Ferret News
Pet Ferret Care Tips
and Information
By Mary R. Shefferman & Eric Shefferman - along with Gabby, the ferret
www.ferretnews.com

Ferret News #79: Absolute Darkness for Ferrets
September 16, 2004

contact: marymodernferret.com

Note From Mary: Midnight Visit

  The other night I awoke to Gabby wriggling around by my neck. I petted her a little and expected her to high-tail it out of bed and onto her little ferret couch. Nope. She curled up next to me to go to sleep. Weird. I continued to pet her, and she just curled up into a tighter little furball. She didn't get up, annoyed, and walk away. This behavior was so un-Gabby-like that I called for Eric, who was still at his computer. I was genuinely concerned that something was wrong with Gabby.

  As soon as Eric got onto the bed and tried to pet Gabby, she woke up. She hopped off the bed and wandered over to the litter box. Now that's normal Gabby behavior. Just to make sure she was all right, Eric gave her some warmed-up chicken baby food. She lapped it down like her usual self.

  I wonder now if Gabby's getting a little soft in her advancing age (she's nearly 6 years old). Maybe she's beginning to think that us humans aren't so bad -- we do give off some amount of heat (and our feet have an interesting smell). Or maybe she curls up and sleeps next to me every night, but I just don't usually wake up. Whatever the reason, Gabby's little nighttime visit made me very happy (once I made sure it wasn't because she was sick).

  There's nothing like taking in the warmth and peace of a sleeping ferret.

Did You Know That ...

  Ferrets may benefit from absolute darkness for several hours every day. We've met people who like to leave on a night-light for their ferrets, but this not necessary -- and, if theories prove true, may even be harmful in the long-term.

  Ferrets are descendants of polecats, which are burrowing animals. Therefore, darkness does not affect ferrets the way it affects humans. They aren't afraid of it and they can get around just fine in it. Ferrets have a highly developed sense of smell that lets them navigate their surroundings without light. This is one of the reasons ferrets who go blind do all right. (Our Sabrina never missed the litter box, even after she could no longer see.) It's also the reason ferrets have been used for centuries to help flush rabbits from their holes.

  Not only is darkness not a problem for ferrets, it can be a comfort. Darkness makes ferrets feel secure. You may notice that sick or injured ferrets often seek dark, enclosed places, like tents or blankets. To help reduce stress in ferrets, an enclosed, dark space should always be available.

  However, security isn't the only issue. One of the theories about adrenal disease in ferrets has to do with ferrets getting too much daylight (or artificial light).

    To supply pet stores with ferrets year-round, large-scale breeding operations keep ferrets in artificial lighting situations that "trick" their bodies into breeding all year. In other words, light is used to make the ferrets secrete sex hormones "on cue." This fact establishes that a ferret's body can be affected by light. Because the area in the adrenal gland that is affected by adrenal disease is the area that leads to the secretion of sex hormones (mainly, estradiol), it has been theorized that light may be a factor in the development of adrenal disease.

  In most home situations (particularly in the United States), ferrets are exposed to light more hours per day than they would get naturally. We use electric lights before sunup and after sundown. Does this negatively impact our ferrets' health? It's hard to say for certain. Likely there are several causes of adrenal disease in ferrets -- or several factors need to be present in order for a ferret to develop adrenal disease.

  We've taken to shutting off the lights in our bedroom (where Gabby stays free-roam) in the evening. During the day, we make sure there's plenty of natural light. It may make no difference in Gabby's health, but it's not a hardship on us, and Gabby doesn't seem to care one way or the other.

  The point: It won't harm your ferret to shut off the lights at night. It may help.

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  To use the coupon, enter the code in the "Coupon/Promotional Code" box on the "Billing and Shipping" page when checking out.

  Thank you for reading FerretNews! Don't forget to hug your ferrets today ... and everyday!

--Mary, Eric & Gabby (the lone ferret)

  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

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