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Post by miamiferret2 on May 6, 2011 15:56:14 GMT -5
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Post by Sherry on May 6, 2011 21:24:51 GMT -5
That article really makes me wonder something. We have all been led to believe that the light cycles affect/trigger adrenal disease. We also believe that genetics plays a part in it. The farm ferrets are brought into early estrus throughout the year by, if I remember correctly, artificial light being manipulated. What are the odds that the farms have genetically predisposed all their ferrets to adrenal by this artificial stimulation to bring on estrus/rut, throughout the year? By breeding these ferrets to yet others who have been maninpulated in the same way, generation after generation, it would by now have become a set characteristic of our farm ferrets, wouldn't it? Leading to younger and younger diagnoses. The whole idea scares the h*ll out of me.
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 6, 2011 23:04:27 GMT -5
Yes sherry they keep them in unnatural lighting so much that it has to be having an effect I'm still confused over the lightbulb situation.
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Post by Sherry on May 6, 2011 23:12:26 GMT -5
I'd heard about amber lighting being better. Not a clue if that would even do anything Let's face it- as far as what type, and how much, lighting is good or bad seems to be a crapshoot. There's Joan's fuzz, no genetic predispostion, artificial lighting, and they are fine. Heather's have had drastic increases in aggressive adrenal with the new energy efficient ones. What is in those that would trigger that sort of effect, anyway? We just do what we can, how we can, and pray for the best outcome
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 7, 2011 14:28:11 GMT -5
I am just going to use the candles, dimmers and the night lights when he's out playing in the rest of the house. What the h*ll, maybe ill just go medieval and use candles from now on... You know, as I think back now, when I was in college/ grad school I had the lights on in the room more bc I had to stay awake and study into the early hours of the morning. Around that time is when my ferrets starts to have really bad Adrenal problems.
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 7, 2011 14:37:48 GMT -5
Sherry, the energy efficient lights that heather uses more closely mimic natural lighting so that would cause their body to produce less Melatonin. And this is what confuses me bc 5 years ago a vet told me to use only full spectrum bulbs bc it mimics natural lighting and that the fluorescent bulbs are worse for ferrets bc it is not like natural lighting and it makes the Adrenal worse. So, if what heather says is correct the natural lighting is not good. Ugh. A year ago I was talking about lighting with another vet and he told me to "keep these guys in the dark" as much as possible and I think he was the one who told me that he (or a colleague of his) saw a remission in the tumors after keeping ferrets in dark rooms. So, Things are going to change around here....
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Post by joan on May 8, 2011 9:34:23 GMT -5
joan, clarify please!! do you mean to say that most of your sable lines came from doug mckay? if that's true and they were healthy, that must be from a very long, long time ago!!! I got my initial breeders from Doug in 1998 (a hob and 2 jills) and another hob in 2002. They were from his sable only lines, as he kept 3 sable lines to breed the dilute/white marked ones every 2-3 generations to keep down the genetic defects and health problems in the fancy colors. I've always been grateful that Doug was so knowledgeable and honest with me, as it allowed me to avoid the genetic and health problems which are so common in both the commercially and privately bred ferrets.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2011 11:07:51 GMT -5
I would think the mimic of natural light would be bad when lighting during unnatural times.
For example, bulbs that mimic natural light during the day wouldn't be as bad as having the lights on when the sun goes down. Am I missing something?
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Post by Sherry on May 8, 2011 11:30:19 GMT -5
The problem with the light that mimics natural light is it depresses melatonin in the body, which has been linked to adrenal. That's one of the reasons melatonin has some effect for adrenal disease.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2011 11:36:58 GMT -5
But wouldn't the sun depress melatonin levels in the same way? My kids are right next to a window and I open the blinds a bit to give them some sunshine during the day. Nighttime is pitch black
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Post by Sherry on May 8, 2011 11:45:00 GMT -5
Yes, it does. But the lights are on AFTER the sun goes down. That's where the problem is. Unnatural light patterns. It tricks their bodies into believing the sun is up long past the time it actually is. Especially in winter. Our ferrets are so in tune with the natural light cycles that by "tricking" their bodies with light that mimics the sunlight, the melatonin is depressed far more than it should be for health.
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2011 11:52:21 GMT -5
Okay, gotcha. Makes sense
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Post by miamiferret2 on May 8, 2011 12:11:20 GMT -5
We have turned into vampyres now. Ferret's room (our room) is completely dark after sundown. And when he is out playing in the rest of the house, only candles, glare from tv and the night lights. It's been awful dark in here these past few days....
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Post by Deleted on May 8, 2011 12:14:16 GMT -5
My girls have their own room, so it helps us being able to keep it dark. I'm going to get a couple candles to help guide us to the bathroom (in their room). This has been incredibly eye opening
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Post by Sherry on May 8, 2011 23:58:05 GMT -5
This has been incredibly eye opening In more ways than one? ;D ;D ;D
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