Hi FML - More snow predicted for tomorrow - hope it does not materialize.
This will be a quick post - have to make a run to P.T.  Moran for my fuzzies
and a shut-in's fuzzies.  If someone needs help - I am out and about- and
hope to stay that way.  A drift is just a challenge.  ( The following was
written a week ago and is probably old hat - I was unable to connect to AOL)
 
Krista - Ferret Shampoo.  Baby shampoo, in my experience, can dry out the
coat a bit.  I have an entire large shelf filled with many shampoos and
conditioners from pet suppliers to salons for my scientific experiments --
Shampoo the ferret and see how it turns out :-) My favorite is Dr.  Bonner's
Peppermint Pure Castile - (might have the name slightly wrong) available at
health food stores.  This liquiid soap also seems to help deter fleas and is
very mild and good for the coat.  Second best - surprise, surprise, it good
old Ferret Glow, found in any pet supply store.  I use fancy shampoos and
salon conditioners at show time - I like Paul Mitchell and several others.
 
Regina - your report on Cully in deep sleep and drooling - what is his age
and was he cold and limp?  You said vet suspected hypoglycemia, but blood
glucose was normal.  Write more about conditions or what preceeded this
incident.
 
Lynn - I hope I am making right reference, scanned fmls pretty fast.
Regarding various information on how long to leave a jill in estrus before
breeding.  Around this part of the woods, breeders usually leave a jill in
from 8-10 days before breeding.  But this can vary.  As an example, I had a
jill just coming in season - 3 days - when hob escaped cage (my husband's
fault, did not lock him in well) and got hold of her.  My husband heard the
disturbance and separated them immediately.  By his estimation, they were
together 5 minutes or so.  Small bruise on her vulva, and she started going
out of estrus the the following day.  I felt she would false.  She had eight
kits.
 
I do not leave a jill in season longer than three weeks.  I personally feel
that four weeks is pushing your luck.  Also, when jill is in estrus - be
sure to keep vulva clean to avoid vaginitis and use litter that will not
cling - like PineFresh or Cat Works.  Breeding a jill for the first time at
the age of approx.  one year is best.  Although many breed at just past nine
months.  I feel 10 months or older is best.  And never under nine months.  I
use vasectomized hobs to bring jills out of estrus if they come into season
too young.  They will proceed into a pseudo-pregnancy (false pregnancy) just
as if they were bred with intact hob.  Following a false, in my experience,
most come back into estrus approximately two weeks after the 42nd day.
This, too, of course, varies.  Jills will sometimes spontaneously go out of
estrus - but do not count on it.  I have only had it happen one time with
one of mine.  Recently, a jill brought to me for breeding was spontaneously
on the way down, and this happened with another friends jill in the fall.  .
Regardless of the timing, a jill in estrus is ready to breed when her vulva
is fully enlarged to either a donut round, or a slightly slit round.
Breeders know the look, and this comes with experience.  Hope I haven't
confused the issue any further for you.  BTW, I have only used the hormone
injection one time to bring a jill out, and it did not work.  I prefer not
to use hormones on my jills.  Although hormones were used a good deal in the
past, most have moved away from this.  There is no hard data on safety of
using hormones on jills - heavens, there is still a great medical debate on
whether hormones are good for humans.  The time I tried, there were no
vasectomized hobs in season in my area - jill finally came down with a hob
not in season, but willing to make whoopee.
 
Rebecca - I have never heard of tumors in ferrets being associated with IAMS
kitten chow.  Perhaps there was some question because IAMS uses ethoxiquin
(sp) as a preservative.  Many swear by IAMS Kitten because it contains a
ratio of 34% protein.  I prefer a mix of several high quality kitten chows
and Totally Ferret and Perform kitten (36% protein ratio).  Please do not
worry about IAMS causing tumors.  Unless somebody out there has info.  I
don't have.....
 
Enough for now - gotta go, its supposed to snow.    Hey Bill, think we will
ever start getting FML in again without trouble??    Best, meg
 
[Moderator's note: AOL seems OK for a few days now, but if you have old
unreadable mail you have to delete it before you can get the fresh stuff
in (unless you don't use flash sessions.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 1446]