As for the weight thing....
 
Sukie Crandall wrote:
> ...but having been too often through the difficulty of nursing very
>naturally gracile ones I know that leanness too often makes nursing
>harder and may shorten lifespans in that way, so I tend to prefer a
>middle ground when that is attainable.  Then again, we make a point
>of taking in ones who already have major strikes against them so that
>causes our household to differ from many others.  One thing that seems
>to work well with the ones we've had here as a predictor of a decent
>lifespan is good muscularity.
 
Yes!  We too take in a lot that have major strikes against them and so
it can be challenging on a number of different levels to maintain a good
weight.  I have noticed that fat or over weight ferrets that come into
our home quickly slim down as we give them not only free roam status, but
we also provide things for them to climb as well.  A friend of mine has
free roam ferrets too but is plagued with hairballs and gives a variety
of hairball remedies.  In our household we do not have hairball issues
and we rarely if ever give hairball medicines.  I have a theory that
exercise the involves a variety of ways to expend energy are aiding
the hairball situation.  I believe that in climbing, taking stairs, and
being active in a number of ways aids the body in either moving the hair
through, or somehow strengthens the muscles that help push the hair
through.  I also notice that when I sweep the house that I always have
plenty of hair to scoop up.  I am grateful it is getting dropped and not
eaten.
 
We do provide a large box of wood pellets that the ferrets do not use for
a litterbox but instead as a rolling box.  I always find hair bunnies in
this (little white fluffy balls) box, and have watched them take turns
rolling in it and loosening the hair they want to get rid of.  I think
that this has helped tremendously in them taking in less hair internally.
 
>Muscle levels are important enough in multiple studies of assorted
>species that they even can off-set some of the effects of over-weight,
>and when there is good muscularity they can offset some of those
>extremely well.
 
Agreed Sukie.  Muscles are so very important in a variety of aspects of
health.  I personally would like to see ferrets treated more like cats
and dogs rather than hamsters and guinea pigs.  I would so much like to
see ferrets out of cages altogether, but until that happens, we need to
provide them with plenty of exercise that involves more than just being
let out of the cage.
 
betty and her blur O'fur
for the love of ferrets
[Posted in FML issue 3958]