>Is there a study?  How can my ferts get in on it?  I have skipped
>several weeks of FML as I have been traveling and then sick, please
>fill me in!!!
 
Tony just accidently worded his post wrong; it happens to us all.  The
ferrets are NOT being tested for adrenal disease or insulinoma
themselves.  It is a portion of a study which is in part a genetic study
that is looking for some possible genetic contributors to certain medical
problems in ferrets.  He had noted on the FML that he hasn't had any
diagnosed with these illnesses so they are looking at the genetics he
is dealing with, too.
---
 
Extremely dried banana chips which are too large for their little
passages have caused at least one cause of GI blockage in a ferret.
I recall one that was reported to either the FML or the lists we had
that proceeded it, but I can't recall which or if it was in the
archives years or before.
---
 
Cedar oils are bad in general.
 
Pine is bad IF the individual is allergic to it.
 
Other woods can present problems if allergies and pollen are present
(same as for the wheat and corn litters, etc.), or if they have been
stored in damp conditions and developed molds.
 
Otherwise, they are typically fine.
 
So: no cedar should ever be used with them, most pine and the rest are
okay if there not an allergy (The pellets are better than the flakes
because the pellets have most of the oils removed in the pelleting
process, and don't have a lot of floating dust to inhale or splinters.),
and be sure to avoid moldy stuff.
 
More has come out since this but this is still an excellent explanation:
http://www.trifl.org/cedar.shtml
 
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my
private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love
them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5226]