Beth mentioned
>Unfortunatley many people who do not know what they are doing will
>try live feeding with disasterous results.
If folks have had "disastrous results" they certainly haven't been
expressed in any of the several forums I regularly visit. While I am
a huge proponent of feeding natural whole prey I also vists forums
with "kibble crunchers" there is almost always a discussion ongoing
regarding feeding natural vs. feeding from a bag and not once has
anyone mentioned a "disastrous result" when they attempted a switch.
Several people reported they didn't meet with success for one reason or
another but nothing of a disastrous nature was reported. And I'm fairly
certain that IF such a disaster had ocurred the poster would be willing
to share in order to spare someone else such a "disaster".
Every day there are ferrets heading into vet's offices with insulinomc
issues caused from carbohydrate overload, irritable bowel syndrome,
poor dental and oral health all issues directly related to eating a
diet of kibble. In my book - THOSE are disasters! Disasters that can
be easily avoided by simply feeding a Natural diet.
>I am sure there are folks on the live prey groups you mention that
>have not had increased aggression - but there are likely as many
>that do-
You cannot make suppositions like this and present them as facts.
Ferrets that eat live prey simply do NOT become aggressive! Quite the
contrary actually happens! How do you explain the reason for a kibble
fed ferret viciously shredding the hands that care for it? Did the
kibble it ate have too much meat in it?
>...and they choose not to belong to groups promoting that diet- that
>is one problem with groups- they are all pretty much self serving-
>not in a bad way- but they just are."
I don't think forums are "self serving" in as much as they are a great
place for people with similar interests to exchange views, ideas and
experiences. A group such as you describe would be a pretty dull place.
One where a post would be presented and all subsequent posts would
consist of "me too." "I Agree." "Yeah, that's so." Maybe you visit
groups such as that, but the various places I visit are full of actual
discussions and different viewpoints but still full of people with
essentially similar interests!
>An example is a kinkajou owner list i'm on- kinks are well known to
>maul (not bite or scratch- they actively maul- like in tearing off
>your ear)their owners after a few years as pets- even hand raised
>very sweet ones usually d o it at some point- well most of the folks
>on that list cant believe it bc everyone there has such wonderful
>friendly kinks that have never hurt anyone- upon further discussion it
>comes out that they are all owners of under 4 yr old kinks, most being
>under a year even, whereas the numerous previous members left the
>group quietly after their kink did in fact end up harming someone-
O.k. You are beginning to try to compare apples to oranges here.
First; Kinkajous are NOT domestic animals! They are a WILD animal,
so it is NOT surprising to see that they do revert to their wild ways
even though hand reared! Raccoons will pretty much do the same. As
will Tigers, panthers and other big cats or other wild animal hand
reaered as a baby. There is a HUGE difference between "tame" and
"domesticated". A Tame wild animal is STILL a wild animal and someday
will eventually remind its handler of its wild nature.
Second, the list you speak of apparently is not such a "self serving"
list as you described because there WAS more discussion and the age
related return to wildness was revealed! So the discussion served the
folks on the list!
>I do have to clarify what i said about ferrets living in a burrow- of
>course any ferret will dig when given the exposure to dirt or sand or
>a floor - that part is natural-
Well, its nice to see we can agree on this natural affinity!
>but i highly doubt that a domestic ferret can survive - certainly
>not thrive- living outside in the dirt in our northern winters- even
>though they were originally from northern climates in the wild- that
>is due to the domesticity bred into them over very long periods of
>time."
O.K. So when did the discussion about offering whole prey/ live prey/
raw natural food turn into a discussion as to whether ferrets can go
feral? I don't feed my ferrets live prey in the assumption that I am
readying them for a life on their own! I offer them these natural forms
of food to enrich their lives AS domestic animals! I just don't think
its fair to make them live in cages and be forced to eat substances
that are foreign to their bodies! Just because they ARE domestic
animals doesn't mean I have to deprive them of what comes naturally.
When our ancestors decided to domesticate these critters some of the
things that changed were the sociability of the ferret. Polecats tend
to be solitary animals and territorial. Ferrets on the other hand can
be quite gregarious. Afterall, they are so adorable if you start with
one you can't resist adding another and another and another and we
expect that all these likely strangers to get along and live in peace
and harmony! We've bred them to retain their cute baby look, which has
made changes in the shape of the skull, but NOT in the dentition or
what it is used for! We've bred out a lot of their roaming nature,
which is part of their territorial nature. Breeding them for thousands
of years to live inside has removed their natural instinct to run for
cover from overhead images or hide from things larger than themselves;
IOW we have pretty much eliminated their self preservation instinct.
These are reasons why a ferret doesn't go feral. They are afraid of
nothing, wouldn't know enough to hide from a hawk, bobcat, or coyote (
nevermind domestic dogs and cats on the loose). The have very little
sense of territory so once in go mode, finding their way back home is
a slim to none chance! Let's not forget that because humans like color
patterns we've bred deafness or hearing iimpairments into a large part
of their population! These are all things that have been changed in
the genetic code of the ferret, and are things that endear the ferret
to us. But his dietary needs remain the same as his original wild
ancestors as do his internal workings. So in order to allow my ferrets
to show me their best side and for as long as I can possibly have them
with me; I choose to offer them optimum health in the form of live
prey/ whole prey/ and raw meaty bones!
>One other point is that people who feed live prey tend to feel that
>people who dont are depriving their ferrets of an enjoyable experience-
Yes, another point I agree with. Ferrets do thoroughly enjoy eating
live prey. They vibrate with enthusiasm!
>however many ferrets do not want to hunt at all,
Whenever a ferret chases a ball, pounces on a stuffed toy, plays tag
with you or its friends the ferret is hunting. ALL ferrets "hunt" -
just many don't know how to be predators! Even though the ferret is a
domestic animal, it STILL knows how to hunt! But many have to be taught
to become predators. This CAN be done if someone uses the right tools
and has enugh patience and sticks to it. Its rather like raising a baby
bird and clipping its wings. Because the flight feathers are clipped
the bird cannot get airborne, so it never learns to fly. Keep the wings
clipped and the bird gets around fine using its feet and beak to walk
and climb. The bird seems fine, because it has never known anything
else. Allow the flight feathers to grow and soon the bird is testing
its wings and eventually it learns to fly. The bird's instinct to fly
was always there, it was just deprived of the tools to do so. Ferrets
like baby birds are forced to consume the kibble mush before their eyes
are even open! Momma ferret has no choice but to let them eat this
stuff so what else do they know?
It is people that limit their ferret's diet and people that confine the
ferrets and people that curtail a ferret's true nature.
>... and playing war dance games and other enrichements with your
>ferret or them wrestling with each toher & chasing etc provides plenty
>of safe and healthy stimulation- the same as a cat with a cat toy (or
>empty paper bag) does."
Yes, but offering live prey offers MORE enrichment, and MORE
stimulation, and MORE interaction and above all offers the MOST health
benefits!
>As long as people provide quality food, shelter, medical care, and
>a loving environment the ferrets (and other critters) can be happy &
>live a good long life.
Well what some consider quality food, others wouldn't feed to a rat!
What some consider proper shelter, others wouldn't use to house a
stuffed animal! What some consider normal medical care, others can
avoid! What some consider a loving environment, others would call it
denial and deprived. What some consider a long life, others think is
a life only lived half as long.
Let's face it, kibble is a convenience for humans, it is marketed by
humans, sold to humans and used by humans to make us feel good that we
are supposedly feeding our pets something nutritious- but in reality
doesn't offer what it claims to and that is optimum health!
I'm not saying that people feeding kibble and caging their ferrets do
not love their ferrets. I know they do. What I am saying is that it IS
possible to offer your ferrets a quality natural diet and live prey or
at least whole prey are part of that diet; and when your ferrets are
on a natural diet they become more special! AS I've said before- those
that don't venture into the natural diet just won't get the chance to
see that side of their ferrets, and that means they are missing out on
something that makes ferrets so very special!
Cheers,
Kim
please visit :
for ferret help and info:
http://holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi
http://ferretopia.proboards51.com/index.cgi
yahoo groups Natural Ferrets
for fun:
www.vanityferret.com (password required: "FerretsRfun")
[Posted in FML 6228]
|
