BEGIN QUOTED ABSTRACT J Zoo Wildl Med. 2007 Jun;38(2):169-76. Mortality of captive black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) at Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, 1989-2004. Bronson E, Bush M, Viner T, Murray S, Wisely SM, Deem SL. Department of Animal Health, Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20008, USA. [log in to unmask] Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) mortality was investigated retrospectively based on the pathology records of 107 captive animals held at Smithsonian's National Zoological Park from 1989 to 2004. The majority of deaths in neonates were due to cannibalism (n = 42; 64.6%) and maternal trauma (n = 11; 16.9%); both of these causes of mortality decreased during the study period. Prior to 2001, juvenile mortality was most often caused by gastrointestinal disease (n = 11; 52.4%), including coccidiosis, salmonellosis, and clostridium infection. In 2001, improvements in husbandry, hygiene, and medical treatment led to decreases in juvenile mortality associated with gastrointestinal disease. The most common causes of death in adult ferrets were renal or neoplastic disease. The etiology of the high prevalence of renal disease in the last 4 yr of the study is unknown; it was not associated with increasing age or inbreeding. Improved hygiene and vigilant monitoring for signs of gastrointestinal and renal disease will continue to improve the success of the captive propagation of this species. PMID: 17679500 [PubMed - in process] END QUOTED ABSTRACT It surprised me that they used to lose over half of of the kits due to gastrointestinal disease. BTW, although this report doesn't mention E. coli in BFFs there is a past study on that food borne disease, too. You can find that abstract in the archives of the FML and FHL, or by using PubMed. Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 5695]