Beth supposes:
>The main problem with feeding any domestic animal live prey is that
>they often instinctively become more aggressive- they have to in
>order to survive- they have to hunt their food and kill it to live.
>Therefore they are more likely to play harder, fight more and
>potentially harm others either intentionally or unintentionally.
This is a myth perpetuated by those entrenched in feeding processed
pet foods!!
Ferrets eating live prey do NOT become MORE aggressive- in FACT, if
they were biters before; on a natural diet they become significantly
LESS aggressive & quite passive towards humans!
Typically ferrets on a whole prey diet also are offered more natural
type living arrangements. This in and of itself will contribute
immensely to relieving the stresses that cause it to bite.
There will be neither a difference in intensity nor an increase in
quantity of altercations among ferrets on whole/live prey. They
CERTAINLY don't try to devour each other, nor send me running for
my life!
I have witnessed extremely vehement altercations among kibble fed
ferrets that have resulted in blood loss for one or both ferrets, as
well as numerous interventions by the caregiver. Feeding naturally has
NOTHING what so ever to do with whether ferrets squabble or go into
gladiator mode! It definitely does NOT turn them into blood thirsty
aggressive monsters! Ferrets are quite intelligent and smart enough
to know the difference between what is or isn't prey.
Considering there are MORE kibble fed ferrets (in the US), at this
point, than NATURALLY fed ferrets; the majority of bites suffered by
humans are inflicted by kibble fed ferrets! 3 of the 7 ferrets I've
adopted so far were bounced from home to home because they did not
hesitate to draw blood from the hands that fed or handled them. They
were ALL kibble fed and cage kept! Two of these three "vicious" biters
are now confirmed cuddle bugs. The third is still in the process of
realizing that hands don't hurt him, so he doesn't have to bite first
and ask questions later! With every one of my ferrets I can hold a
teeny morsel of meat and they will delicately extract the morsel
without ever offering to bite the hand that feeds them! One method I
employ that works wonders in getting a ferret unused to being held, to
allow me to pick it up is to keep its business end busy with a tasty
morsel of raw meat while I scoop it up with my other hand. Pieces of
kibble don't hold their interest the same way juicy bits of meat do
for these training sessions.
>Many people feed carnivore pets live prey in a well meaning way
>to create a more natural diet. However these animals have been
>domesticated for centuries and it is no more natural for them to
>eat live prey than it is for them to dig into the ground and live
>in a burrow at the stage of captivity they are now in.
If I allowed my ferrets a tank full of dirt they'd gleefully dig into
it and create a wonderful burrow to snooze in. I have several "dig
bins" in my house: made of rice, shredded paper, bio peanuts, marbles;
and 10 cubbies with various pieces of cloth or fake fur within. Also,
well over a hundred feet of tunnels and tubes to crawl through and the
ever present pile of dirty laundry. My ferrets will take a snooze in
many of these places, sometimes singularly, sometimes as fur pile. The
only reason I don't offer them an indoor dirt bin is because I take
them outside through the week so they DO get a chance to dig in real
soil! Humans provide our pet ferrets with bright colored, plastic,
see through tunnels because we like to watch them and don't want to
deal with the dirt clean up after they've had their fun. Ferrets enjoy
these tunnels because they have an instinctive drive to explore small
places -- not because they've been bred to prefer plastic to dirt!
By the time we obtain a ferret its food imprint has already been
foisted upon it. Long before the kits are weaned they are fed moistened
kibble goo. Because most animals are born with a survival instinct
they learn to recognize this mush as food. But offer a litter of kits
natural prey and they don't have to be convinced that the prey is
food- they instinctively KNOW it is food!
Ferret kibble has only been processed since the 60's (approx 1968).
But for the thousands of years (not mere hundreds) ferrets have been
companions to humans, they thrived on a diet of rodents, birds, eggs
and other natural prey.
>Owners of cats, dogs, ferrets, fennec foxes, and more often find that
>live fed pets are much more prone to aggression. People feed live prey
>like rabbits and cats to dogs that they are training to fight --
>because it makes them meaner.
HOGWASH! This vein of thinking proves kibble mfrs have you brainwashed
and enchanted! My ferrets are not in fight training!
>Live prey comes with its own set of dangers besides the behavioral
>negatives, such as parasites and diseases that survive in live animals
>but not in processed food or even raw and the chance of the predator
>being harmed for example.
Look at the kinds of animals used in rendering plants, the definitions
of "animal -- by products", chicken by- products, and "turkey meal" to
get an idea of what mfrs brainwashed you into thinking is "safe, germ
free, parasite free and safe to feed to your pets. Check into the
numerous recalls regarding foreign detrimental substances found in
processed pet food as well as the instances of salmonella and botulism
contamination. The natural Raw Meaty bone items I feed to my ferrets
are exactly the same items I purchase for my own consumption. I can
eat what my ferrets eat - even if I do cook it (because my system has
not evolved to assimilate raw meats). I doubt if ferret caregivers will
snack on a bag of kibble while watching tv!
>Prominant snake keepers advise owners to feed only prekilled rodents
>as approximately one time in ten a live prey will bite the snake which
>often dies from the wound or ensuing infection. Snakes truly need the
>whole animal prey as it is the only complete food that is optimal for
>their health as no suitable substitute has been created.
Ferrets are obligate carnivores, like snakes. IOW they have evolved
a digestive system to thrive solely upon whole prey. Snakes aren't
likely to die from a rodent bite- unless they are being kept in filthy
conditions and the wound becomes infected. Feeding live prey does offer
some risk to the ferret when the prey fights back, but ferrets are
designed to handle such retaliation. They have very thick skin, canines
especially suited to delivering a killing bite, strong dexterous fore
paws, high tolerance of pain and single minded tenacity so any prey
that does argue back is dealt with swiftly and severely. The ferret's
intelligence teaches it to not repeat the same mistake. Ferrets taught
properly how to hunt and progressed through the various life stages and
sizes of prey can easily dispatch live prey without suffering any
injuries.
>Respected brands of processed ferret foods are created to ensure the
>consistency and quality of nutrients needed for the ferret's health,
>whereas rodent prey is not so regulated. Anyone ever check the taurine
>level of each mouse being fed?
Considering there are zero studies so far to indicate the actual
nutrient requirements of ferrets (
http://dels.nas.edu/banr/nutrient_requirements_series.shtml ), how can
the kibble mfr's create a "nutritionally complete", "properly balanced"
ferret diet? The kibble created today for ferrets is a mixture based
upon ranched mink food and cat food or whatever the mfr "THINKS" a
ferret would like, made with ingredients that will offer the mfr the
least cost, but packaged in a way to appeal to humans, sold at a price
that returns the most profits to the mfr.
Ferrets' Taurine requirements are unknown except to say that it is a
necessary amino acid. Being that kibble contains practically no ACTUAL
meat or if it does have "meat" as an ingredient -- that meat has been
cooked and processed so many nutrients are no longer available in
their natural form -- so now the cooked goo needs "added essential
nutrients". I offer my ferrets each a chicken or piece of turkey heart
daily. Heart muscle contains a high amount of taurine -- so my ferrets
get their taurine naturally. Mice being a complete whole food, offer
plenty of amino acids in a natural form that is easily assimilated --
no added vitamins or minerals needed!
Just the thought of how much money I was spending for a bag of kibble
and how much natural food I can get for the same price and knowing that
almost ALL of the ingredients in the bag of kibble was destined to be
pooped out, but that almost all of the natural food gets digested puts
into perspective that feeding naturally is more economical as well as
more beneficial!
Compare $16 for a 4 lb bag of kibble to $16 for a 50 lb box of chicken
necks. In today's penny pinching economy- feeding naturally benefits
both my ferrets and my pocket book!
It isn't easy to break out of the mold created by kibble mfrs with
their so called assuring certifications by the very veterinarians that
will be treating the ferrets for horrible health issues that quite
easily can be avoided with a natural diet. Those that can't break free
for whatever reason just will never believe how their ferrets DO bloom
on the natural diet, how they DO NOT become wild and vicious blood
thirsty monsters.
Cheers,
Kim
[Posted in FML 6227]
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