In regards to the comments about food, I feed _ONLY_  _DRY_ kitten food.  I
have found that a general rule of thumb is that the higher the quality (and
that usually means higher price, but not the other way around) the less the
ferret will eat.  So you may pay more per pound, but end up saving much of
the difference in feeding less total food.  As for my own preference, I feed
Wysong kitten food.  It's primary ingredient is chicken (not chicken parts or
chicken by products).  And the chicken is Amish (sp) chicken, which is fed
only naturially grown grains.  There are no preservatives in it, either.  I
sometimes feed Science Diet Feline Growth if I can't get to the only store in
Houston that carries Wysong.  My concern with preservatives is only a logical
one and may have no bearing on reality.  Most preservatives contain products
that could be considered to be carcenogins when ingested in large amounts.
However, the foods are formulated for kittens which will grow to be several
times the weight of even a large male ferret.  What may be an insignificant
amount of a particular preservative for a cat, could concievably be toxic to
a tiny ferret.  I may be all wrong, but until more is known about exactly
what ferrets need, I would rather be safe than sorry.
 
As for the conversation on Ferretone, it has been quite a long time since I
researched it, but I believe that one of the main differences in Ferretone
and Linatone is that Ferretone has much _LESS_ vitamin A than Linatone (not
the other way around).  I will try to get by the store and read labels agin
soon and post the results for those who cannot get both locally.  I was told
by a vet that ferrets should not have too much vitamin A and that is why I
checked it out.  As i said, it has been a long time and my memory is not as
good as ... what was I talking about :-).  I would advise you to check it out
for yourself.  Our carpet sharks get the equivalent of a full squirt every
day.  We also give pregnant or nursing jills a .25" squeeze of Nutrical every
day.  Also, we give them all a little nutrical when they are changing coats.
It seems to make for a richer coat.
 
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"Cats may be cool, but carpet sharks rule!"
 
John Gaver ([log in to unmask])
 
[Posted in FML issue 0620]