From:
"Jerri Carel"
Date: 2008-04-24 14:51:27 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Dwarf Ferret?
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Good Morning All,
I only see a few mssages on this subject and none in the past couple
of years - I wonder if we know anymore details since then?
I got a little 3 yr old guy into the shelter and quickly noticed that
something was just not right. It took a while to pin it down, but to
begin with, he's short from front to back - very compact little guy.
He's not flexible like a ferret - not the typical slinky spine - his
is a bit arched and stiff as is his neck. I also noted that his legs
don't move normally - the joints seem to be stiff and he seems to
move pretty much only from the hips. Lastly, his little face,
adorable as it is, is short and rounded - it almost looks like a kit
head - the nose area has never elongated. I'm not talking about the
typical big round faced ferret -vs- the early spay/neuter long faced
ferret - this one is rounded like it just stopped growing early
on...it's like a little round kit head.
I do know that he has not seen out-of-cage time in 2 years with the
exception of cage cleaning time. This could be a reason for muscle
loss or some stiffness......but I've seen that before & it looks
different than what I'm seeing now.
I'm not sure if he might also be developmentally deficient......his
play is kit-like - you hold him and he just paws at you/holds your
fingers like a kit and mouths at/play bites with your fingers. No
clue about a litter pan, but being raised on that CareFresh bedding,
I can write that off to lack of exposure to a litter pan. Won't
climb the ramp in his FN cage.
One person on a forum said this: "I do have a pretty good study on
the somatotropes of the domestic ferret in my research files.....
Dwarf ferrets tend to have very soft fur and small, short faces. They
also have heart problems and very painful joints. Those with
achondroplastic dwarfism generally have short and/or mishapen limbs."
"Rory" has Brillo Pad fur, but he also appears to be adrenal....or I
would assume that if he was a "normal" ferret....I'm not sure now.
Thanks!
Jerri Carel
The Ferret Haven
Louisville, KY
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