I have many times seen the claim that ferrets who are fed prey have
cleaner and whiter teeth. For some this may be true, but it is not
always the case.

I have nothing against feeding ferrets raw prey. I also have nothing
against feeding ferrets kibble or other commercial foods. I feed my
kids a variety of things, and let them pick and choose what they want
to eat.

I have 5 ferrets that are about 2 years old, and 4 of those eat mostly
prey. The fifth eats only kibble, despite my many attempts to switch
her over. The prey eaters have eaten prey since they were kits, so they
have never really eaten kibble at all. In the past few months, all 4 of
the prey eaters have needed to have their teeth professionally cleaned
by my vet, while the kibble eating ferret still has clean white teeth.
Of my 1 year old ferrets, 2 of the 3 are starting to get a tartar
buildup, and so I have started brushing their teeth regularly. All 3 of
them eat a primarily prey diet. I have a girl who is almost 9, and eats
only kibble. I had her teeth cleaned when she was about 6, and they
still look in good condition. She has not lost any teeth, although it
is clear on close inspection that her back molars have been worn down.

Now, I will say that eating kibble can cause an unusual wear pattern
on the back teeth. Whether this is a substantial problem or not I do
not know. Some experts say it is, but many vets feel it is not.

I am not saying that all ferrets eating a prey diet will need their
teeth cleaned. I am sure there are many who don't. But, what I am
saying is that eating prey may not by itself be an answer to preventing
dental problems in all ferrets.

I think that dental problems are related to a lot more then just diet.
As an example - my husband and I eat pretty much the same things. He
tends to have a lot of dental problems, while I have none. But, his
father and some of his siblings also have moderate to severe dental
problems. My parents and brother, like me, have good teeth with only
normal routine care. So, I think there is likely a genetic component
to dental problems or lack of them.

The other thing I frequently hear about ferrets fed a prey diet is that
their feces are nearly odorless. Again, that is not my experience. The
odor varies greatly according to what they eat, though. And, I know
there are others who feed a prey diet who agree with me.

My experience is that when they eat chicks or chicken, their feces have
the worst odor. A meal of mice or rats produces less odor then chicken
does, but still has more odor then my kibble fed kids.

But, even kibble fed ferrets can have varying degrees of odor in their
feces. A ferret that eats a kibble with a lot of fish and fish oil will
generally have more odor to the feces then a ferret fed a kibble with
little or no fish in it. I have always stayed away from kibbles that
contain a lot of fish, and that may be why my kibble fed ferrets have
less odor to their feces.

In the end, as others have said, it is a matter of owner preference.
There are pros and cons to all of the different feeding methods. What
is important is to provide your ferrets with a diet high in animal
protein and fat, and as low as possible in carbohydrates.

I have shared this link before, and I will include it again. It is an
article that looks at the pros and cons of the 3 main feeding methods -
commercially prepared foods, homemade cooked diets, and raw prey or
raw meaty bones diets. The article is geared toward dogs, and so some
of the specifics about nutritional needs are not applicable, but the
overall message does apply.
     
     http://www.petsynergy.com/overview.html

My own experience is that feeding a raw prey diet is a lot more
expensive then feeding a high quality commercial food, unless you have
an inexpensive source of prey items. But, I do not find feeding a prey
diet to really be any less convenient or messy. It did take some
practice to learn the best way to feed the prey without ending up with
prey stashed all over my house. But, once the logistics were worked
out, it is no less convenient. The ferrets that eat prey really do
like it, also.

Danee DeVore
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit:
http://www.ferretadv.com
ADV - Find out how you can help:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/

[Posted in FML 6235]