I did a search on Pubmed and Google and found little on comparative
studies done on ferrets and diet and longevity (which was what I
expected). I would be more excited about diet issues if I were
assured that ferrets kept on a specific brand of food could evade
the multifarious ills they seem prone to.

We're looking at:

Adrenal disease (known to be daylight related) ; gastric ulcers (caused
mostly by helicobacter mustelae which is carried by almost every ferret
from what I've read); lymphoma (which can be gastric - MALT - mucosa
associated lymphoma tissue) which occurs in humans and ferrets (BTW
should we humans give up meat since we used to be vegetarians long
ago, although I read our GI tracts have somewhat adapted); insulinoma
(humans can develop pancreatic cancer - islet cell tumors - which can
result in over production of insulin). Tumors of the bones (we and they
get chordomas) And etc, etc, etc.- I'm sure I've missed some.

Most of the ferret problems seem to be an inherent/congenital? part
of most ferrets' life - perhaps from inbreeding. I read in one
conference abstract that ferrets have the most neoplasms of any small
exotic pet. I think the BFF's also have problems because of the genetic
"bottleneck" they went through, and have health problems in captivity
because of that rather than their diet - which is mainly small mammals -
think hamsters (poor pet hamsters - raised for ferrets).

But, again, are we suggesting that humans who eat the wrong food get
cancers? Some humans eat a great "healthy" diet and still get to die
young because of genetic "predisposition" ie they chose the wrong
parents. But we all know a few humans who eat dreadful food, drink
like fish and live to their 80's.

It would be great to have a company/researcher selectively breed
ferrets for sale using good health and longevity as selling points,
but I imagine doing that would take a lot of time/work/money. Hopefully
a company like MF may eventually be able to look at genetic markers
in some way and select for healthier animals, but I imagine its an
expensive option. I think that lifespan is built in genetically to most
species, and some ferrets may live to be 8-10 but maybe 6 -8 is the
average or norm? Don't know if there are accurate records of life span
for European polecats, saw one estimate of 5yrs in the wild.

You should certainly try to give the best diet present which current
knowledge has come up with, and it may be that most foods on the market
for ferrets are equally good. I wish the big breeders could find a way
to breed for longevity, or find genetic markers for particular health
problems. I'd be willing to pony up for a cute healthy longer lived
ferret.

In one way, since I'm getting on in years I am glad I don't have a
parrot - they are really long-lived. An older friend just turned 70,
has ten parrots. When I asked what would happen to them if she got ill,
she said she has a clause in her will that makes sure they will be
taken care or by another parrot rescue. Hopefully that person will
take good care of them, but it's a sobering thought.

Meryl

[Posted in FML 6841]