Like MC I think some people are confusing pine with cedar.  The latter is
dangerous.  I suspect that pine could be dangerous for select individuals
who happen to be personally allergic to it, but that can be said for ANY
type of bedding product, wood or not.  Constant exposure to a personal
allergan an do a real number on the body, some of which can be permanent.
A person should be able to find the detailed cedar information by doing a
search on the FML archives.  It's certainly there; has been for a number
of years.  If there was mechanical irritation from the dust then I suspect
it's a matter of some versions possibly being dustier than others and that
could be corrected by use of a less dusty version or alternative substrate
by the pet stores, but that's different from confusing pine with cedar and
its volatile oils.  Have NOT read anything that implicates pine as a
GENERAL hazard.  VETS, let us all know if I am wrong and the mechanism
involved.
 
One reason for a shelter or club to buy Charlie Weiss's video is because
then a loaning policy can then be established to bring local vets up to
speed and save the lives of ferrets.  There may be those vets who would
buy it if they saw it first, as well, but even among those who would not it
would provide some education that would improve conditions for the ferrets
and people the club represents.  We're thinking about getting a loaner
copy.  LIBRARIANS: is it possible for clubs, shelters, and individuals to
by-pass the loaning work by providing a copy to a circulating library
within state (county?)?  How do such approaches tend to work, and who
should be contacted to learn if this approach would be feasible for any
given area?
 
Some of them DO have burgundy eyes -- which look black when they are bored,
but when lively with moist eyes you see the red in them.  We personally
call them "garnet", whereas normal red (albino) eyes are more the lighter
shade of a good quality ruby.  (Can tell I grew up the daughter of a
gemologist, can't you?)
 
So, if you mean the eyes THEMSELVES, but the ferret is behaving normally
and happily then don't worry.
 
If you mean the tissue AROUND the eyes gets swollen that is another
situation and is a medical matter.
 
Would the person who posted about "andulusian" disease, please check with
the vet to see if you mean aluetian.  If so, please, tell the list.  I had
gathered a lot on this for someone else earlier this year, but lost at
least some of the files to someone sending a HUGE e-mail that crashed me
afterward; however, there are others who know things about this and those
who actually have the same files I lost.  Basically, a positive test is
NOT cause for panic if the ferret is without symptoms.
 
Waardensberg has VARIABLE EXPRESSION.  That means that in some individuals
who have indicators including the blaze or white head there will be no
deafness, in some there will be complete deafness, and others may have
partial deafness.  We had a darling girl who could NOT hear anything high
pitched so we adjusted our voices for her and the sporadic behavior
changed.  Sometimes a genetic or developmental alteration exists alone.
Other times they may be multiple.  Years ago we had a little one who did
not have Waardensberg but she had multiple skeletal deformities, multiple
soft tissue deformities, a large number of serious health concerns, and
was clinically retarded (I don't like that word, either, but it does get
across what the condition was in a way that is obvious and it emphasizes
that this individual wasn't just a little slow -- that things other ferrets
could pick up easily in weeks took her years.).  She was an example of a
multitude of genetic problems in one individual.
 
Sukie
who reread and reread this but probably made some errors since one ferret
and I are exchanging a GI tract virus with a bit of fever.  (Checked
yesterday's, too, and STILL managed to insert wrong letters into a fellow
Jersyite's name.  Arrgh!  I know it bugs me when people leave the "e" out
of my name so I hate it when I accidentally misspell someone's name --
something which it is easy to do with so many spelling variants among the
people one knows; heck, about half the people who write to me get mine
wrong so I'm used to it even if I don't like it.  Apologies extended;
sorry I did that.)
[Posted in FML issue 2848]