Extra toe

[ash15782 0]

hi all now this may seem to be a daft question, but has any one had or got a ferret with an extra toe, my polecat has an extra toe on one foot, now after a close inspection 2 of her kits have the same on one of there feet aswell

[Ossie 11]

hi all now this may seem to be a daft question, but has any one had or got a ferret with an extra toe, my polecat has an extra toe on one foot, now after a close inspection 2 of her kits have the same on one of there feet aswell

 

i've never heard of that in ferrets! it is reasonably common in cats, its called polydactylism. the cats are also refered to as mitten cats, or Hemingway cats (the island Ernest Hemingway lived on has a population of polydactyl cats, descended from a couple he was given). a friend of mine had a polydactyl tabby tom kitten, he had 6 toes on each front foot, 5 toes on each back foot (one more than normal). he looked like he had thumbs, and could actually pick things up using the extra toe as a thumb.

cats with extra toes almost always produce whole litters of kittens with extra toes.

there are a couple of different forms of polydactylism in cats, one is associated with some pretty serious diseases & deformities. i wouldn't breed from her again until you know more about the condition.

[ash15782 0]

hi iv been having a look through loads of web sites about problems with ferrets and i finaly found one about the problem that i have with my mother ferret and her kits, it is also called polydactyly the same that is found in cats, that is a inherited harmless defect. I have put the web site link on here so you all can have a wee look.

 

 

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cl...1&articleid=542