Jessica, get to the vet PRONTO.  Over the years we did have one with
allergies (Ruffle), one with influenza (Ruffle), and one with pneumonia
with pluerosy (sp.) (Meeteetse who recovered nicely and is now 8 years
old), but have had three with cardiomyopathy causing ascites (Ruffle,
Meltdown, and 'Chopper the Organic Helicopter).  Expect to have an x-ray
done and possibly to have to do an ultrasound.  (There can also be other
causes of ascites, and a number of other causes of coughing.)  Coughing
is one of the things that makes us jump fast.
 
I have got something absolutely HILARIOUS to tell you that just happened.
A ferret fight with screaming began so I yelled and said that the bad
ferrets would have to go into the cage.  Very possibly said Ashling and
Seven's names because they are the normal combatants (though this time it
turned out to be Glueball and Scooter).  Well, Ashling and Seven each got
up and put THEMSELVES into the open cage and sat there looking out at me!
Can't recall that ever happening before, except when they put themselves
in early for naps, but never like this.
 
John, as you know I've read every FML from the start and the pre-FML
things, too.  10 years old of older is not very common, though I think
there's someone here who has ones from multiple sources who often feeds
frozen baby mice as part of the diet with good results from what he has
written.  Has that continued to be so?  Years ago there used to be someone
who said she had a very long-lived line and we even helped her out to the
tune of several hundred dollars when she had a major medical problem (money
directly to the clinic) which was supposed to be repaid in kits, but she
cut contact and disappeared.  That's the only time someone on the FML
"took" us, so far.  8 years old is in the upper part of the normal range.
You did well with the careful and fine care you provided.  It's like with
humans; most go into their 70s or 80s, but there are some who make 100 or
better with good care and the right genetics.  I've tried tracing down
consistently longer-lived LINES for over a decade and haven't had any luck
on that score at all, but have found some sporadic individuals who manage
to live longer than normal lives.  Like you, I'd like to know what people
with consistently longer-lived ferrets are doing, also still am looking
for longer-lived lines (always looking...).
 
Betty, so what you have noticed seems to be one trigger for undercoat
changes (temp) and another for guard hair changes (longer nights or shorter
days)?  You also wrote:
>Laying down new smells will only encourage her to mark this area more or
>worse yet, move to another area.
 
Not necessarily.  Back when my asthma let me wear scent I found that if I
sprayed MY perfume by the front door the ferrets found no need to mark
that territorial boundary and stopped doing so.  (Now-a-days I sometimes
wear essential oils from using them in the bath because that works for me,
but I do only rarely so it would not be the same as one consistent scent
associated with me on a daily basis.)
 
What's done is done so it didn't make sense for people to flame you, but I
suspect that perhaps it would help you to understand WHY they wanted you to
do autopsies (which preferably would be with pathology, or sometimes also
with toxicology).  Sometimes there is a common cause for deaths: poisoning
of some type (like pesticides, or gas inhalation from crawling under a gas
stove, or CO, or a cleanser, or something else), or sometimes there is a
disease which was present in the household and others get it later (at
least several can hang around in carpets and such).  Having the necropsy
and testing done permits you to FIND such causes at times; in doing so it
may not only save future ferrets' lives but it may also save your other
critters and possibly even you.  Necropsies save lives.  Does that help
you know why they got upset?
[Posted in FML issue 3186]