>From:    BUFFY <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Soft Coats?
 
Don't confuse coat condition w/texture.  Coat condition & density is
affected by nutrition, cleanliness, if the fuzzy rolls around in the litter
box, & time of year.  You can try changing the diet to one of the foods the
more experienced ferret people suggest, like IAMS, Totally Ferret, ProPlan,
etc., & supplement a little more oil in the diet.  Use a shampoo recommended
for ferrets or kittens & brush the coat to stimulate the oil glands.  I
don't know how to discourage rolling around in the litter box which can make
the fur feel very coarse & brittle - I use newspaper.  Change of season is
something we just have to live with.  When they blow their coats twice a
year some of them look like they've been attacked by moths!
 
But after you've done all these things, if you don't see a change, that's
the texture of the fur your ferret is genetically predisposed to.  It's no
different than my having the wildest curly-kinky hair & my husband having
smooth manageable hair.  & it's the same for the rest of our families who
have the same kind of hair respectively as we do.  My hair is curly because
my parents' was & he doesn't for the same reason.
 
I'm not a breeder or a geneticist.  I have had lot of ferrets come through
my home though, many to stay.  No matter how much better their diet or
environment became, some coats remained coarse.  Their coat texture has no
bearing on the kind of ferret they are - personality or health - anymore
than my hair does for me.
 
I wish all my fussies had soft luxurious coats.  I also wish I had hair like
Julia Roberts!
 
 ***************************************************
For those of you who get the relatively new *Animal Planet* channel.
There's a new show called "Vets' School." It's a documentary-type show about
several students going through veterinary college in England.  What does
this have to do w/ferrets?  you ask.  Well, the lead in clips to the show
feature a vet student & the owner of 2 (3?  it was hard to tell) ferrets
trying to get them back into their box - like shoveling water!  Both of
these guys are laughing hysterically.  They cut back to them cramming the
fuzzies into the box 2 (3?) times.  So I think we can expect to see woozles
on this show.
 
I e-mailed them for the show's schedule .  It isn't posted on their program
guide yet.  I just happened to catch it as I was turning off the TV - at
midnight.  Like most Discovery programming, I hope it has a more convenient
time slot.
 
I also told them about the large audience they have waiting to see some
features about ferrets.  The Animal Planet homepage is
<http://www.animal.discovery.com/> w/links to the programming guide & viewer
input.
 
Juliana
[Posted in FML issue 1867]