Q: Since ferrets are carnivores, I am curious as to why...certain ferrets
   *love* odd things such as green peppers, bananas, pasta with tomato
   sauce, tangerines, apples, raisins, dog biscuits, (to say nothing of
   rubber!)
 
A: Are you purposely trying to get me in trouble with Rudy Bob?
 
Actually, Rudy Bob's answer about plant proteins was a perfect answer.  Its
not the protein thats the problem, but the packaging.  Mammals simply cannot
digest cellulose.  Not one.  Not even horses or cows.  What digests the
celluose is bacteria living within the intestines of these animals, mostly
lying in wait within the caecum; an extension off the junction of the small
and large intestines that in ruminants can be feet-long.  Sort of like the
human appendix, but the grown-up version.  (If vegetarianism was natural,
why is the human appendix so tiny?) Ferrets not only lack a caecum, but the
junction between the large and small intestine is so blurred, you can't
visually tell the difference; you have to resort to the microscope.
Comparative anatomists can look at an animal's gut and tell you exactly the
types of food it eats.  The ferret's gut says, "I'm a strict carnivore.
Feed me lots of fresh meat."
 
What this means is the ferret lacks the concentrations of bacteria to break
down the cellulose into digestible stuff, as well as a nice warm and safe
place for this reaction to occur.  Additionally, they have a very short
digestive tract that runs faster that my nose in winter.  The end result is
cellulose passes right through, no passing go, no collecting $200.  HOWEVER,
because they chomp on the stuff before hand, some of the sugars can (and do)
leak out and get absorbed.  They can absorb some carbohydrates from fruits,
as well as some minerals, and fats.  Maybe a little protein.  But the bulk
becomes just that, and is eliminated in the end.  Quickly.  And sometimes
quite explosively.  (How in th=e world did you get THAT three feet up the
wall?)
 
Is this bad for the fert?  It can give them the runs if they overdo it, but
if they have a balanced diet and access to lots of water, I doubt if it will
do them much harm.  After all, they are not really sick, they just are full
of it.  A very minor danger to a healthy ferret is dehydration and possibly
an electrolyte imbalance, but these hardly exist and are easly prevented.
The real danger is to the teeth.  These sticky foods can promote the
formation of dental plaque and decay; its common enough in the wild, and
polecats use nature's dental floss; bones and fur.
 
It is important to realize that carnivory is not a real rule.  It is a
continuum, and only a very few animals are pure carnivores.  Most are
towards the center somewhat.  I know of instances where deer eat carrion, so
hearing about a carnivore eating veggies is not that unusual.  In fact, it
is mostly the norm.  Look closely at most of the goodies ferret love as
treats, and you will see they are mostly rich in carbohydrates, and most
have a sweet flavor (put a piece of raw potato on your tongue and it will
start to taste sweet).  The carpet monkeys are after the sugars, which is as
far as I can tell, a universal trait among mammals.  Nothing to be shocked
at there.  I haven't figured out the rubber, although I work on the
hypothesis that they either want sulfur or are just sh*ts, and lean towards
the later.
 
One other thing to think about.  Bulk is good for all of us; there is the
well-supported theory that it acts sort of like a plumber's snake to clean
out the tubes.  I'll have to look it up, but I remember a couple of reports
relating an increase in cancers in animals fed low-bulk diets.  In the wild,
polecats get all sorts of bulk in the form of bone fragments, fur, and
undigested "parts," as well as the fruits and nuts they stumble across.  Our
guys eat a kibbled food that is bluntly, low on bulk.
 
Also, to briefly touch on the subject of ingested veggie matter within the
stomachs of prey animals, it is very important for a number of reasons, but
the need of carbos is low on the list.  Mostly, it seems to repleinish the
bacterial flora in the carnivore's gut, lost due to the speed of passage and
lack of a place to hide, and for some trace nutrients.
 
Bottom line: it is natural for ferrets to crave carbos, but overdo it and
you risk caries, pancreatic problems, and obesity.  I worry a lot more about
these than the poops.  I have 17 ferrets and two don't like raisins.  One
seems to have an alergy to them.  The rest eat 3-4 every other day.  I have
NO problems with them, and because I allow them to eat other treats that
tend to scrub their teeth, such as bones and grass, not one has dental
problems.  No peridontal disease, no caries, not a black spot.  You might
also consider this.  I have 17 ferrets, most of which have been adopted from
all over the USA.  Once home, they were introduced to my feeding methods.
The average age of my ferts is now 5.5, and I have only lost two in the last
three years; one to a malformed heart stressed by a bacterial enteritis
(Gus, 4-5) and the other to old age complicated by adrenal disease (Buddy,
8+).  My eldest is Foster, now past the 10 year mark, and still war dancing.
The people I adopted them from will concur that some of the beasties were
somewhat frail.  Not so now.  My "frailest" is Razz, who, now past 6, is as
healthy as any huge hob in Europe.  I admit that on occasion, there is the
seedy or runny stool, but the ferret isn't hurt by it any more than I am
when I eat watermelon or cabbage (Don't ask and don't give me any!).
Remember, they are NOT sick, they are just loaded.  But don't worry; this
too shall pass.
 
OK...get out the flame-throwers.
 
Bob C and the 17 Raisinferretts.
[Posted in FML issue 1909]