The reason age restrictions are imposed by several showing organizations is
because of the ECE virus.  LIFE put that restriction in since older ferrets
were more suseptable to the revages of becoming ill.  In fact, LIFE dropped
the oldtimers ring for awhile to keep stress levels down and minimize
exposure.
 
FURO cuts off their ferrets at 5 years of age, and has just gotten into the
habit of having an oldtimers speciality.  the oldtimers at FURO are all
given the same "best" ribbon, just because they have been around for so
long.
 
One thing I want to point out with judging ferrets and spreading illnesses
is this: even though judges spray their hands/arms and tables down with
something in a little bottle between handling ferrets, this wil NOT protect
your ferrets from picking up something that is going around at a show.
Notice that ferrets will touch judges clothes, areas of the table not
sprayed, the judges face, etc.  Plus, the judge is talking and could have
picked up a flu/cold bug which is incubating and could be passed on without
any visual signs to the judge or the ferrets.
 
Distemper and the ECE virus are spread by contact - ferrets walking on the
floor, on top of tables, climbing on other cages, being handled by strangers
and fingers poked through wire, even for an innocent scratch on the chin.
 
Shows have made every effort to keep only healthy ferrets at the event -
distemper shots required 30 days prior to the show, no strange poop, runny
eyes, fleas, mites, etc.  But the vets here will tell you that the ECE can
be spread by healthy looking ferrets for an unknown period of time.
 
Now, realistically, very few catasrtophies have occurred as a result of a
ferret show.  There was an Alutians scare in the Chicago area many years
ago, a distemper outbreak a few years back in Baltimore as a result of an
exposed kit, and the ECE is spread at shows, though I do not beieve that to
be the main route of transmission.
 
If your household is healthy, up on shots, and young, then by all means take
them to participate in a show.  If you have any doubts, then leave the
ferrets at home and just go to observe and enjoy.
 
One last thing - as a shelter, I stand the greatest chance of disaster when
an ill or unsuspecting ferret comes my way.  I have been taking in ferrets of
over 7 years, have handled over 1100 through my shelter and handled many
others above this number, and other than living with the ECE over the last 2
years, I have had one ferret quarantined because of open wounds when he came
in, and one ferret quarantined until a second Alutians test could be
performed.  since the ranch mink didn't die of Alutians after 1000 ferrets, I
suspect that Alutians is not that highly a health concern in ferrets.  The
ferret in question tested positive the first time, negative the second - it
was a false positive due to vaccine innoculations.
 
Anyway - the point is - ferrets are fairly hardy animals and as long as we
are observant, we can keep them healthy.
 
Pam/Pet Pals/STAR*
[Posted in FML issue 1327]