From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2011-07-04 16:11:02 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: HELP! Two ferrets died in sleep
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
In relation to temperature there was a very interesting discussion on that score which included Mike Janke years ago.
We personally find that our ferrets slow down but are still playing and happy at about 78'F, and don't become uncomfortable until the low 80s are reached. At 77'F ours are still perfectly happy and incredibly active at the same level of activity we see with temperatures as low as 68'F. Below that ours tend to hide away more. To some extent activity levels seem to depend on what they are used to experiencing.
Mike Janke lived in Miami which is far hotter and he found that if ferrets were gradually acclimated to it they could deal with higher temps than we let ours have, BUT if the change was sudden then they were at serious risk and could even die.
Obviously, I do NOT know if this could be a factor for the ferrets in question. Is their area near a gas stove or a garage, BTW? I recall some past situations in which cooking/heating gas (stove), or carbon monoxide (CO) (opening from a garage into a closet in that case) caused deaths. It could be a range of things from them getting into something dangerous, stashing something dangerous and then pigging out (for example, raisins which can cause acute kidney failure in quantity), stolen medication, food poisoning, heat exposure, the wrong type of houseplant (Everyone should use http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ ), even coincidence.
I'll try to find Mike's comments on heat, a topic he knew well.
Okay:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG6158
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG14004
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG4785
Here is one I did not remember:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG6930
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
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