From:
sukiecrandall@telocity.com
Date: 2001-11-19 11:33:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Photoperiods and Adrenals
Okay a few points:
1. This idea is still hypothetical, so it may help or it may not.
2. It may help with some types of growths but not others; in the
human studies full darkness has been studied in relation to
certain hormonal malignancies. Most ferret adrenal growths are
benign, though they may have a hormonal component.
3. Our household (like any other) is too small and has too many
uncontrolled aspects for conclusive statements (could be
coincidence) but I'll tell you what we have encountered with black
cage covers:
We have not had an adrenal malignancy since we began
covering the cages but we have had a similar rate of benign
adrenal tumors as before.
Like many other people we have seen the ages at which these
have been occuring drop, but we seem to lag behind the crowd
in that regard: when we were considering 5 years early others
seemed to be talking about 3 years old; when we finally had a 3
and 1/2 year old with one others were talking yet younger ages.
Why the age of possible on-set appears to be possibly dropping
is of interest to me: it may indicate something like a silent viral
trigger that is more common now, or may relate to genetic
proportion changes dues to different breeding selection
(purchase demand/ show appeasrances/whatever) since the
on-set ages seemed to be much later before so many fancies
were around in high numbers, etc. With one exception all of
our's have been early neuters for the last 19 and 1/2 years.
*IF* what we have expereinced is not coincidental then it may be
that the black covers we have are having an effect on the adrenal
malignancy rates here but not touching the benign rate, and may
be preventing the ferrets from developing them quite as young
as they might have done with more light exposure. Then again,
our experience could be abberrant. It's all hypothetical right now.
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., leanneb33@a... wrote:
> Anyone have any new information out there on the possible link
> between these two? I am tring to find more information on
> Photoperiods and exactly what they are and what they mean.
> Scene is had one ferret with adrenals- cage covered as pretty
much
> his sleeping area 24/7 so he had a dark place to sleep.. just
like in
> the wild so to speak. Then he still comes down with adrenal
problems.
> Dr Williams, Dr Murray and Bob Church state something about
> photoperiods on the Miami website but, my understanding of
> photoperiods is limited to what they right. I understand
unatural
> lighting which my now five guys get total natural light. If out in
> evening only light is fish tank (flourescent) and tv. But, if
> following the photoperiod theory which is only eight hours of
> daylight I would assume that would be un-natural for any
creature
> that lives in the wild. Except for the fact that a ferret once fed
> and tired might crawl in a littel sleepy hole somewhere.. But,
eight
> hours a day? Summer is way to long of days for that. Am I to
assume
> that in reality a ferret should sleep in dark for 16 hours a day?
> Any ideas would be much appreciated..
> Leanne