BLUE FERRETS:
Sables for some reason appear blue when they are growing hair after being
bald.  Often in coat changes they don't lose all their hair at the same
time so you usually don't see them bald then growing hair.  Lots of folks
on the FML have reported this.
 
POLECATS:
Some of the discussion onpolecats has been the Chinese and some has been
discussion of European Polecats.   Are these Chinese the Eversmanni or a
different polecat.  The European polecats are the same species as the
domestic ferret - though that might not be a good idea to some biologists
eyes.  I've some famiarity with both - I don't own either but know folks
who do.  It does sound like the Chinese polecat adoption program does
'things' the right way.  There was a really good article in the most
recent "Weasel Help Quarterly" about one of these polecats by the way.
Any cross breeding of polecats and ferrets being discussed is probably
the European polecats though.  It is common (relatively) practice in
England.  I'm not an advocate of the hybridization but it does happen.
There are intact hybrid fitch-ferrets in the country but only a very few
that I know about.  There has been panic about the possibility that the
hybrids have already been showing up at shows and such.  This I know for
a fact is not true at any show I've been to.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 1405]