Q:"Is there any real difference between a ferret and a polecat?" A: In separate trials, whack each one in the head and drop it in your shorts and discover for yourself. For the most part, no. But the same can be said for dogs and wolves, and cats and wildcats. The vast majority of the animal's anatomy, physiology and behavior is the same. Domestication only changes a few things so the animal can put up with people better, such as a lack of fear of new objects, fur coloration changes, and reproductive changes. I know it is hard to believe that a minature poodle is probably more than 99.5% identical to the wolf, but it is. In a similar fashion, the ferret is probably more than 99.5% identical to the polecat. Briefly, a short list of differences include changes in skull shape, increased frequency of reproduction, changes in eyeball angle, vison changes, lowered aggressiveness and other behavioral changes, increased variation in body coloration, size and body proportions, body size changes, decreased fear of humans, juvenilization, and albinism. There are lots more, but you get the picture. Q:"Do ferrets really kill babies?" A: Not as many as drunk drivers, bombs, parents, or domestic dogs. A lot less than pythons. To paraphrase the NRA, "Ferrets don't kill babies; parents do." I know of two instances in the last few decades where ferrets have been implicated in killing babies; one in Oregon and the other in London. In both cases, babies were left alone with the ferret, dogs were present and may have contributed to the death, drugs and/or alcohol was involved (parents, not ferrets), and the ferret was physically negelected. In both cases, had the parents not been negligent, the incidents would not have taken place. Ferrets are animals, just like cats and dogs, and danger does exist because NO living creature is completely predictable. A couple of babies have died and several children have been disfigured, but those are a tiny percentage of the number of ferrets involved with children. Even if ferrets bit people in the same frequency as dogs, because of their small size and teeth, the damage is far less. Ferrets are very safe pets; still no baby should be left alone with any animal. Q:"My 10-year-old ferret just broke its hip. The vet says her bones are ostyporotic. Is this normal?" A: You're asking *ME* if something is normal? A dangerous idea.... It is my *OPINION* that osteoporosis is quite common in American ferrets, based on the study of dozens of ferret skeletons of various ages. The density of ferret bones from USA ferrets is about 1/3rd that of polecats and feral ferrets, based on my research. The bones from USA ferrets are about the same size as polecats and feral ferrets, but they are a lot lighter, with more internal volume. In other words, they have less bone per given area compared to feral ferrets and polecats. There are several things that could be causing this, but in reality, it is probably some combination of factors making the bone osteoporotic. First, ferrets in the USA are typically neutered. Both estrogen and testosterone are important in keeping bones strong and healthy and are lost when the animal is neutered. Second, USA ferrets are typically housed in cages preventing heavy exercise, and exercise thickens and strengthens bone. Third, ferrets are prone to cancers as they get older, and many cancers "suck" calcium out of the bone, making them thinner and weaker. Fourth, USA ferrets are typically fed kibbles; a diet that might lack essential fatty acids or bone-growth nutrients, such as Vitamin D. And fifth, bone tends to get thinner as ferrets get older. The fact is, the older the ferret, the thinner the bones. That simple. But I think late neutering, bone in the diet, and lots of exercise seems to make the bones healthier and denser. Of cource, thats an opinion, and I haven't yet published data on my findings, so I may be wrong. But even if I am, late neutering, exercise and bone couldn't hurt. Bob C and 17 Mo' Dense-Butted Boneheads [Posted in FML issue 2706]