From:
Caitlyn Martin
Date: 2002-02-03 14:51:00 UTC
Subject: Longevity
Hi, Sukie, and everyone else,
The oldest ferrets I have personal knowledge of lived to be 13. They
were bought at the same time from the same place, so they may have come
from the same litter. They were Marshall Farms babies, born in 1987.
We are very sure of the age because they were my brother's college
roommate's ferrets, and we know what year my brother got his masters
(1987). The ferrets died in the summer of 2000 within a few days of
each other.
The next oldest I know of was a rescue, again a Marshall Farms baby.
The ferret was supposedly one year old when rescued, and the adoptive
parents had the fert for a little over 10 years. We believe the ferret
lived to be 11. The owner was a member of the local club and is a
reliable person.
Of course, we just lost a Marshalls baby at age 3.5. There seems to be
no correlation between breeder and longevity.
Just my .02, which is worth exactly what you paid for it.
All the best,
Caity and the notorious nine