From:
rrc961@mizzou.edu
Date: 2002-08-31 01:09:27 UTC
Subject: RE: Bob C: Ferret Caretaker Quiz
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <6886288.1030756167381.JavaMail.root@scandium>
xxxx wrote:
> I hadn't heard that there were concerns about "the implications of early familial separation." I'm sure it's true, and can imagine what some of the problems would be, but could you direct me to any studies or papers about it, or elaborate yourself?
You just made the point of the question, which was that MORE was known about various diseases and genetics than "the implications of early familial separation" and other environmental factors. The question was meant to drive home the idea that the way we breed, market, house, and care for our ferrets may have far more negative impact on their lives than we suspect.
Hobs are sperm donors--except for helping to make babies, they offer little contribution to the success and development of the litter. Ferrets are like polecats in that most of what they learn about being a ferret is learned from their mother and, to a lesser extent, other litter mates. Take a young ferret from that learning environment and they may fail to understand a great many things, including social skills, how to play properly, and the ability to accept other ferrets within their environment.
There are a number of extremely well done studies on the effect of removing carnivore infants from their parent(s), most of which is applicable to the ferret. I can elaborate more on this in a future post, but trying to explain it in a few sentences would cause more questions than they could answer.
Bob C