From:    Mike Mcdermott <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Totally Ferret is too expensive, and not worth it!!
 
>Have you ever thought of feeding a Mink Diet?  I feed all my ferrets (kits
>and adults) a high quality Mink Diet, they love it.  They all have shinny
>coats, good size (boys about 5-6 pounds) and are very healthy...
 
This is a favorite food of mink/ferret ranches.  While it is not completely
unhealthy I strongly discourage it.  If you don't keep monthly scaling of
the teeth the softness of mink food will decay teeth in short order.  It
does appear to be nutritionally sound but all of the ferrets we have that
used to eat mink food will not go back once we get them on Iams and Totally
Ferret.  As a ferret judge I can spot a ferret that eats mink food instantly
when I open the mouth.  It is fine for coat condition but it hasn't been
designed for long term health in ferrets.
 
>I get a 50 pound bag of mink food for $25.00.
 
You are paying way too much for that.  I think that is double the going rate
for ranches.  We use mink food only long enough to switch ferrets over to
better foods.  I have had a spoilage problem with it.  Never with Totally
Ferret or Iams.
 
Mink food is not a full life diet though.  Mink are bred for two purposes
only - discounting the in my opinion dumb idea of keeping one as a pet - and
that is to reach maturity then reproduce and be slaughtered.  Mink food is
not designed to keep a mink healthy through old age.  Mink don't have that
option.  Whether your have an old ferret or not does not make mink food
better than Totally Ferret.  I have an old ferret too.  Mink food is a
special purpose food or rather several special purpose foods.  It differs on
mink color and their are other special versions for nursing mink.
 
Dr. Tom Willard who designed Totally Ferret researched long and hard the
nutritional needs of ferrets.  You are dangerously close to libel though.
Expressing an opinion about liking something else is fine but you are
treading awful close to calling Performance foods criminal.  We have too
many others in the ferret community that spread libelous untruths.
 
The cost is because of the higher quality of ingredients in Totally Ferret.
Iams likewise is more costly than Purina Cat chow for the same reason.  (Dr.
Willard used to work at Iams as well.)   I heartily endorse both of these
products.  In my opinion Totally Ferret is the best kibbled food available
for ferrets, there are other good ones.  There are also ones that are rather
bad.  Mink food and some of the ferret foods derived from it are heavy in
fish as it can be cheaper than quality poutry.  Some ferrets do not like it
because of the fish.
 
Iams is my choice as best less costly alternative.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://userwww.qnet.com/~killian/zen_home.htm
[Posted in FML issue 1571]