>My husband and I have owned ferrets for 5 years now and just lost one of
>our to fairly progressed adrenal disease.  After a discussion with our
>vet we decided that we would like to explore the possibility of getting
>a pair of ferrets from a private breeder instead of marshall farms.  I
>was wondering if there is a way to find out about private breeders?
 
It is still very controversial as to what actually causes adrenal gland
disease in ferrets, but from some of the reading I've done, it looks like
most evidence points to environmental factors more so than genetics.  I
know that Bob Church did a study, which is probably posted somewhere on
the web.  I also read where another study cited evidence that exposure to
artificial lighting could be the cause, again environmental factors not
genetic pool.  If that is indeed the case, getting a ferret from a private
breeder might not solve that problem.
 
Now I have also read that angora ferrets have a lower incidence of tumors
compared to other ferrets.  So it could be that they have some sort of
built-in resistence to tumors.  Since they are fairly new to the scene, I
don't know how definitive those findings are, but it's something to
consider.
 
Holly
Tigger & Pooh
[Posted in FML issue 3593]