The latest Crystal update is that she is no longer in heat.  If Chrys was a
good boy, then I might have an early Christmas present.  If Crystal has a
litter, I think I'll name one of the kits "Foopa." (Yes, I know it's not
spelled right; its a funny)
 
Buddy has started taking an adrenal turn for the worse.  In the last two
days, he has started losing hair from his tail, rump and shoulders, his body
temperature is higher, and he has a change in his activities patterns.  He
has a vet appointment early next week, but the symptoms (in this case) are
very clear.  He is such a sweet little guy, 8 years old, and absolutely
loves having his head scratched.
 
Q: Can you tell me about the ferret's teeth?
 
A: Just the tooth and the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.
 
The ferret has two sets of dentitions; the deciduous (baby) and the
permanent.  The deciduous dentition is composed of 28-30 teeth; 12-14
incisors, 4 canines, and 12 premolars.  The teeth begin erupting at about
3-4 weeks following this basic sequence: canines, 3rd and 4th premolar, then
2nd premolar.  The incisors are highly variable in their sequence of
eruption, but come in soon after the canines start to erupt.  The dental
formula for the ferret's deciduous dentition is 2(i3-4/3 c1/1 p3/3) = 28-30,
or more commonly:
 
3/4-1-3
-------
  3-1-3
 
This follows the practice of only describing half the mouth, top and bottom.
The lower case letters stand for the type of teeth (i = incisor, c = canine,
and p = premolar.  In the permanent dentition, the letters are capitalized,
and M = molar).  The first number refers to the number of teeth in the upper
jaw, and the second number refers to the number of teeth in the lower jaw.
So 3-4/3 indicates the ferret has 3 or 4 upper teeth and 3 lower teeth in
either the right or left side of the jaws.
 
The permanent dentition is 2(I3/3 C1/1 P3/3 M1/2) = 34, however, the number
of incisors is still variable.  Missing or extra incisors are common.  The
permanent teeth erupt from 50 to 74 days of age in the following sequence:
 
About 50 days:  Upper Canines, Lower Canines, 1st Molar
About 53 days:  Upper 1st Molar
About 60 days:  Upper 2nd/3rd/4th Premolar, Lower 2nd Premolar
About 67 days:  Lower 3rd Premolar
About 74 days:  Lower 4th Premolar, 2nd Molar
 
This sequence is variable depending on the health of the ferret, genetic
variablity, and nutrition.  Also, the exact replacement of the premolars are
variable, however, they almost always follow the eruption of the 1st molars.
Generally, the permanent teeth form under the deciduous tooth (in the case
of molars) or beside it (in incisors and canines.) The deciduous tooth is
not lost until the permanent tooth has nearly erupted, so the replacement in
rarely seen except for those who notice 'double fangs' when the canines are
being replaced.  This type of replacement allows the kit to be weaned on
solid food at a very early age, and still be able to eat even though losing
the baby teeth.
 
The Upper 3rd Premolar and lower 1st Molar are the carnassial (or sectorial)
teeth.  These teeth are specially modified to cut through tissues and bone,
but can also be used to crunch kibble.  The lower jaw of the ferret locks
into the skull (in some cases, the lower jaw stays attached to the skull
even in skeletonized specimens.) This type of attachment keeps the jaw from
dislocating when biting large animals or from the strength of the bite.  But
it effectively prevents the type of chewing you see in herbivores and even
omnivores.  In fact, the ferret doesn't actually chew; it cuts the food into
pieces with the carnassials, and then swallows the pieces.  When you see a
ferret "chewing" kibble, it is actually cuting the kibble into pieces small
enough to swallow.  When a herbivore eats plants, it chews the plant into a
fine mush; chewing the cud takes this practice to the extreme.  This allows
the maximum amount of nutrients to be released from the food.  When a ferret
eats plants, it cuts them into swallowing-sized bits and down they go.  The
minimizes the amount of nutrients that can be absorbed from the food.
 
The non-carnassial molars are small and primarily used to crunch
invertebrates.  Generally, the incisors have little to do, they are said to
help hold the prey in the mouth, but with the size of the canines, it is
unlikely they actually do much.  The ferret has no ill effects if they are
lost.  The canines are used to puncture, rip, tear and grip the prey.
 
Like humans, ferret teeth are subject to the build-up of plaque (tartar),
caries, abnormal wear, and fracturing.  Sometimes the tip of the canine will
break off, usually in the ferret because of falls or biting part of the
cage.  They are sometimes cut off to prevent biting, once common in
ferreting and fur production.  The teeth will sometimes turn dark, which
could be due to the death of the tooth, a cavity, or mineral discloration.
They can also turn transparent with age, due to the root canal becoming
filled in with dentine.
 
Ferrets generally have neutral or slightly fishy breathe; bad odors are
generally associated with gum disease, decaying teeth, or gastrointestinal
problems.  Caries and gum disease can be at least partially controled by
brushing the ferret's teeth manually, using a non-floridated toothpaste.
This is especially effective after sticky or sweet treats, which tend to
promote the decay.
 
Mo' Bob and the 18 Toothed Terrors (In memory of Gus)
[Posted in FML issue 1746]