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Post by 3kaw on Jan 6, 2011 23:00:31 GMT -5
I've seen in a few posts about people saying they could tell by the teeth how old a ferret is?? Is this so, and how exactly do you tell?
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rahrah
Going Natural
Posts: 134
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Post by rahrah on Jan 7, 2011 0:07:07 GMT -5
I've wondered that too.... I'd assume the same way vets and the like estimate a dogs or cats age? How worn down they are or something like that haha I don't know
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Post by WTFerret on Jan 7, 2011 0:14:53 GMT -5
They are white for a year are so then they begin to turn opaque the more opaque the older they are.
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Post by rarnold18 on Jan 7, 2011 0:26:19 GMT -5
I've tried to find pictures but can't right now...but you age ferrets by their teeth...for instance a young kit's teeth will be a solid white, but around 1.5-2 or so their upper canines start to lose thier color, they're still white but they start to become transluctent at the tips and as they age further the translucence travels up the canines. A ferret that's 5 or so years old will have translucent canines about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up the tooth. I'm trying to find pictures to explain it better but I'm not being too successful.... I know there's a post around here somewhere....
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 7, 2011 0:31:52 GMT -5
I was just looking for it, too Also unsuccessfully But you are right about the degree of opacity and age
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Post by rarnold18 on Jan 7, 2011 0:42:23 GMT -5
when we do find it can it be sticked or flagged so that when the question arises again it can be a bit easier found?
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Post by rarnold18 on Jan 7, 2011 1:09:00 GMT -5
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Post by Heather on Jan 7, 2011 2:57:16 GMT -5
those are the photos that I use. I haven't found any others. I thought about trying to get clearer photos but mine didn't come out any clearer. I have those posted on the closet door in the ferret room. I use that to age my guys (people who turn their ferrets in don't necessarily tell the truth or even remember correctly) ciao
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 7, 2011 12:56:44 GMT -5
I've stickied it, and altered the title a wee bit(sorry, Jennifer!) So far, it does seem to be accurate when I've checked my ferrets against it. Which is how we figured out that Sinnead was much older than we were told when we got her
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Post by Heather on Jan 7, 2011 17:31:43 GMT -5
For anyone trying to figure out rescues ages it works great. Most rescues are never fed raw so it's not going to interfere with the information. Raw fed ferrets (this has to be from very baby baby, not just from 6 months or so) don't develop this translucency or at least don't appear to. ciao
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Post by sherrylynne on Jan 7, 2011 18:01:06 GMT -5
It's also handy for people like myself, who don't have a clue how old our ferrets might or might not be. It also helps when looking at potential illnesses they may develop. We were told Sinnead was just two when we got her, and she was already showing signs of adrenal. The age is one of the reasons our vet at that time thought it was a better idea to wait until spring shed to see if her coat "rearranged" itself. Had we realized she was most likely 4 or 5 instead, she'd have been on lupron many months earlier. And since she was kibble fed(didn't know raw at all) for those 4-5 years, I also know to keep a closer eye out for insulinoma, since she's likely at a higher risk than the boys, who started raw at 9 months of age.
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