Greetings Ferret Folks!
Now that spring is officially here we've gotten a few requests for information about spring cleaning. We've updated our spring cleaning article in the archives, read it! In last week's newsletter we talked about adrenal disease in ferrets. This week we have a follow-up article with some more info on this all-too-common ferret illness. Mother's Day is May 9th! Shop early and save at FerretDesigns.com. From now until April 5th you can save $4.00 on orders over $40.00 -- when checking out, use the coupon code: MADMARCH. Maybe your mom is the #1 Ferret Mom (#1 Ferret Mom in two styles!)... see all the t-shirt and gift options at FerretDesigns. --Mary
In this newsletter:Spring Cleaning ReduxMore About Adrenal Disease and TreatmentDid You Know That ... (unspayed female ferrets)
Spring Cleaning ReduxBy Mary R. Shefferman Ah ... the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the days are getting longer. It's just the time when a ferret owner's mind turns to ... cleaning. Even if you've read it before, it's a good idea to re-read our Spring Cleaning article by Eric. It offers some helpful hints about spring cleaning for ferrets. Safe Products The most important part about cleaning areas where your ferrets roam is rinsing. No matter what you use to clean floors or other surfaces, if you rinse the surfaces so that no traces of the cleaner remain, it should be safe for your ferrets. It's also important to make sure floors, carpets, and other surfaces are completely dry before you allow your ferrets access to them. A few years ago there was concern about the odor-eliminator Febreze. However, as long as you use the product according to its label and make sure it is completely dry before letting your ferrets out, there is no danger (according to a news release from the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center dated April 16, 1999 -- see www.napcc.aspca.org). If spring brings ants into your home, be very careful with any product used to eliminate the ants. We have used ant spray in ferret areas when the ferrets are not present AND allowed the ferrets access to the areas only after washing, rinsing, and drying the area completely. This was a last resort in our previous rental house where the ferrets had access to a very small portion of the kitchen floor. We had a major ant invasion coming in under the back door and had to spray the area nightly after the ferrets had been put into their cage a good distance from the back door. If you must use sprays, use them outside your home around windows and doors. We have also used ant baits (traps) and removed them before ferrets had access to the area. Daily vacuuming of all ferret food crumbs and removal of food and water from areas when the ferrets are caged helps reduce the risk of ants. We found that putting ant baits in the rooms around the room the ferrets played in took care of our ant problem without endangering the ferrets. Safe Procedures When opening windows to let in the fresh air, double check the screens to make sure no ferrets can escape. If possible, open the top half of the window instead of the bottom half. Properly fix any holes in screens (that is, don't just put some tape on it, get a screen patch kit and do it right). Make sure screen doors latch properly. Several ferrets have died in washing machine or dryer accidents. Make sure everything you put into your washer and dryer has no ferrets in it. Double check. The time it takes to make sure all your ferrets are safe is well worth it. For their safety, cage your ferrets when you are vacuuming or doing any other type of cleaning -- even if you do not normally cage your ferrets. Do a nose count to make sure every ferret is accounted for. If you are painting in your home, consider having your ferrets stay at a friend or neighbor's house until the paint is dry. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation (for your sake as much as your ferret's!) If you are getting new carpeting, consider cleaning it (or having it cleaned) right away. New carpeting has chemical smells that may be dangerous or irritate your ferret's respiratory tract (I know they can trigger my asthma). It helps to ventilate the room with the new carpeting, as well. For more on spring cleaning, read the Ferret News article on spring cleaning.
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More About Adrenal Disease and TreatmentBy Mary R. Shefferman We had some good questions and comments from readers after last week's article on ferret adrenal disease. This week, we're going to address some of those questions and comments. Seasonal Coat Change Sometimes it's hard to tell if a ferret's fur loss is caused by a change of season or adrenal disease. Ferrets -- especially those from large ferret farms -- can be "off season" with their coat changes. They might start a coat change in mid-winter instead of spring, for example. Normal seasonal coat changes are very quick. Your ferret will lose a lot of fur in the course of a week or so. The key is that you will usually see new fur growth at the same time the ferret is losing the old coat. Occasionally you will see thin fur in a ferret who is changing coat, but you do not usually see bald patches. Sometimes if a ferret has had an illness, her new coat may be a little sparse or coarse. If the ferret hasn't been ill, a thin or sparse coat may be a sign of adrenal disease. Normal coat changes can also cause changes in fur color. Remember that ferrets are in the same family as the ermine/stoat. When the stoat is in winter coat, he is nearly all white (ermine coat); when he is in summer coat, he is brown on the head and back and is white only on the belly and neck (stoat coat). It stands to reason that ferrets can change their color somewhat with the seasons, as well. You may note a change in mask shape or color. Markings may become more or less pronounced. You may also notice changes in coat color as the ferret ages. Rat Tail Many people get confused about tail baldness. When is it adrenal disease and when it is just rat tail? With adrenal disease, the balding begins at the base of the tail, closest to the rump. As the disease progresses, the bald area spreads up the body, toward the head. With rat tail, the baldness can begin anywhere on the tail, but often on the tip or the underside of the tail; it progresses to the entire tail, without affecting the body at all. Also with rat tail, you will likely see black dots (blackheads, or clogged pores) on the tail. With adrenal disease, the skin is clear and smooth. If your ferret has rat tail, you can wash the tail with a mild pore-clearing cleanser (such as Clean and Clear cleanser for sensitive skin). Make sure you rinse the tail completely. You may want to use a wash cloth to help stimulate the skin on the tail and to help remove pore-clogging oils. Our Cauliflower was a very oily ferret. We had to wash his tail frequently to keep his rat tail in check. Stress Stress is a large factor in any illness -- in ferrets and humans. However, you may not immediately recognize what causes stress in ferrets. We did a three-part article on stress in ferrets and how to reduce it in Newsletters #28, #29, and #30. Natural Light One theory about the cause of adrenal disease cites unnatural lighting (any type of lighting other than natural sunlight) as a possible factor. This theory has its merits, but is not likely the whole story. Certainly exposing your ferrets to only natural lighting will not harm them (and could help). However, in winter months this could mean that by the time you get home from work you have to play with your ferrets in the dark. If it's not feasible to keep only natural lighting, it may be beneficial to at least limit the amount of artificial light your ferrets are exposed to. Early Altering Another theory about adrenal disease cites early altering (at approximately 5 weeks old) as a possible cause. This is based on research that showed hyperplasias (benign tumors) in mice that were altered at a very young age. However, the study was done in mice, not ferrets, and the two animals may not respond the same. Also, ferrets who are not altered or who are altered after 6 months of age do get adrenal disease. So even if early altering is a factor, it cannot be the only factor. Our Cauliflower was a British ferret who was altered at about a year old. He got adrenal disease. Koosh was a Danish ferret who was altered at about 7 weeks old. He also got adrenal disease. These anecdotes don't prove anything except that early altering can't be the only cause of adrenal disease, if it is a cause at all. Melatonin How did I forget to mention melatonin!? Melatonin (the herbal supplement some people take to help them sleep) has been shown to have similar affects to those of Lupron in ferrets with adrenal disease. That is, melatonin can reduce symptoms in ferrets with adrenal disease who are not good surgical candidates. Melatonin is much less expensive than Lupron, but it also may lose effectiveness sooner than Lupron does. There is some evidence that melatonin can reduce the size of the prostate (as Lupron does) and may even keep certain adrenal tumors from growing (as Lupron has been shown to do). There are currently some studies going on to determine if melatonin can be given as a preventive measure. The outcome of these studies could be a big boon to ferret owners. Stay tuned!
Still have questions and comments about adrenal disease? E-mail me: mary modernferret.com
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Did You Know That ...By Mary R. Shefferman A female ferret (a jill) can die if she's not brought out of heat. This sounds like it could be an old wives' tale, but it's absolutely true. Female ferrets are induced ovulators; that is, they do not ovulate (release an egg from the ovary) until they are stimulated to do so. They go into heat (estrous) in preparation for mating and stay in estrous until they ovulate. The problem is that during estrous the body produces large amounts of estrogen. Estrogen suppresses red blood cell production in the bone marrow. This leads to a condition called Aplastic anemia. Aplastic anemia almost never responds to treatment; the result is death. Ferret breeders use a hormone injection or a male ferret that has had a vasectomy (a vasectomized hob) to bring jills out of heat when they are not being bred. For "pet" purposes, there's no reason to keep a female sexually intact. If you get a ferret from a private breeder, he or she will ask you to have the ferret neutered at about 6 months old. This is just prior to a jills first estrous cycle. Almost all ferrets sold in pet stores are already neutered. Large ferret breeding farms instituted early neutering (before sale) of all ferrets in response to the large numbers of jills that died because people didn't believe their ferret could die from being in heat.
"Are You One of the Many Ferret Owners
Who Is Also a Sci Fi Fan?" The Star Wars Trilogy on DVD is coming!
September 21, 2004
Order Your Copy at Amazon.com Today!
Widescreen Edition
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(Yeah, this isn't exactly ferret-related, but we're sure excited about the release of this DVD & thought you might be, too!)
That's it for this week. Make sure to check FerretNews.com every Tuesday for the latest newsletter! --Mary, Eric & Gabby Stay tuned for more. You can always get updates by reading my blog (a blog is an online journal). I keep it sporadically and it usually runs to the more personal stuff. But you might like it. It's at http://www.modernferretblog.com/mary
Ferret NewsPlease let your ferret friends know about this newsletter and encourage them to join. http://www.ferretnews.com Shopping at these web sites helps support this newsletter so we can continue to send it for free to all who want it: http://www.ferretdesigns.com http://www.ferrettradingpost.com You can provide feedback about this issue at: http://ferretnews.com/feedback.html or by sending email to:
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