Todd,

Arrrrgghhhhh! You just HAD to mention the possibility of fried kibble
within the hearing of Hubble! Back into the cauldron with you!

One of the most loved things here is cooked chicken cartilage as a
treat. Three of our current five go absolutely WILD over it. It's good
for them, too: soft enough to not cause any blockages, tough enough to
clean teeth, and supplements some nutrients.

Alex, Yep. Honoring the ferrets means so much.

Pet stores: if things get way out of hand with a given store and
corporate can't do anything then remember to contact your local STATE
legislator(s) to ask some questions. That way you can find which state
offices do two essential things: issue pet store business licenses and
follow-up, and make sure that certain humane standards are upheld. All
(? hopefully) states should have humane standards, and some states have
gotten consumer protection laws that protect pet health (and as result
also consumer investment and it is that factor which more often than
not the last time I looked was the wedge that got them passed). It is
best if a vet letter on hospital stationary accompanies a complaint,
but if not possible that's still okay. You may find that a local animal
control officer or ASPCA reps may be willing and able to help, too.
There are times when it is best to stop expending energy on anger and
instead focus the energy tightly on more direct but harsher methods to
get things done. That isn't an approach to over-use, but when all else
fails ***if a situation is bad enough*** it tends to be effective. We
had to use it for a store with ill and infectious animals and no
veterinary care provided. We also notified the farm which supplied them
of the conditions. The upshot? The state forced veterinary care for all
sick animals present (dogs, cats, and ferrets). Then, when clean of
infection, those animals were transferred to another store for sale,
and the store which did not treat was forbidden to carry those species
for six months. Meanwhile, the ferret farm which sold to that chain was
so appalled that it required further improvements in living conditions
before it would permit any of its ferrets to be sold at that store once
the half year penalty was past.

Most pet stores have no way to know that aging based upon dental
eruption is more accurate than papers will ever be. Having this info
can also help the stores since they are caught in the middle if a farm
sends kits who are too young and vulnerable with the wrong papers (and
that is a good way to put it since it is most fair and lets the store
people know why this info can help them, too, when they find themselves
in a tricky position):

Here are the dental eruption ages in approximate days after birth from
page 37, _Biology and Diseases of the Ferret, 2nd edition_:

"The deciduous teeth erupt between 20 and 28 days" [Those are the baby
teeth.]

and on page 36, same text this data for adult (permanent) tooth
eruptions:

Upper:

Canine:  50 days
Molar 1:  53 days
Premolars 2, 3 and 4:  60 days

Lower:

Canine and Molar 1:  50 days
Premolar 2:  60 days
Premolar 3:  67 days
Premolar 4 and Molar 2:  74 days

The eruption ages for the incisors are more variable, but the ones I
listed are tight enough that you can age a ferret kit incredibly
accurately with them.


-- 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 5404]