Hi, Sukie, and everyone else, Thank you for your note on Panda and Blaze ferrets and their seeming lack of longevity. We've never had a panda, and our one blaze, Lady Ayeka, has been healthy except for a benign mast cell tumor that was removed when she was two and a half. She's three and a half now, and we probably will take your advice and have regular bloodwork done starting with her next checkup and vaccinations at age four. She's not deaf and has been a very active, happy, and healthy girl so far, so we have no regrets about having her. FWIW, the two oldest ferts here are seven. We adopted them and have managed to track down most of their history. Between that and a thorough vet exam we are quite certain that they have never had any major illnesses and no surgeries other than the ones they were subjected to as lab ferrets during the first four years of their lives. They are happy, active, and extremely friendly. They are chocolate sables. Our first ferret, Tenchi, is just turning four and has never been sick. He's a classic sable. I realize that this is all anecdotal, but since sables are the color and pattern that naturally occurs, I wonder if they are, as a rule, healthier than other specially bred colors/patterns (not just panda and blaze) or albinos. Any thoughts? All the best, Caity and the terrific 10 [Posted in FML issue 3620]