Hi, I am new here

[smkovalinsky]

Hi, I am new here, and very happy to be part of such a forum. I have my first ferret; she is about 10 weeks old now, and I got her 2 weeks ago. My webcam takes awful light and blurry pictures, but I hope to buy a digital camera soon so I can post some pics of her. Her name is Chloe, and she is a very pale blondish color, with dark brown guard hairs on her hindquarters and tail. My question is this: I get SO upset when I read articles online, which say that in the United Kingdom, ferrets live longer, and are not "middle aged" until about age 6; while in the US (where I am), they are middle aged at 3, and prone to all sorts of cancers and adrenal problems. Some of this was related to diet and natural sunlight, which of course I can and will address. But much of it was related to the early spaying and neutering. I can do nothing, alas, as she was neutered at about 8 weeks, I believe. Now I am worried that there is a clock ticking. Anyone have any hopeful feedback? Thanks, and greetings to all.

[smkovalinsky]

Just to add a quick addendum to my post, I just read that supplementing with melatonin, 1-3 mg pd, 7-9 hours post-sunrise, may help prevent adrenal cancer in ferrets. A study was conducted on minks, whose kits could reportedly receive up to 124 mg pd with no ill effects.

miamiferret.org/melatonin.htm

Has anyone had experience with this? Thanks!

[Heather]

Hi and welcome to both you and Chloe. She sounds beautiful. Take lots of pics, they don't stay small for long . There is a certain problem that has developed with the farm ferrets but that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy her for a long time. I've got ferrets who are farm ferrets who have lived long, relatively healthy lives. Babushka (marshals) passed on when she was 10 or 11 yrs old and she didn't become adrenal. Her partner in crime is adrenal and she's now about 9 or 10 and has had adrenal (was totally naked poor thing) for about 2 yrs now. Mad Max (PV) is 10 or 11, he came down with adrenal about a year ago. The oldsters when they get it, go about it long and slow, it's the younger ones that it hits hard if it hits. Give a good raw diet, natural lighting and keep your fingers crossed and you and Chole should have a good long playtime. We do what we can, we can't repair the genetic damage nor can we do anything about the early spay and neuter that also causes the damage. Prowl the site, check out the various threads, read through them, see what others have to say, ask questions. We will help you as best we can, and share what knowledge we have. Everyone is friendly and almost all of us have shared the pain of realizing that some of our little ones problems are beyond our control.
I have used the melatonin now for over 4 or 5 yrs. What you have to understand about melatonin is that it's not a cure, it's a cover up, a postponement if you would. It masks the symptoms but it's not a cure. It will not harm, but understand it's uses and it's limits. I hope you will post pics of your little one, she sounds pretty.
Please don't worry about the disease, they're there, learn to recognize them but most of all love your little one, they're here for the fun of life and they know how to live it, it's for us to enjoy them while we have them
ciao

[sherrylynne]

Hi, and welcome! I can't wait to see pics of your little one They are so tiny and cute and adorable at that age. Then they grow up into monsters (says she who has 9!).
Yes, I've got 3 adrenal babies. Two age 3, and one who's between 4-6 years of age. They are all on lupron monthly, and enjoy life tremendously still! The great thing about a good diet is it gives them extra reserves to draw on that they don't get on kibble.
Please feel free to browse, and keep in mind- at her age, she'll switch to raw very quickly right now, as everything is food as far as she's concerned

[smkovalinsky]

Thanks to both of you for your very kind and helpful responses. I will definitely make the best use I can of all the info on this site, and thank you both so very much for sharing your first hand experiences. I understand the importance of diet in allowing these creatures to at least have the strength to fight off whatever genetic or early damage conditions which may arise. I will be sure to get a digital cam, yeah, she is growing even as I watch. Thanks once more to you both!