There are soooo many good things about Totally Ferret.  First of all,
it's not like the regular pellet ferret food on the market that looks
like rabbit food.  It's shaped like little stars which is easier for
ferrets to eat.  I find that shape is important.  Squares and circles seem
to get stuck in the roofs of their mouths; this used to happen to my guys
all the time; it never has with TF.
 
TF is 36% protein and 22% fat - ferrets with their high metabolism
have a higher protein and fat requirement that dogs or cats.  I used to
give my ferrets all kinds of supplements:  Nutrical, Linatone/Ferretone,
raisins, mellon, banana.  I don't do any of that stuff anymore.
 
(For the lister putting 1 tsp of Ferretone in the food daily -- that's
way toooo much!!!!  One drop a day/ferret or 1 pump a week is sufficient.
Too much Ferretone/Linatone will have the opposite affect of what it's
intended to do:  it will dry out the fur and skin and cause excessive
scratching)
 
Four of my ferrets had chronic GI problems after the "greenies" in 92.
I tried everything but they had diarrhea all the time.  RJ went from
4.5 lbs to 1.8 lbs.  I couldn't keep weight on him at all.  Then I started
using TF, the diarrhea stopped, and he shot back up to 3.8 lb.
 
Raisins (as well as all fruit) have a very high sugar content which can
wreak havoc with a ferret's glucose regulating system.  Sure, ferrets
like fruit and raisins, but just because we like ice cream, french fries,
and burgers doesn't mean they are particularly good for us!
 
I give raisins sparingly- 1 or 2 a week/ferret, usually after clipping
nails or something like that.
 
Since I've been using TF, all my ferrets have gorgeous coats.  I get so
many compliments on how great my ferrets look and I know that TF is
partly responsible (genetics plays a factor as well!)
 
TF is concentrated - less filler - and so they eat less, making it more
cost effective.  Taurine, I believe (docs please correct me if I'm wrong!),
has to do with regulation of heart activity.  In the past, cats used to
have a lot of problems with cardiomyopathy, and it was discovered that
many commercial cat foods didn't have enough (or any) taurine in them.
 
The other thing I like about TF is that is has no preservatives.  I know
that everyone says ethoxyquin is not dangerous, but I still like the
idea of a natural food without chemicals.
 
8 in 1 has a new ferret food soaked in raisin juice:  is this really a
good idea????!!  I would like to hear from one of the docs on that one.
Somehow I feel leary about using something soaked in raisin juice, since
the sugar content would be high.......any comments???
 
Debbie Riccio
WNYFLFA
[Posted in FML issue 1138]