This is a cross-post from the Ferret Health List on concerns about health
needs when multiple ferrets are around the same age.
 
>I found one in a classified ad that was under a year old and got so
>excited, but now the woman says that she was mistaken on the age; that
>the ferret is 1 yr. 3 mos.  I have two ferrets at 1 yr. 7 mos. and one
>at 1 yr. 8 mos.  Am I correct in my concern about simultaneous medical
>problems or do ferrets age differently enough from each other that I
>won't have to worry so much?  Now that I got excited about this ferret
>it's so hard to say no!
 
Don't say no.  While we can look at broad trends in ages at which ferrets
get tumors (let's just say that the "Golden Age" for all tumors is 4-6
years) and we can be more specific for certain tumors, there is no evidence
to say that this new ferret will develop a tumor, much less when they will
develop it.
 
Let's look at the 4-6 year "Golden Age".  If you understand that a month
to a ferret is a year to a human - that would make the approximate age in
human years of ferrets who develop the balance of tumors at 48-72 - very
much the same as in humans.
 
I can't tell you that all three of your ferrets will develop neoplasms or
other illness at the same time, as they will be very close in age.  I can't
tell you either, that they will all pass this age in good shape.  I can
only tell you, that as ferret owners, we all face the same decision, and
I, for one, have never considered what the future MIGHT hold when I saw a
young ferret who needed a home.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
 
Join the Ferret Health List at
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[Posted in FML issue 3362]