From:
Teresa Knezek
Date: 2004-09-01 23:56:56 UTC
Subject: melatonin/daylight dilemma
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <ae202e7304090116563e1cc938@mail.gmail.com>
OK, with all the recent posts about adrenal disease, early altering
and melatonin, I've been thinking...
I live in central Alaska, and my ferrets get PLENTY of darkness from
late fall through early spring. In the middle of winter, we get about
2 hours of daylight. The ferrets get a couple hours of light from
approx. noon to 2pm, they get light in the evening when we're home to
let them out, and otherwise the 'artificial' lights are off for about
10 hours during the day while we're at work/school/etc, and off for
about 8 hours while we're asleep. They all sleep hidden in towels and
blankets in their cage or the closet, which are more than enough to
block out the microwave clock light, etc.
But then during summer, there is no darkness. We hardly turn the
lights on in the house for all of the month of July... They still have
their blankets to sleep in, but there is simply NO natural darkness.
During late spring and early fall, there is very little darkness, but
they do get to enjoy it since it is all in the wee after-midnight
hours, when we're asleep anyway.
So what's my best option, in light of recent research and theory here?
I was thinking about getting the Melatek implants, but only
administering them for the 'light months' (instead of quarterly)... or
I could get supplements and administer it orally from late May to
early September... or would it be better to just give melatonin (in
either form) steadily all year round?
I know there is no hard-and-fast answer here, but does it seem, given
the generous amoun of darkness during the winter months, that a
summer-only melatonin schedule would achieve the desired effect?
--
Teresa -- and the
Three Polar Packrats
(Zoe, Ziya & Blitzie)