None of my ferrets are fixed and they are as soppy as can be the only
ferrets I have problems with are a few males, when these ferrets are in
the human terms of becoming teenagers, like their human counterparts they
think they know all about life and what it has to offer, so once they get
over that stage, they settle down to life and what it has to offer.
 
A friend of mine in Norway who decided to change all of his ferrets which
had up until he rescued them lived on kibbel, to the raw mix of mammal,
fish and poultry bi products that is used to feed on mink farms and it
only took him 3 days to get all of his ferrets to eat it.  Now his
ferrets have wonderful coast and he thinks they look and feel much
better on the new diet.
 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
FEEDING A RAW FOOD DIET TO FERRETS
 
WHY WE FEED RAW FOOD
 
When we first owned ferrets we fed a complete dry ferret food which was
easy and convenient to feed.  The main problem I had was that there are
only adult maintenance ferret foods available.  With dog and cat foods
there are various life stage foods available from puppy/kitten through to
senior.  So what could I feed kits or senior ferrets?  We started feeding
raw carcass (rabbit and pigeon) when we could get it .  We found that on
carcass the ferrets looked in much better condition, so I looked into
ways of feeding raw food that I could combine with carcass or feed as the
main diet.  On a total biscuit diet we found tartar forming on their
teeth, this is one of the most common health problems in ferrets and one
that largely goes unnoticed - excessive tartar can lead to gum disease.
Also they lost a lot of muscle tone and their coats didn't seem as soft
and sleek.  So I researched raw food diets further and found a diet
combining raw meaty bones and minces which keeps our ferrets in the
condition I want.  I can vary the diet slightly to make it suitable for
all life stages.  If you do wish to feed a full or part raw food diet I
suggest you look into the pros and cons.  There are many web sites
containing information on raw feeding.  Sadly little on feeding raw to
ferrets but the feline recipes are a good guideline.  Consultation with
your veterinary surgeon may also help.  (Note not all veterinarians
promote a raw food diet)
 
In the wild a ferrets natural diet is a mixture of small mammals, some
birds, fish, amphibian and invertebrates.  These provide a complete diet.
Carnivores need a high meat protein, low carbohydrate diet.  Whole
carcass such as rabbit or wood pigeon provides a ferret with most of the
nutrients needed.  But in general these are impractical for the modern
ferret owner to feed.  So other raw food types need to be considered and
along with supplementation be turned into a raw food diet.
 
PROS AND CONS
 
The main worry with the feeding of raw bones are the dangers of choking
on splinters of bone or a piece of bone puncturing the small intestine.
From personal experience we have not had a problem with this and find the
benefits of feeding raw food far outweigh the disadvantages.  Another
worry is that a full raw food diet will not contain the required amount
of vitamins and minerals.  We use natural vitamin and mineral supplements
and find our ferrets very healthy.  When feeding poultry and raw eggs
there is a small risk of salmonella and other bacteria, more to ourselves
than the ferrets, care must be taken to defrost thoroughly and remove
uneaten food.  Ferrets digestive systems are short and acidic designed
for handling bacteria.  It can be awkward feeding raw food in summer due
to the flies, feeding later on in the evening and removing all uneaten
food first thing in the morning normally alleviates the problem.
 
The main benefits of feeding raw food is a general increase in overall
healthiness.  Raw foods contain enzymes that assist in digestion and
absorption of nutrients.  We find our ferrets have increased muscle mass,
shiny coats and a general zest for life.  Their teeth and gums are very
healthy.  One aspect I noticed is that during the winter months the
silver ferrets kept there black noses, albinos don't turn yellow and the
general colouring on the ferrets was as good as in summer.  The ferrets
overall attitude seems a lot more relaxed
 
Auther unknowen
[Posted in FML issue 4744]