Dr. Williams said:
>Ferrets generally have more fluctuations in weight than any other species
>I can think of, and a ferret can be fat during one part of the year, and
>lose significnat amounts to be "skinny" at other parts of the year.
 
Amen to that...
 
My Julia just had her biggest winter weight gain ever.  She looks like a
cow!  Maybe it's a disguise to better hunt them :-) Early each November, she
adds about 25-50% extra in fat and fur!!  Scares the heck out of me each
time.  This is, however, much easier to deal with than her February-March
weight loss.  Suddenly, within a week or two, she wastes away to what seems
like skin and bones.  Each time, I worry for a while that she is sick.
Believe me, it has taken me a few years to get used to it.
 
Dan
 
PS: Hey Dr. WIlliams.  Since Julia lives in California, I have always been
amazed that she goes through such drastic changes for our mild climate.  Do
Ferrets respond to photoperiod or some other environmental cue when they
change for winter?  My ferret is a mostly outdoor ferret, would indoor
ferrets have a weaker response to the seasons?  Just wondering.
 
***************************************************
*     Dan Eliot, Biology/Life Science Teacher     *
*  El Dorado High School, Placentia,  California  *
*  Snail Mail:  PO Box 1372, Placentia, CA 92670  *
*     E-Mail:  [log in to unmask]     *
***************************************************
[Posted in FML issue 1394]