Dear Ferret Folks-

The question has been raised. "Is TF a good quality feed?"

So...I ate some. Not too much, just a few kibbles tossed into the
mouth. I didn't want to overwhelm my palette right away.

My first impression was not entirely favourable. It was a sort of...
dark taste. I hesitated to chew it but when I finally did, I was
pleasantly surprised to discover that it wasn't rock-hard like most cat
or dog kibbles. (I know this from my mis-spent, under supervised youth.)
It was easy to chew, and it took very little effort to macerate it
into a smooth paste. Obviously unlike most commercial pet foods ground
corn or soybeans were not the primary ingredients. Those yield a very
hard product with a particularly cement-like, gritty mouth feel that
was entirely lacking in TF. Those who have ever dined on a "Liva-Snap"
will know immediately to what I refer.

Once I had achieved the paste consistency my thoughts were "Well, it's
meat. Meat from outer space, perhaps. Platypus scraps." Some type of
meat that I was simply unacquainted with. But meat, none the less. It
did lack that livery quality suggestive of cheap organ meats used as
fillers. Not was it fishy in the least, suggestive of "Ocean
by-products." There is a ferret kibble commercially available with a
high fish content. And the smell it leaves in the litter pan? Well,
Homeland Security is probably contacted about suspected terrorist
activity every time a ferret who eats it backs up.

Nor was the product greasy, much to my surprise. The optimum ferret
diet is rich in oils, and I expected oily notes. Further chewing
revealed that the oil *was* present, it had everything to do with how
the kibbles went from nuggets to smooth paste so easily, but at no
point was the roof of my mouth coated with a layer of grease, as I
had expected. (This was a very pleasant surprise! I had my toothbrush
handy, just in case.)

I sat and I considered TF's after taste for some time. It was not
nearly as strong as I would have expected. I had no urge to toss a few
more pellets into my mouth, but nor did I shudder upon swallowing. It's
nothing that I would snack on, but I could see how it *might* actually
be palatable stir-fried with minced onion and bacon bits. A spaghetti
carbonara sort of thing. Certianly, I cannot consign TF to "terrible"
status. Over the years of my childhood I assure you that my Mother
made some terrible meals. I know terrible. I remember when we had
see-through Anchor-Hocking stovetop pans. I came home once to the most
terrible odor. There was a particularly memorable melange of black
octopus tentacles and red onions bubbling away that I still see in my
dreams. I *know* terrible.

My ferrets quite like TF, and they have grown to be big healthy boys
on it. Both Todd and Caff-Pow are well-muscled without running to fat.
Their coats are thick and glossy, eyes, bright, noses wet. They run and
play and eat and sleep and poop the way ferrets should. They tear into
their TF as if it were the finest beluga caviar. My cat, Sterling gets
into the TF whenever possible, although he is somewhat hampered by the
shape of the individual nuggets. They are optimized for a ferret to
pick up in its teeth, not a cat. I have never had any problem with a
nugget of TF getting lodged in a ferret's narrow palate and needing
removal. Rather, I get happily licked whiskers after each meal. For her
part, the dog grazes on any spilled TF as if the product is a very
special treat indeed. My chickens and turkeys also enjoy when I scatter
a little onto the grass to finish up a bag.

In short, I have no complaints with TF, although I do prefer ripple-cut
potato chips with a sour cream and onion flavor. I am told that the
product is the best pelleted ferret chow available on the market and
I have no reason to doubt that. I have fed many other brands over the
years and I assure you, I will not be munching on *them* any time soon!

Alexandra in MA
A TF Fan 

[Posted in FML 6834]