5. Almost ALL cages require feeding areas to be adjacent to latrines; either beside them on the floor of the cage, or above them on a shelf. Beside the fact this GREATLY increases the chances of contaminating the food, ferrets have an extremely sensitive sense of smell. Image how you would feel if forced to eat your dinner in the bathroom of a restaurant, then multiply it by a factor of thousands. Ferrets eat in close proximity to latrines because they have no choice and have adapted. However, I have found ferrets allowed to free roam tend to eat at the food location FARTHEST from the latrine. I have also found older and sick ferrets eat BETTER when the latrine is a considerable distance from the food dish. Even in multi-level ferret cages, the food is never more than a few feet from the latrine. 6. Privacy and security are not just the presence of nesting boxes, although that is part of it. Ferret cages are open-air affairs, having ALL four sides and the roof constructed of wire mesh. This allows people to observe the ferret well, but it NEVER addresses the ferret's need for privacy and security. In a free roam situation, a startled ferret can flee from a sound, then, feeling protected while hidden behind something, will poke their nose out to see what is going on. What can a caged ferret do? Few have a nesting box to hide in, and most have to try and hide in a hammock or behind a litter box. All these problems, and more, result in stress on the ferret. Short-term stresses generally result in a flight or fight response. Long-term stresses are a different matter. They increase the long-term (chronic) production of adrenal cortex hormones, which tend to inhibit the production of hormones from the thyroid gland. Both, when occurring during growth and development, can retard growth. In many ferrets, it can also result in GAS depression. GAS (General Adaptation Syndrome) occurs in most chronically stressed animal species--including ferrets. It can cause depression, lack of interest, stress-related disease, ulcers, aggression, and other negative behavioral changes. I know of one veterinary research group investigating GAS involvement in the formation of adrenal gland tumors (they are certain it is a risk factor, and suspect it may be a triggering event). Mink may be a part of the answer. Mink tend to display stereotypic behaviors, such a self-mutilation, excessive grooming, and pacing, which are thought to result in a hormonal "reward" within the brain. Ferrets, having been domesticated for 2500 years, have probably had most stereotypic behaviors bred out, so they display symptoms of GAS instead. Interestingly, some animal behaviorists feel that while stereotypical behaviors should not be allowed to develop, they argue the actions are a successful coping mechanism to combat stress. The killer, they argue, is GAS, which inhibits the immune system (the immune system doesn't JUST combat disease, but the initiation of cancers also), stresses organ systems, and generally reduces the lifespan of the animal. Enrichment helps to solve at least part of the problem. Enrichment reduces stress in a number of ways, it increases bonding between the ferret and the owner, and it can provide the ferret owner with hours of pleasure knowing their ferrets are absolutely enjoying themselves. In my next posts, I shall address specific enrichments, and how they can combat problems of caging and other problems, such as overcrowding and lack of security. Bob C [Posted in FML issue 4186]