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Post by Celene on Jan 31, 2015 16:15:16 GMT -5
Heather, is that different than Waardenburg syndrome? I've never heard the tummy thing before. I think the person who posted the pic is a first time ferret owner, but I don't know if I feel comfortable saying anything. On a sillier note, for some reason my brain translated "mutts" as a combination of mitts and tummy, 'cause that's where the little fuzzie has the markings
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2015 16:44:05 GMT -5
If I'm not mistaken, I think Waardenberg's is a neural crest disorder. That baby definitely seems to have the Waardy facial structure though. He's going to be super cute.
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Post by Desiree on Jan 31, 2015 18:13:08 GMT -5
My newest girl Arbor has a speckled belly. I'm 90% sure she is deaf, she does not react to any sound at all but definitely makes more noise than Riot my deaf boy. She also loves water! I don't know much about Waardies.
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Post by katt on Jan 31, 2015 18:23:37 GMT -5
Waardenberg is a Neural Crest disorder, and the most common that we are aware of in ferrets. Anything that causes improper migration of neural crest cells is a neural crest disorder though. Melanocytes (the cells responsible for producing pigment), the bones of the middle ear, and craniofacial cartilages and bones and jaw and teeth, are all of neural crest origin (embryology). That means that all of those structures are made out of cells that started out in the neural crest of the embryo during development. In a neural crest disorder, those cells cannot properly migrate to the places they are supposed to end up in and you end up with abnormalities as a result. This is why neural crest disorders are associated with skull/facial malformations (e.g. broad, flat skulls with wide set eyes seen in waardy ferrets), deafness (problem with middle ear bones), white markings (improper migration of melanocytes, esp to the head/face). Interestingly, neural crest cells are also a very important part of the adrenal medulla (the very inner part of the adrenal gland), the heart, and other organs which of course makes one speculate about potential increased risk of adrenal and cardiac disease in these little guys.
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Post by katt on Jan 31, 2015 18:24:19 GMT -5
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Post by Heather on Jan 31, 2015 18:58:36 GMT -5
I was just reading where neural crest can actually cause adrenal disorders (this is not a ferret study...this was a general animal study about markers for domesticated animals). Wonder if there's a link ciao
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Post by katt on Feb 1, 2015 0:24:49 GMT -5
The problem or rather problemS are that mill ferrets are so inbred who knows what genes they carry, and mill ferrets are neutered so young and have such high rates of adrenal that it would probably be next to impossible to get any real, significant data on whether some of that adrenal disease is correlated with neural crest disease. It wouldn't surprise me in the least though.
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Post by Celene on Feb 1, 2015 1:35:08 GMT -5
Back to @elenners' original post, today I just realized Mocha has a star on the top of her head! Hopefully you all can see it too and I'm not just doing the ferrent equivalent of seeing Jesus on toast.
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Post by katt on Feb 1, 2015 4:43:46 GMT -5
It's not letting me see the pic
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Post by Celene on Feb 1, 2015 12:37:16 GMT -5
katt, that's weird because it's the same upload service I always use and I can see the pic fine (unless the site was down overnight). Anyway, I've uploaded it directly just in case - I need to make sure I'm not just crazy/obsessive and other people see it too
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Post by katt on Feb 1, 2015 18:06:07 GMT -5
OMG I totally see it! Sooo cute!!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 18:08:32 GMT -5
I see it too. How cute. (dance)
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Post by gfountain on Feb 1, 2015 18:17:55 GMT -5
The star is a WHOLE lot easier to see than katt's heart... I think Katt is stretching a little for that one!
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Post by Celene on Feb 1, 2015 18:32:35 GMT -5
Oh come on gfountain, that's not nice.. I might just be the lighting in the photo The slithery baby does have gorgeous, lustrous, skin though (I almost typed "coat"). I'm kind of sad Mocha's star will probably disappear when she loses her winter coat, but at least I got photo evidence!
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Post by gfountain on Feb 1, 2015 20:07:58 GMT -5
I agree that he/she does have beautiful healthy skin. I just don't see a heart on it. Well, except for the one in drawn in red. Which one is that, Katt?
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