Hi all -
 
I don't want to start any big debates all over again about food, but I do
very much want to share my experiences and how food has had an enormous
impact on the litter box.
 
When I got my first ferret, I read Deboarah Jeans' book, and to this day
when a prospective adopter comes to our shelter looking for their first
ferret I loan them this book or suggest that they buy it.  I have at least 6
others, but none are presented with as much detail and compassion for the
ferrets and their families than this one.
 
Anyway, I bought a variety of ferret foods, and did some experimenting.
Thanks to tle, I also joined this list and have read, read, and read some
more.  With a fair amount of difficulty, I located a store which was willing
to become a distributor for Totally Ferret and now I mix this food with Iams
Kitten Chow for my ferrets and those who enter the shelter (unless specified
otherwise).
 
What does this have to do with poop???  EVERYTHING!  With 4 ferrets sharing
a litterbox, daily scooping is excessive.  I scoop every 2-3 days, and even
then it doesn't smell at all (I use wood stove pellets, too).  My ferrets
have gorgeous, soft, glistening coats and high energy.  They don't get lots
of treats, because I care very much about keeping their nutrition in check.
A few came to me on Science Diet, and had rough, dry coats but within two
weeks were far softer and the previous owners have exclaimed that their
weights, coats, eyes and energy were far better in only that short time.
 
Several folks have mentioned that they couldn't interest their fuzzies in
TF, but I've never had this experience, so I can't comment on that.
 
So for those of you who are trying out new foods, you might take a look
around for Totally Ferret.  It's been a little difficult to find, but was
well worth the effort for us at Kansas Ferret Assn.  If you have a club
interested in using TF as a fundraiser, Farmers Coop in Lawrence, Kansas
will sell at wholesale with stipulations that the product is sold at a
minimum price and the difference is used for the benefit of your fuzzies.
 
BTW: I get NOTHING out of this posting, except to share the goodwill I've
gained from this list and the satisfaction of knowing that there may be one
more happy family in the world.
 
Please e-mail me for information about Farmers Coop if interested, so I
don't have to worry about any right to publish their number.
 
Wishing all of you the best -
 
     Julie Thornton
     Kansas Ferret Assn.
[Posted in FML issue 2192]