I've also been trying out mice with our pet ferrets, with mixed results
thus far.  I appreciate the anonymous poster's information on their
mouse/ferret experiences.
 
So far most of our ferrets who've been introduced to mice will instantly
kill them (and I mean instantly), but they've not quite gotten the hang of
eating them yet.  All of our ferrets know that a dead mouse is a special
thing, and some of them will run about the house, each with a dead mouse in
its mouth, hissing at the others to keep away from their treasure.  Most
will also mouth the dead mouse, and a few will now start eating the mice.
 
The mouse interactions have in NO WAY altered our ferrets' personalities
or behavior beyond making them more active and alert during and after the
mouse event (nor am I aware of any studies showing that diets including
raw meat have negative behavioral affects on any carnivorous animal).  I
strongly suspect the bad experience another poster had with an aggressive
ferret was a result of the hob being in season and near an in season jill
rather than a result of its diet (we also don't know the quality of human
interaction this ferret received on a regular basis).
 
Yes, mice are animals too, as are cows, chickens, pigs, sheep and all the
other creatures we choose to eat and feed to our animals in one form or
another.  In my case I get to control the quality of life for the mice
before they are used as food.  The mice in our care live in a large cage
with clean bedding, plenty of hidey holes, paper towels to shred, things
to climb on, an exercise wheel, good ventilation, a controlled temperature
range, full spectrum lighting on a timer, fresh water and a varied diet.  I
doubt seriously if any of the animals used to make kibble (or human food)
are given the same quality of life before they are killed.
 
I'm glad folks are talking about alternative diets for their ferrets: the
exchange of information is one of the things that make the FML a great
resource
 
Further discussions on mice and ferrets are welcome, but flames will be
routed directly to /dev/null.
 
Leonard Bottleman       [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 2542]