Hi Bob
 
I only feed my ferrets twice a day with raw meat/ bones/ organ meat but I
have a friend who is concerned about feeding just 2 meals.  She thinks
because the ferret has a fast metabolism that it needs to have access to
food all day long.  She said that rabbits and rodents have a very fast
metabolism, they need to eat all the time and have very frequent bowel
movements.  Humans, dogs and cats have a slower metabolism and less
frequent bowel movements, maybe just once or twice a day and thus need
less meals a day.  My friend rates ferrets to be in-between rodents and
dogs and cats and thinks that they have faster metabolism than cats and
dogs and because they also have more frequent bowel movements that they
should have more meals a day or be free fed.  Also if a polecat in the
wild had the chance to eat frequently then it would so my friend feels
she has to offer food to the ferrets at all times.  I hope I've expressed
myself properly, my friend and I talked about it in German and I find it
difficult to translate into English...
 
What I also found, when I fed kibble, none of the ferrets were obese.
But when I started feeding raw meat and bones, some ferrets liked it so
much that they ate large amounts and became very obese.  One ferret in
particular will overeat if given the chance and then bring it all back
up... So I have to give each ferret a limited weighed amount of food to
keep them at the right weight.
 
Ulrike
 
West Wales Ferret Welfare
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.ferretlove.co.uk
Last update 26/09/02
[Posted in FML issue 3951]