This was from a survey done in Chicargo of 300 ferrets (The disease was uncommon in the hunting ferrets that were their ancestors, and is still rare in animals that live outside, as they tend to do in the UK and in Australia. The incidence of adrenal gland problems is increasing in the UK as pet ferrets begin to share their owners' homes instead of living in the back garden. Extended photoperiod. It is possible that the incidence of adrenal gland cancer has increased because we have forced our ferrets to adapt to our life style. Ferrets are strongly affected by photoperiod. Under natural conditions, there are only about 8 hours of strong light a day in the winter months, and the proportions of light and dark gradually change during the spring and fall. We have removed all these stimuli when we keep the ferret in a house where electric lights extend day length to at least 12 hours, all year round.Changing photoperiod causes the ferret to lose weight and hair in the spring, and come into breeding condition. In the fall, as the hours of light decrease, ferrets stop breeding, grow a heavy winter coat, and put on extra fat to prepare for the cold weather. A primitive part of the brain called the pineal gland mediates the ferret's response to light. The pineal gland produces a hormone called melatonin only during hours of darkness. Melatonin reduces the output of gonadotrophins from the pituitary gland. Gonadotrophins bind to cells in the ovary or testicle, inducing production of sex hormones. The same gonadotrophins also bind to cells in the adrenal gland. When ovaries and testicles are removed, these gonadotrophins can bind only to adrenal cortical cells.It is possible that constant stimulation of the adrenal glands because of the long hours of light eventually causes first benign hyperplasia (enlargement), and then benign tumours to develop in the adrenal cortex. In some animals, the tumours become malignant or are malignant from the outset. Whether the condition is hypertrophy, a benign tumour, or cancer, excessive levels of adrenal cortical hormones are produced. Hyperplasia may be corrected if the ferret is put in a place where the light can be limited to 8 hours a day, and the ferret's hair starts to regrow 3 to 6 weeks after the change. By definition, tumour cells are out of control, and modifying photoperiod cannot reverse hair loss when any type of tumour is producing sex hormones.People want their ferrets to be awake and playing in the evening when they come home from work, so the ferret is exposed to natural light all day, and artificial light in the evening. The obvious way to limit the ferret's exposure to 8 hours of light a day, without preventing him from interacting with his family, is to give him a dark place to sleep during the day. It has to be really dark, excluding all light, like a moonless night.) The man with a new idea is a crank until other take it up. Mark Twain ... The First Successful Libel Case http://technology.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1737001,00.html http://www.braininjury.co.uk/default.ihtml http://www.webspawner.com/users/ferretwelfair/index.html http://www.geocities.com/houseferrets13uk/Tonys_Pets.html Legalize Ferrets in California http:[log in to unmask] Talk to us about feeding raw meat, keeping ferrets intact and in natural conditions, to promote better health and welfare of these animals http://groups.yahoo.com/group/intact-ferrets/ . [Posted in FML 5795]