From:
mjanke@miamiferret.org
Date: 2002-10-24 17:09:28 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] Re: Sudden Temperature Changes with Ferrets
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <26656844.1035479368334.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Keeping them in an unheated room may help to acclimate them to going outside in the winter, but I don't think it will do anything to boost their winter coats. Their coat change is based on the length of the day, not temperature.
I live in Miami where it's summer pretty much year 'round, plus our house naturally has A/C and the temperature inside is constant year 'round. Still, Spaz faithfully gets his winter coat every fall. He just recently put on the most beautiful, lush coat I've seen on him in years. He's so different in size, color and appearance that it almost seems as if someone switched ferrets on me!
Actually, I find his coat changes rather unusual because our winter days are not as short as the northern latitudes and then there's the inside lighting. Most of the other ferrets I've had did not have regular coat changes like he does.
mike
Author wrote:
> I was concerned about how they would cope with temperature change, so I have
> started to prepare them, by not having any form of heating in the room where
> the cages are kept. They still have warm fleecy blankets, but no other form
> of heat. I'm hoping this will give their winter coats a boost, before they
> are put outside in a few weeks time.