We have established that ferrets are domesticated polecats which are primary
carnivores. Using data from several sources, this could be a typical diet
eaten by a polecat during a typical summer or fall:
Day 1: Ground squirrel. Day 2: Two baby birds tossed from their nest. Day
3: Nothing. Day 4: Two frogs, small fish, two tadpoles. Day 5: Toad, vole.
Day 6: Young rabbit. Day 7: Remainder of day 6 rabbit. Day 8: Last parts
of day 6 rabbit, rabbit bones, shrew, some berries.
What you see here is a wide variety of foods, ranging from small rodents to
fish, and all sort of things in between. That is because, unlike the
black-footed ferret which specializes in prairie dogs, most polecats tend to
be quite generalist in their prey selection. European polecats, the
unproven most-probable-ancestor of the domestic ferret, are very generalist
hunters during most of the year, but in some places have become anuran
specialists; that is, they specialize in hunting frogs and toads. Either
this was missed in earlier studies or it is a recent development, perhaps
because of pressures caused by the introduction of the American mink
throughout Europe. Now, the rule in evolution is that specialists develop
out of generalists; not the other way around. So the assumption that the
ancestors of the European polecat were also generalist predators is also
valid. What this means is, for uncounted millions of years, the ancestors
of ferrets have been eating a highly varied diet. But in the last 20 years
or so, a monotonous diet of kibble has become the norm. Does this make
sense to you?
Looking at studies of zoo carnivores, especially those zoos where the
predators have a successful breeding record, you find the diet is as close
to the wild diet as possible, and it is varied. The point here is the
feeding of a natural diet to carnivores is not only evolutionarily sensible,
but it has a proven track record. More, many natural foods people,
including nationally known vegetarians, have realized vegetarianism is
possible for herbivores and some omnivores, but it is *unhealthy* for
carnivores.
Some people will always place their own food preferences/prejudices before
the needs of their pet, and that is really a shame. Forcing a carnivore to
become a vegetarian is no different than forcing a vegetarian into
carnivory; its unfair, it ignores the unique dietary needs of a diet
speciality, and it the animal has no voice in the matter. As animal
caretakers, we have to advocate their unspoken position, and I honestly
doubt *ANY* carnivore would choose a herbivorus diet. And a kibbled diet
*IS NOT* a humane nor a vegetarian diet; it is the leftovers of animals,
ground up into meat flour and baked into a grain matrix. Raw carcasses or
kibble, its all morally the same; the difference is kibbled foods don't
look cute and furry, but they can be roadkill.
Also, I have heard many people tell me, "Why should I worry about it? My
ferret doesn't like meat anyway." Well, duh. Ferrets are olfactory
predators, and smell-imprint on food at a very early age. By the time a
ferret is about 6 months old, its basically set for life. Waving a piece
of chicken under its nose at 3 years is not an accurate test of a ferret's
desire to eat meat over kibble (more on that in a later post). I have
*never* seen a situation where a ferret would choose kibble over real meat,
providing they understand the meat is food. You can vary your ferret's
diet to something more of a generalist type with the following steps WHILE
YOUR FERRET IS AS YOUNG AS POSSIBLE:
1. Train your ferrets to eat as wide a variety of kibbles as possible,
including some of those which may not met your strict nutritional standards.
This expands the range of your ferret's olfactory imprinting, and helps you
should your favorite food become unavailable.
2. Start including wet cat foods in the diet. Stop whining and get over
the smell. You *can* do it.
3. Once or twice a month, throw caution to the wind and feed the ferrets a
high quality canned dog food. This occasional treat may be deficient in
some nutrients, but so what? One or two days a month will not harm them,
but it will certainly make them happy.
4. Go to your local snake shop and buy some frozen mice. If they don't
have them, pay the guy a little extra to do it for you. Allow it to thaw
and return to room temperature before giving it to the ferret. Now,
regardless of your thoughts about ferrets playing with live animals, it is
not cruel nor torture for a ferret to play with a dead carcass, so don't
*even* try to flame me on this one. Once they realize the mouse is food,
look out! Some of my quiet and shy ferrets become the terminator for mice.
5. Feed chopped-up small fryers or cornish game hens, bones included. If
you worry about bacteria, drop it in boiling water for half a minute. This
is good stuff, especially if you include the giblets.
6. Beef, pork or chicken liver is a great treat, and a meal by itself.
7. Sliced chicken or beef hearts are wonderful; not a complete diet, but a
wonderful treat.
8. Buy the cheapest quality hamburger (greasy) and blend into it some
crushed chicken bones, including the marrow. Add some crushed kibble, form
into balls about the size of a marble, then boil them until the center is
slightly brown. The water is a nice drink treat, and the ferret meatballs
are nice treats instead of raisins all the time.
9. Add chopped or flaked trout, salmon, crab, shrimp, crawdads (crayfish),
clams, and whatever you can find to the kibble, and mix it in well.
10. Add thawed once-frozen crickets and worms to the diet. Honest.
Bob C and 20 MO Cricket Conquistadores
[Posted in FML issue 2331]
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