Rebecca, I think that fitch (fur ferret) stock was LESS - much less --
common in pet ferrets then -- at elast when we first had pet ferrets 20
years ago.  It was the fitch stock that brought in the fancy colorations
at first.  Early on there was MF selling its research line also to pet
stores after Wendy Winstead began doing so (also form MF lines).  But
then it took off big time and to get stock fast a number of others
brought in fur line stock to try to compete.
 
Heck, we even had a lot of work going on in the fledgling ferret
community back then trying to reduce the number of fur fitch lines being
brought in because they were beautiful but the bite incidences went
through the roof suddenly which could have been a combination of handling
and genetics but how much of each was unknown.
 
We HAD early neutering.
 
The funny thing is that at FIRST we had early neutering.  Then when there
wound up being more selling ferrets than MF and WW we had a less early
neutering, then later when PV and some others got large we have more
early neutering again.
 
So, this is complicated... First no early neutering before WW but WW
began selling them about 20 years ago, then most early neutered with
WW and MF being the big sources, then fewer early neutered as a lot of
places got onto the bandwagon (many with fur fitch stock), then more
early neuters again as PV and some other farms became large.
 
The first pet stock ones, except for those from small farms, were from WW
who used MF stock, and then MF entered the pet market so early before the
others came into it any from pet stores had MF genetics.
 
>-possible restriction of available food source (timed feedings)
 
Glad that you put in "possible" because a number of us had food available
at all times then, so the proportion is unknown.
 
Many people used killed vaccines for dogs with components that were not
grown in ferrets.
 
>is it possible more were raised outside?
 
Not our's but I don't know.
 
>pine shavings as bedding
 
I NEVER personally ran into this in the early years.  Can't speak for
others.
 
>smaller living quarters (not to say less roam time however)
 
Not necessarily true.
 
>one personal difference for me was they had more total darkness due to
>where their cage was kept and due to living far out in the country as
>compared to the city
 
We also had more true darkness early on, then later provided more again.
 
This is interesting seeing what folks did then and what the variety was,
even there turn out to be no major differences between then and now since
it is possible that the longest lives ones stand out more in people's
memories, and that memories can be fickle.  I'm glad you made up that
list!
 
I am trying to find out something genetic:
 
As some folks here know, one of our ferrets had an ectopic adrenal - not
just some ectopic tissue but an actual third gland.  I have heard from
two others who also encountered this.
 
I am wondering how common this variant is.
 
I am also wondering how recent this variant is.  Is it just one of those
variations that has been around forever, or did it show up (after or
mostly after) when fancies became more common like deafness and perhaps
other concerning markers?  If the latter, has there been an increase in
observations of this variant?
 
It may simply be that variants in adrenal glands are common -- like ones
in human kidneys are -- but I am curious *if* this might be marker for
concern.
[Posted in FML issue 3959]