I saw someone ask about Totally Ferret food.  I thought that I would reply
with my experiences with this product.
 
I have always looked for a better food for the kids, they were fed a mixture
of Iams Kitten, Proplan Turkey and Barley for cats and Science Diet feline
growth.  However, I wanted to find a product that was specifically designed
for their nutritional needs.  I noticed that of the ferret food products
available locally, either the kids did not like it or the nutritional
(protein & fat content) value was lacking.
Last summer I got some Marshall Farms (MF) Premium diet and put out a bowl to
see what would happen.  Of the ferrets, only one liked it (the youngest MF
ferret that I had), the rest turned up their little noses at it.  So, back to
the mixture I went.
In Sept./Oct. I started noticing references to a food called Totally Ferret
on American OnLine (AOL), encouraged by what I had read I was able to get a
sample of it in late Nov.  The kids LOVED it, the sample was gone in no time
at all.  So I ordered a 5# bag and took a couple of weeks to transition the
kids over to the new diet.  Now, before I had transitioned, I happened to
make note of how much food the kids ate of the old mixture, for 4 ferrets it
was about a cup and a 1/2 of food a day.  After switching them over, I
noticed that they did not eat as much, in fact I had added a rescue ferret
(from Ferrets Etc. of Denver, Co.) a big lad of over 3 lbs. and the amout of
food each day was less than a cup, when I ferretsat a friend's critter over
the holidays the amount per day was just barely over a cup.  So I took that
as a good sign that the kids did not have to eat as much to satisfy their
appetites for food and nutritional needs.  (this is especially good news
because Totally Ferret is more expensive, I figure this cancelles out the
extra expense)
Before, I gave the kids a vitamin/fat supplement (Ferretone diluted with
equal measure of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2cc / day) to make sure vitamin/fat
needs were met.  With Totally Ferret, I only use this as an occasional treat
(couple of drops in palm of hand).  Their coats have seemed to improve, I can
testify that the activity level is just as high as before (if not higher).
 All in all, I like it.
 
Joe Ronk
[Posted in FML issue 1094]