I have a British ferret that I got while living in London and I really do
believe that they are healthier than the American ones.  Currently my baby
has been diagnosed with Insulinoma which is in doubt by even the vet because
she is British.  We are going to do another glucose test to see if she
really has insulinoma or just had a low glucose day for some other reason.
I was on the phone last Friday with The East Anglian Ferret Welfare
Association and with vets in the UK and they all agreed that Insulinoma is
very rare over there.  They also said that British ferrets have a life
expectancy of 8-12 years where the US ones are a lot lower.  They explained
that there is more inbreeding here in the States which causes the diseases
and early deaths.
[Posted in FML issue 1640]