This was from a survey done in Chicargo of 300 ferrets

(The disease was uncommon in the hunting ferrets that were their
ancestors, and is still rare in animals that live outside, as they
tend to do in the UK and in Australia. The incidence of adrenal
gland problems is increasing in the UK as pet ferrets begin to share
their owners' homes instead of living in the back garden. Extended
photoperiod. It is possible that the incidence of adrenal gland cancer
has increased because we have forced our ferrets to adapt to our life
style. Ferrets are strongly affected by photoperiod. Under natural
conditions, there are only about 8 hours of strong light a day in the
winter months, and the proportions of light and dark gradually change
during the spring and fall. We have removed all these stimuli when we
keep the ferret in a house where electric lights extend day length to
at least 12 hours, all year round.Changing photoperiod causes the
ferret to lose weight and hair in the spring, and come into breeding
condition. In the fall, as the hours of light decrease, ferrets stop
breeding, grow a heavy winter coat, and put on extra fat to prepare for
the cold weather. A primitive part of the brain called the pineal gland
mediates the ferret's response to light. The pineal gland produces a
hormone called melatonin only during hours of darkness. Melatonin
reduces the output of gonadotrophins from the pituitary gland.
Gonadotrophins bind to cells in the ovary or testicle, inducing
production of sex hormones. The same gonadotrophins also bind to
cells in the adrenal gland. When ovaries and testicles are removed,
these gonadotrophins can bind only to adrenal cortical cells.It is
possible that constant stimulation of the adrenal glands because of
the long hours of light eventually causes first benign hyperplasia
(enlargement), and then benign tumours to develop in the adrenal
cortex. In some animals, the tumours become malignant or are malignant
from the outset. Whether the condition is hypertrophy, a benign tumour,
or cancer, excessive levels of adrenal cortical hormones are produced.
Hyperplasia may be corrected if the ferret is put in a place where the
light can be limited to 8 hours a day, and the ferret's hair starts to
regrow 3 to 6 weeks after the change. By definition, tumour cells are
out of control, and modifying photoperiod cannot reverse hair loss when
any type of tumour is producing sex hormones.People want their ferrets
to be awake and playing in the evening when they come home from work,
so the ferret is exposed to natural light all day, and artificial light
in the evening. The obvious way to limit the ferret's exposure to 8
hours of light a day, without preventing him from interacting with his
family, is to give him a dark place to sleep during the day. It has to
be really dark, excluding all light, like a moonless night.)

The man with a new idea is a crank until other take it up. Mark Twain
 ... The First Successful Libel Case
http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1737001,00.html
http://www.braininjury.co.uk/default.ihtml
http://www.webspawner.com/users/ferretwelfair/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/houseferrets13uk/Tonys_Pets.html
Legalize Ferrets in California
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Talk to us about feeding raw meat, keeping ferrets intact and in
natural conditions, to promote better health and welfare of these
animals
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/intact-ferrets/ .

[Posted in FML 5795]