>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]