>From:    Pam Grant and STAR* Ferrets <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: ECE exposure, veggie ferts, lympho
>Adrenal tumors are NOT from early neutering, otherwise there would be more
>reports of Path Valley, Canadian and other sources of ferrets having adrenal
>tumors from early altering.  No, there is a genetic issue here that with
>closed colony breeding is magnified by farms with this mutant in them - I
>have only seen MF ferrets and some backyard bred ferrets with adrenal
>tumors.
 
Again we'll talk simple genetics and statistics about this closed colony
business.  We and Pam live in the same metropolitan DC area.  I have seen
the lineage of the local breeder ferrets.  They are as much of a closed
colony as Marshall.  I see the same ferrets show up (such as Casanova) in
nearly every ferret pedigree that goes back far enough.  Geopgraphically the
various areas of the country are relatively isolated for breeding purposes.
There are less than a thousand ferrets used in the primary breeding programs
in our area.  Given further that the political nature of ferrets in this
area the crossing out is further reduced.  With Marshall having more ferrets
in their breeding they will have less "in-breeding" than the hobby breeders.
ESPECIALLY with the more selective breeding of ferret fanciers.  Most of us
try to breed to champions and they get in many many lines to the point they
blur after a few generations.
 
>BUT, I have noticed that MF ferrets are starting to get adrenal tumors
>earlier, like at about 2.5 years.  It used to be at 3.5 - 4 years of age.
>If your MF ferret is older than 4 years of age, you probably don't have to
>worry about adrenal tumors any longer.
 
This argument actually points to early altering as a possible cause.  If
early altering is a factor than earlier altering could cause earlier adrenal
problems.  Marshall is altering earlier than they did only a few years ago.
This is one of my biggest problems with Marshall but is driven by the
desires of the majority of ferret purchasers.
 
I have seen no independant data that shows any correlation between adrenal
disease and any particular breeder.
 
Your opinions are just opinions as are mine.
 
>From:    shanon &/or Mitch <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: colors
>OK I'm BACK here' a quick questuin more probably for breeders and AFA
>personel ...Why isn't there a discription for a butterscotch?
 
Being one of the resident AFA judges - it isn't a color in the AFA standard.
 
I don't speak for the AFA but only as a trained and licensed AFA judge.  I
also becoming a frequent judge in the independant show system.
 
Most of those called butterscotch are either champagne or chocolate.  The
AFA reduced the colors to those that it thought were genetically distinct
from the overly large mishmash of colors that were used in the days of the
IFA.  FURO went with a different way of naming the IFA colors that kept more
colors than could actually be seen or true bred (my opinion).  The
independant shows reduced the numbers as did the AFA but used different
names for the same colors but didn't seperate out colors from patterns
completely.  LIFE started with the independant conventions as the original
standards were written primarily by Vickie McKimmey for both.  NAFA stuck
largely with the IFA standards but added some more names for patterns and
added a few colors.  Marshall uses names for the colors that do not match
any of the standards of the show groups.
 
Formally in the shows you would classify your butterscotch as one of the
colors that most closely matches your ferret.  Informally you can still call
your ferret a butterscotch.  We breeders use informal names like butterscotch
to distinguish between variations within the range described by the
standards.
 
Most of what I've heard called a butterscotch is a champagne or lighter
chocolate with yellowish undertones.  We have ferrets that match that such
as Buddha - our answer ferret - see our web site to understand that...
 
Only NAFA and a few independant judges still take color check seriously.  As
a matter of policy the AFA judges do not judge a ferret by a color mentioned
in the show catalog but by the judges personal interpretation.  The AFA
standard on colors is loose enough (as I feel it should be) that any of the
density or marking patterns can be seen on any color.  That means that color
and pattern are looked at seperately.  Asthetically pleasing and even
density for the color matter more than a color matching a pattern which
prevails in the some other standards.  Some standards for example specify
the color black sable as being about the same as a solid or self patterned
sable whereas the AFA standard specifies a Black Sable as a color (a dark
cool near-black brown with no warm reddish highlights) that can come in any
pattern.  At least one standard has specified a color/pattern for one ferret
that has not been seen in any other ferret - that seems odd to me.  We
breeders will refer to dark sables and dark black sables but when showing in
AFA they would be sable solid, sable standard or black sable solid or black
sable standard.  We freely intermix calling the same ferrets champagne or
cinnamon but use the appropriate name for the appropriate show.  As a judge
what I do is understand the system and standard of the show I am judging and
make my interpretations of ferrets match that system.  All standards have
flaws, most have good points as well.
 
A very important point though is - it doesn't really matter.  The most
responsible breeders will breed for colors BUT ONLY after the ferret has
passed all requirements for temperament and conformation (structure).
 
Confused?
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1731]