In the years since we have been providing more true darkness we have NOT
seen a decrease in benign adrenal growths -- which still have to come out,
of course -- (though what we consider "early" for those growths is later
than what a lot of others consider "early" so perhaps it's caused a
difference in on-set age with a bit of delay *if* it's not a statistical
quirk).  What we HAVE seen change -- and this may ONLY be a statistical
quirk but might be real -- is that we have not encountered ANY adrenal
MALIGNANCIES since we began providing such amenities.  The single best
things we seem to have are some black curtains for the ferret room that I
made from doubled sheets, and non-shedding (expensive but, boy, do they
last so not expensive long-term) black polar fleece blankets for cage
covers and for floor bedding in romp regions.  We also have under the
platform bed set up for sleeping, and have dark-providing bedding in
cages and elsewhere.
 
Watch out for fake fleece of the type that looks like sheep fur and for
fake fur; it's not a major hazard, but for some it poses a risk factor.
For most ferrets it is going to be safe enough, but some types of those
materials shed like the blue blazes and that stuff does NOT pass when it's
ingested.  If a ferret takes in a lot of it grooming or eating in bed then
a blockage can occur.  Over the 19 and 1/2 years (as of December) that
we've had ferrets we have had only TWO with blockages, One has a stomach
problem that might be a disease and might be partly due to him being an
individuals with multiple deformities.  (Still trying to find a solution
after 7 or 8 months, many tests, multiple ultrasounds, multiple biopsies,
two surgeries, many meds, etc., and he has an appointment for a new med
again on Wednesday when he'll go in with a girl we've got who needs Lupron
because she has a reduced and benign R adrenal growth that has invaded
her Vena Cava but does not have enough collateral circulation to allow
ligation of the vein.) The other boy had a blockage that was thought to
be a fur ball till it was tested and then it was found that it was fake
fleece and fake fur fibers for the most part.  We DO have items with such
fabrics since they provide marvelous cushions, but we COVER it with sheet
material.  This has not happened to any of our others so it likely is
normal not a large risk factor, but we aren't alone in having such fibers
found in a ferret stomach, and we know that we've got one sweet boy who
does that, so it's worth the extra work for us to protect Jumpstart.
 
If you go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-list you will
find multiple articles about natural melatonin production.  I suggest
seeing the recent links to a Science News article on the topic.  (Hey,
Bill, remember back in 1996 when this darkness consideration first got
mentioned?  It's like ADV; that was mentioned within the first months or
first years of the FML, and like Waartensburg (sp) which also was
mentioned long ago... Folks, there is a LOT of accumulated info in the
FML archives, so don't forget to look!
[Posted in FML issue 3601]