Boy, the phone lines must have been bright red from the two anonymous posts
I received concerning pug faces and dental problems.  The birds must have
toasted their toes.  I learned swear words I never knew before, and I
thought I knew them all.  Besides my opinion that anonymous flames are the
work of cowards, there was some clear misunderstanding of my statements.
First, if you read the post, I mentioned my knowledge of such occurances in
ferrets is limited.  Second, I have never seen or heard of a pug ferret, so
if someone is developing one, I wouldn't know of it at all, nor of the
breeder, so my statements couldn't have been directed at anyone.  Third, my
statements are true, as any brief search through the literature or
discussion with dental vets will prove; pug-faced animals often have severe
dental problems relating to diminished jaw length.  Last, while I am clearly
against the "bulldog" look in ferrets, I never said I disliked short faces
nor that people shouldn't try--I said the problems effecting other pugged
species should be studied before such attempts are made.
 
The problem is not pugness as much as it is tooth size.  The genes that
regulate the length of the jaw are not those that regulate the size of the
teeth.  Only shorten the jaw, and the teeth become crowded, overlap, even
stick out at strange angles.  In other words, the ferret develops severe
malocclusion, which can be painful, interfere with mastication, promote
tartar and decay, and even lead to infections which could shorten the life
of your pet.  These are problems that have been well documented for several
breeds of dogs and cats.  However, if the breeder carefully breeds not just
for short faces, but also for smaller teeth, the problems could be
minimized, but it would take much longer.  I also realize that different
people have different tastes; some might enjoy the sight of a short-faced,
crowded-mouthed animal, with fangs askew.  IMHO, the benefits of breeding
programs designed to change existing biological systems should be measured
against the cost to the animal; its the only ethical thing to do.  It's
simple genetics to breed ferrets as large as otters, or as small as weasels,
get different colors, create different head and body shapes, even cause
different eye colors.  Let the market dictate when the changes do no harm.
But is it worth it when the changes harm the sweet little beasties?
 
On another note, I was asked what kind of cage I use for my 13 fuzzies.
Well, I don't use a cage as such; I use a pet porter/dogloo.  I buy the
largest size (about $60 at Sam's or similar), and add a middle floor
(masonite with a front 1/2 by 1/2 inch rail--allows better grip to hoist
themselves up).  I throw away the plastic nuts, and replace them with
wingnuts.  I wire a porta-pot to the lower rear, wire a food tray to the
front top, add a water bottle, some sleeping towels, and suspend a hammock
from the top, and I'm in business with the business.  I can stack three on
top of each other--they are very stable.  They are easy to wash, they have
solid floors and very little wire to twist legs, or catch toenails or male
baculum.  The bulk of the porter is plastic, so teeth aren't so easily
damaged.  In addition, they afford some privacy to the little beasties,
which I think increases their sense of security.
 
Since my fuzzies have 12-hour-run periods, they mostly sleep when in the
porter-cage.  I can safely house five or six in each one in a pinch, but
usually limit it to three or four per porter.  If the beastie cannot take
the free period, then I limit the number to two, so there is room for some
limited exercise.  The porters, being plastic, are simple to treat for
fleas--twice I had fleas introduced to my beasties by outside ferrets.  Both
times I just increased the porter cleaning from twice a week to daily.
Since fleas drop off to lay eggs, cleaning killed all subsequent cohorts,
and since they have a limited life span, the infestations were very limited,
and the fleas were eliminated without resort to chemicals or flea collars.
 
Finally, to help in the problem of ferret barriers, I use a very close copy
of the door blocker shown in ferret central.  I use 1/4 masonite cut to the
width of the door, two feet in hight, and inserted into guides attached to
the doorway.  Although several of my beasties could make it over the barrier
alone, the problem was completely eliminated by the addition of a
"roll-bar." Cut a piece of plastic water/sprinkler pipe 1/4 inch shorter
than the width of the doorway.  Insert a section of doweling, and hot glue
in place (broom handle works fine).  Drill a hole, 1/4 inch wide and about
an inch deep in each end of the dowel.  Glue a short 1/4 inch dowel peg into
the hole, and equally trim each side so the entire length of peg-dowel-peg
just fits inside the doorway.  Add a tiny drop of liquid soap or other
lubricant to the end of each peg, then slide into the slots holding the
barrier.  If the rollbar doesn't roll, you may have to add peg-like
extensions to the barrier-board to raise the bar off the barrier.  When the
fuzzies jump up and catch the bar, it rolls towards them, causing them to
slip off.  The plastic is hard, so the claws can't grip it.  Mine work
perfectly and even keeps Nosette out of the kitchen.  I stained/painted my
barriers to match the doorway.
 
Bob and the Wayward 13
[Posted in FML issue 1469]