It is one thing to say that an animal can't properly digest something,
but quite another to claim that it is harmful in small amounts.
Humans regularly eat foods they can't digest (non-soluble fiber, for
instance). Obviously, ferrets are not humans. But many ferret foods
have ground corn or some other grain as a major ingredient, which also
contains indigestible fiber (although, as we know, total fiber is
limited in any good ferret meal). Of course we also know that ferrets
can be prone to blockages so we must watch things, but there is
probably no need to be extreme or paranoid about it.
The fact is that small (I very much want to emphasize "small") amounts
of fruit or vegetable are not likely to hurt ferrets. Of course caution
should be used. We know for example that there are stories of ferrets
being harmed by grapes or raisins in a few cases... yet some reputable
ferret foods contain raisin juice! I suspect that in most of those
cases, the ferrets somehow got more than just a few grapes or raisins.
One of Fred's favorite treats is a dried cranberry. They are small,
often smaller than raisins, and I only give him one. Usually no more
than one in an entire day.
8-in-1, makers of 8-in-1 Ultimate, one of the highest-rated ferret
foods, sells "Ferret Bites" ferret treats in a can. I have some here.
Ferret bites contain (among other things) bits of raisin, dried banana,
dried pineapple, and dried papaya. I know of no reports of ferrets ever
coming to harm from eating Ferret Bites.
But as I stated in the beginning: moderation is probably key here.
Once I came home with cases of lettuce. Lacking any better place to
put them, I left them on the kitchen floor. Then I went in the other
room and sat down for a while, forgetting that Fred was loose.
I went to investigate a noise in the kitchen, and found Fred burrowing
his way through a head of lettuce. I mean literally digging a tunnel
through it. Apparently just for fun, but he did stop and nibble on
little bits here and there. I also found him in the refrigerator one
time (he can open it but it is very difficult so he doesn't do it
often), again nibbling on some lettuce. No harm came to him either
time. Though of course I kept an eye on him after, just in case.
Fred likes apples and pears, and even oranges. Whenever I eat an apple
or pear, he bugs me for "his" piece. I will cut him a small piece
(again: very small... maybe the size of 3 pennies stacked together) and
he runs off with it and eats it. Occasionally he tries to come back
for more, but he knows I will not normally give him more than one per
day... it actually averages out to a lot less than that, because I
don't eat them every day.
Once he ran off with a whole apple. I thought it was far too big for
him to pick up, but he grabbed it by the stem. I wasn't worried about
it; I thought it was too big and round for him to bite. But he managed
somehow anyway, and had nibbled a pretty good-sized chunk out of it
before I discovered that he had and took it away. Again, he has never
shown any signs of harm from any of these things.
In fact, I left a paper bag full of apples on my kitchen counter one
time, only to again hear a commotion from there some time later. Fred
had climbed up on the counter, and had opened a drawer. He already had
most of the apples out of the bag, and he was rolling them, one by one,
into the drawer. I think he had visions of the world's biggest ferret
stash of apples. I almost felt bad that I had to stop him.
Anyway: my point is that I believe that there is probably no harm in
occasional, small quantities. Of course we have to make sure that it's
not something that is poisonous, and you never know when an allergy
might occur. But for the most part, little bits of fruit or vegetable
probably do no harm to an otherwise healthy ferret. But I would not
make it a regular -- or certainly not significant, anyway -- part of
their diet.
Lonny Eachus
[Posted in FML 7251]
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