cobalt <[log in to unmask]> wrote on 5/22/2007, 2:00 AM:

>If you order from a website many will list what they feed their
>rodents...while some rodent breeders will feed dog food, most snake
>owners don't want rodents that have been raised on dog food, so most
>breeders (that I know of) feed their rodents either mixed grains or
>Mazuri pellets (https://www.mazuri.com/indexMazuri.asp), or another
>form of pellets. Those rodent breeders that feed their own formulation
>of pellets are just not large enough to be buying from China, nor is
>rice gluten a usual ingredient in prepared laboratory rodent diets.

The problem is, it is a lot more then just rice gluten that has been
affected. It appears to involve other grains (and not just grain
glutens). And, in some cases, the contaminated grains are bought from
China by one company, and then sold to an intermediary who resells the
product. That is part of the reason that the list of contaminated foods
keeps expanding.

I am not saying that the frozen prey being sold for food has eaten
contaminated food - just that it would be wise for people who feed
prey to check with their sources, and not to assume that it is safe.

I honestly think that so far we have only scratched the tip of the
iceberg on this, and may learn in months to come the problem is even
more widespread then we now think it is.

Hopefully, though, some good will come from this. This has been a
wake up call to pet owners everywhere that the laws that govern the
production of pet foods are sorely inadequate. Hopefully public outrage
will bring about change in this area.

-- 
Danee DeVore
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://www.ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV!
Visit: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/ 

[Posted in FML 5616]