Hi.
This is in response to Shea's posting about being chewed out for feeding
her ferrets 8 in 1 Ferret diet.
 
I live in upstate NY in a small town.  The local stores only carry one
brand of ferret food, and that's 8 in 1.  There is one small pet/bait shop
in town that sells Marshall farms ferret food, but the business is run very
badly and I don't like the way the animals are kept (for those of you who
defend pet shops, I know that not all pet shops are bad, but this woman
does not clean any of her cages for several days, and it's very noticible
when you walk in.  She also doesn't supply constant food or water, and for
these reasons, I won't support her business).  So the nearest location that
I can get any sort of variety in ferret foods is an hour away.  And in the
winter, that's a rough trip.  So I feed my ferrets what is available.  It
may not be the best out there, but it is what is most available to me.  I
give them all supplements like Shea says she does with hers, and none of
my ferrets have rough coats.  They have very soft, full coats, and are full
of energy.  I have tried other brands, but what eventually happens is that
I get snowed in and am unable to get to the supplier, or my ferrets just
won't eat the stuff.  Rather than mess with their digestive systems and
continually change the food that they get, I feed them the same thing
everyday, and supplement it with Ferretone.
 
No one should be flamed for trying to do the best they can for their
ferrets.  I do what I can for mine, and I am confident that they are well
fed and taken care of.  I know people that feed their ferret high quality
ferret food, but their ferret also sits in his cage 24/7, has no toys or
playtime, and no litter box, and no sleep sack or anything.  What a person
feeds their ferrets is not the only measure of how good an owner they are.
People should keep this in mind before they criticize.
 
And yes, I give my ferrets water, too.
 
Tricia
 
PS - I don't mean to insult or anger anyone, but I feel that it is
incredibly unfair to criticize Shea for feeding her ferrets a lower grade
ferret food.
[Posted in FML issue 3254]