for broader populations.
 Green flag: Under 10% for isolated populations. Under 5% for broader populations.
 Bonus: They provide you with a pedigree/family tree, more than just the parents names—this should typically include name, prefix/ferretry name, and ferret colour.