>So yea, I guess my questions are 1. Which food is better?  2. is Fish
>Meal Good?  3. Should I continue to mix them?  4. Should I mix other
>brands in sometimes?  5. Does anyone have any tips on how to get them
>onto any raw foods?  6  Has anyone heard from/about Bob C?
 
Hi, I would like to say straight out, I am no expert here... but from
reading many ferret lists, books, websites, and learning as much as I
can..and owning 11 of the "things"... LOL.. ( and please don't quote me.)
 
Any "meal" is not as good as the real thing, as it is just usually
by-products from the "human" meat industry i.e.: leftovers.
 
That said "left overs" are usually some of the higher concentrates of
vitamins and minerals..  (bones, intestines, claws etc etc.. all full
of good "stuff") but... not so much "proteins", still relatively high in
protein, However they do get "cooked" several times before arriving on
your ferrets plate..  so the "protein " component can often be lost in
the cooking processes.
 
Fish bi-products , have some advantages as they can be high in omega 3,
and omega 6 fatty acids... but, fish proteins especially salt water fish
are not usually compatible with a ferrets digestive system, and fish
meat/meal/byproducts will always ( fresh or saltwater) make them smell
BAD.
 
And, I believe there is a particular protein ? or part of the fish (sorry
I cant remember what it is) but it can build up in a ferrets system and
make them ill..  (I will re-research that one) but in general, fish...
NO.  There are some advantages, as near as I can tell, but in general I
would avoid fish proteins..We supplement our ferrets diet with the omega
3 and 6 fatty acids along with other components often lost or not
included with many "kibble diets".
 
Just think about it..  ever bathed a ferret ?  do you think they are
water people ?  don't thinks so..  so they probably don't hunt fish for
a living..  <grin>..  so maybe..  fish are not a regular part of the
diet..  LOL
 
Next , should you mix other brands of food.. ... YES..  Absolutely !!!...
why ?
 
because ferrets imprint ( or Learn) what food is , and what it is not ,
very early in life..  (in the wild they would be taught by their mother),
which means the older they get, the more they believe (or think they
know) that what they are eating "is" food, and that any thing else is
not food.
 
If you change a ferrets diets suddenly, they may not even eat it, as they
will not recognize it as food, and even if they do, their stomachs will
be upset by the sudden onslaught of new foods.
 
So, Yes, mix your foods whenever you can, so, when you run out of brand X
ferret food, you can continue to feed them on brand Y.  because they will
still know it is food, and not something strange..
 
and always try to have on hand ANY food you regularly feed them, so if
it suddenly goes off the market, or you cannot get it, then you can use
your "stash", to mix with the new food, and slowly introduce them to a
new diet.
 
The same goes for feeding "raw" foods..  if they have grown up knowing
only brand "X" kibble..  they will be very unlikely to eat anything else
( apart from electrical cables, plants, your toes, the stuffing from the
sofa, etc, LOL ), BUT, the easiest way to "introduce" raw foods, is by
mixing it with known food.
 
i.e.: sprinkle crumbled up kibble on the cooked chicken meat ..  or
sprinkle the cooked chicken mince over their regular food..
 
Always remember though..  raw and "just cooked" foods should be removed
after a few hours if not eaten..  otherwise you are encouraging bacteria.
 
keep in mind the following.
1/ raw foods can transmit bacteria ( do you eat raw meat ?),  so lightly
cook it to reduce bacterial levels ( there are many papers on this)
 
2/ many "raw " meats will make your ferrets STINK...sorry but, there is
a fine balance between having a pet that eats "pet food" and a stinky
animal that eats raw foods..
 
raw foods (natural diets) are better for your pets, I don't disagree
with that..  but, rather..  find a balance between an acceptable "high"
quality ferret food, and raw meats..  but ensure your raw meats are
hygienically sound..
 
Darrin
[Posted in FML issue 4637]