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Post by miamiferret2 on May 1, 2011 18:55:28 GMT -5
Heather at first she thought he was deaf but she said that he was definitely not deaf. Every time another one of her other ferrets even walked near him he'd scream. He would cuddle with her, play with her, and let her hold him but he would just get away from the other ferrets. And funny you say this bc she mentioned that she thought he was blind. She said he was tiny and not weaned when she got him. in 3 weeks he grew alot and was the size of her smallest female. She was going to take him in for a necropsy but she was devastated and crying (she only had this poor baby for about 20 days) and she just buried him. How horrible.
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 1, 2011 18:56:13 GMT -5
I forgot to ask you heather what clue would you get from this kit being blind? Like a brain tumor? Aneurism?
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 1, 2011 19:03:10 GMT -5
I forgot to add, she says that after this poor little ferret passed away her other ferrets are much better- almost as is they had a large weight taken off of them. Now that I go back and read her story, I think the other ferrets sensed something was wrong with him.
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Post by Heather on May 1, 2011 19:19:08 GMT -5
I was thinking along that vein, or that there were multiple congenital issues that blindness was only one issue. Blindness, though occuring in ferrets is not common except in injury. Brain tumours are not often noted but not unheard of (I had a little one who suffered such). An aneurism could indeed answer the reason for the sudden death with no particular symptoms prior to the death. It is indeed unfortunate that no necropsy was done, questions will probably nag at your friend, probably not now...her grief must indeed be great but later. We often sit and wonder about such things, it's human nature. A travelling candle will lit for the little one and though not welcomed by his business here probably because his condition was sensed, there is a special place for babies at the bridge where they're always welcome. He has what many of these little ones wish they had...he has a heart key. Someone cared enough to cry for him when he passed on. Many baby ferrets die each year without such tears . ciao
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Post by joan on May 8, 2011 13:30:09 GMT -5
If he had the neural crest genetics, which is probable if he was a MF kit, he most likely had one or more of the congenital defects associated with those genetics, ie, gastrointestinal and/or cardiac abnormalities. Usually they aren't serious enough to cause death at a young age, but it seems that this is being more common as the genetics are doubled and redoubled on in breeding.
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 8, 2011 13:44:58 GMT -5
I am not sure if he was an MF. I don't think I asked. What are "neural crest" genetics?
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 8, 2011 13:51:47 GMT -5
Never mind I Googled it. she said that her now deceased baby ferret would not run in a straight line and would run into walls. He was an albino. She said she thought he was blind and that his hearing was excellent. I have always owned Sables and all of mine (and my dads) have always had excellent hearing. I have never had a blind ferret although I have had them lose their eyesight more during their elderly years.
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Post by Heather on May 8, 2011 14:39:42 GMT -5
Neural crest = waardenburg syndrome...same difference You mention that the little one couldn't walk a straight line, do you mean she leaned to one side or the other or just didn't walk straight. She was aware that if it was indeed a marshals ferret that if an aneurism or tumour had been proven by a vet that she could have got a replacement fuzz? ciao
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 8, 2011 14:53:11 GMT -5
I am sure she knew as she has others that she purchased at petstores as well as a few rescues but she was so heartbroken and devastated that she just buried the poor little baby. my father always had Sables and he used to say they were healthier. I'm starting to wonder whether the old man has a point especially these days. but you know heather (I am 36 so not that old) and I don't remember ever seeing that many ferrets with white heads, white stripes on their heads, and such fancy colors when I was a kid? Yes there were albino but you didn't see them that often and they almost never had them. I only remember seeing Sables. And now the fancy colors are all I see at the pet stores.
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 8, 2011 14:57:15 GMT -5
She just said that the baby just didn't run in a straight line. Knowing her, if he was falling to one side she would have rushed him to the vets. She said he showed absolutely no signs at all except for the other ferrets reactions towards him.
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Post by Heather on May 8, 2011 20:29:43 GMT -5
Your father was correct, sables and albinos are the originals, the foundations and the strongest genetically. I remember when I first started researching that the only ferrets you could get were that sables and albinos with the predominant (at least here) as being albinos. Now, you're right all you get are sables and fancies. The 'bino of course prized as the creator for the fancies. Unfortunately, now even the sables you see aren't really sables but sables born to fancied parents, if not directly then you will find a fancy as a close relative...so I'm afraid that the farm ferrets and even some of our breeder ferrets have been corrupted genetically. My understanding that this is something that was discovered in Europe years ago and they're now trying to clean up their mess, but it's going to take years to clean out these problems if ever. Hopefully, the damage is reversable and we can eventually clean up the ferrets and get back what we've destroyed by creating these fancies (as pretty as they are). I've not had one live a long life. I've had many silvers (DEWs) call this place home, none have lived a long life , I've had a number of fancies and mutts, all of them had what I consider shortened lifespans. Now, even the sables are affected and aren't living much past their 5th and 6th birthdays I'm hearing more and more who are not even making their second birthdays and are suffering from adrenal by the time they're 3. I know that the little ones that I get have led often rough lives with poor diet and care but some of my older guys, Mad Max, Pooka, Babushka, Mayhem, Mischief...all sables all lived past the age of 9. It's not a large number Not when 30 ferrets have called this place home. ciao
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 8, 2011 20:45:00 GMT -5
I didnt know that Sables & albinos were the original colors. thought my dad was just discriminating! Because of his theory, I have also always owned Sables. The old man actually came by to see Sonny today. He keeps trying to convince me to let Sonny spend the night at his house. I feel bad for my dad because he loves ferrets but he's 78 now and he just can't keep up with them. he lives just a few blocks away so he comes over to play with his grandson all the time
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