>>Subject: Julie, Intact Ferrets and Adrenal disease
>>
>>Sorry, Tony, but we have had a number of elderly, ill, intact ferrets
>>surrendered to the shelter and we did find adrenal growths during
>>necropsy.  I do suspect the lack of natural lighting cycles likely
>>caused their problems.
 
>In my opinion keeping ferrets intact, keeping them in natural light and
>feeding on as much raw meat as possible all go hand in hand to having
>healthy ferrets.
>
>What do you call elderly fetters?
 
Hi Tony,
 
I agree that natural light is important.  The intact ferrets that I
referred to were five years of age or older.  They passed from things
like kidney failure or other diseases.  Some had poor coats and some
didn't, but we did find fairly large adrenal growths at necropsy.
Unless you had necropsies performed on your elderly deceased intact
ferrets, you cannot honestly say they did not get adrenal neoplasms.
 
Five years of age is a very typical age for a lot of ferrets to start to
pass away, from my experience.  When people ask me how long ferrets live,
I tell them 5-8 years, typically.  They are a lot like humans.  Some
humans get sick and pass away at a young age, say 50 or younger, while
others live to be 100 or older.  Ferrets are much the same.
 
Keeping ferrets intact and outdoors, which I understand is how yours are
kept, isn't practical for most of the households in the United States
that have pet ferrets.  They are pets and most people that acquire them,
do so, because they want the interaction.  We also have two large dogs,
and they live inside with us, like family members, not out behind the
house like livestock.
 
A natural or raw diet would probably also be ideal, but here again, it
isn't practical for most ferret owners.  We have to balance idealism with
realism.  We also have to give each ferret owner license to house and
feed their pet the way that fits their individual needs.  Very few humans
consistantly consume the ideal diet or keep ideal hours -it isn't
realistic to even expect it.
 
If I were a ferret, and I had two choices: Housed inside the home,
eating kibble, sleeping in soft blankets and hammies, being a part of
the family -loved, spoiled, knowing my human was in the next room, and
living for 5-6 years but maybe having to face an adrenal surgury during
that time, or being housed outside, in a hutch, sleeping in straw,
exposed to the elements, fed a raw or natural diet, stuck behind the
house with love and interaction lasting for a few minutes to an hour
or so a day, but living to 8-9 years of age, guess which ferret I'ld
rather be?
 
I'm not debating the husbandry issue -and I won't.  I'm not faulting
you for your choice of how you house your ferrets.  I'm just giving my
perspective and I respect each and every owner's right to the choice of
how they keep their ferrets.  The end.  : )
 
Respectfully,
Julie
[Posted in FML issue 5219]