Just as a clarification: I think that it is possible that food and early
neutering play into some of the health problems seen BUT...
 
One "but" is that feeding kibble and having early neutering were done
back before some health problems were common; in fact, they were done
when some of the common U.S. ferret health problems were barely ever
encountered and when encountered were not found in young or even middle
ages ones but only in the old.  Possibilities therefore include but are
not limited to: that these are not the primary triggers, and/or that
things like insulinoma and adrenal neoplasia just were not recognized
then, and/or that the fancy markings genetics which has been far too much
selected for in this country has introduced vulnerabilities which may
interact with possible triggers, and/or such triggers are interacting
with something else that is different from two decades ago (more lights
at night in many households, a silent virus, a virus not yet connected
to these woes, more concentrated nutrition, less exercise for too many
people's ferrets, etc. -- though I know of those people in others
households who are exceedingly careful about things whose ferrets
never-the-less still have high rates of these problems or have them
showing up earlier).
 
Mary, you, your husband, and your family sure are going through a lot,
but i am glad that his progress is in the right direction!
 
Some picky eaters are funny and WILL eat a food if it is given slowly
from a doll bottle with a non-chewable tip that has been cut to be wider,
or will eat if sung to, or...
 
Our guys prefer our bedroom to their room for exercise.  If we can ever
afford to be someplace where they have their own large room that is used
for no other purpose they simply will HAVE to have a platform bed in it
with climbable blankets and wedge pillows, and an open closet with
clothing to climb and shred, and shelves into which to burrow, as well
as a load of other fun things.  They sleep a lot of their time out, of
course, but i guess that they probably play very actively around 6 hours
each day.  The funny thing is that when they are done for the day it is
not unusual for them to just climb back into their cage and wait to be
shut in and covered for the night.
[Posted in FML issue 4135]