Hi all!!
 
I'm new to FML and have been reading avidly for two weeks.  It is great to
know there are so many other people who care for ferrets out there.
Especially now I've seen a couple from people who spell colour like me.
(Shiela & Kaye can I mail you direct re pet ferrets in Southern England?).
Are there any more UK based FMLers?
 
I now feel brave enough to ask a few questions about nutrition and offer a
little opinion.
 
I feed my two Ferret Complete, I guess that is the British equivalent of US
Ferret food, but at 35.00 [UK] a bag seems to be about half the price but
still not cheap.  My family increased to 10 on Easter Monday when little
albino jill, Vanilla, had 8 beautiful little kits.  They are growing apace
and although she is eating well and filling out a bit I think she nees a
boost and the kits need to start semi-solids to give her a rest.  I have
tried a mix of ground up Ferret Complete mixed to a paste with with boiled
milk and a little Ferretone which the babies seem to like but not much at a
time.  Is this OK to start weaning?  will it keep safely for a couple of
days in the fridge as it is really fiddly mixing up tiny batches?  should I
leave some in their nest?  If so how much and for how long in safety?  The
kits move around, (and even climb out of their nest box!) quite a lot but
still haven't opened their eyes.  Has anyone else any good recipes?
 
Can you get this Pedialyte stuff in UK?  if so, what is it called?  the idea
of freezing something good for the ferrets appeals to me as their favourite
treat is a little ice-cream in the summer.
 
When can I safely re-introduce Vanilla to Capa (short for Cappucino?) I
intend to wait for her to come back into season and get a jill jab first.
Does this plan seem OK?  We have been handling the kits with their mum's
permission since day 1 although with a little trepidation at first, (one had
got lost in the bedding and we thoought it seemed a good idea to gently
nudge it back in with the rest.) when their dad comes indoors to play and
visit the maternity wing he sniffs and makes up to Vanilla, but grabs her by
the ear if they are allowed out together and I think she can well do without
that at the moment however natural it is!  When is it safe to let him near
the babies.  By comparison he is a very big polecat-ferret at nearly 2kg!
 
PS On the Goldfish issue I think it is unnecessarily cruel to heat up
goldfish to make them sluggish and easy for the fuzzies to catch in a
confined space, but let's not forget that wild carnivores eat raw meat!  not
just sanitised dry stuff in a bag.  (I feed that because it makes it
acceptable to me as a veggie and they seem to eat it with relish.) Wild
mustelids will also take raw egg (mine like this but prefer it scrambled!)
and anything else they like the smell of.  Banana and orange (including the
peel) are favourites in our family but not exactly commonly available to
native British wildlife!  I think the smell of the food is just as important
to fuzzies as it is to people.
 
Please post answers or mail me on [log in to unmask] if you want
to start a dialogue.
 
Love to all you wonderful ferret people,
 
Jacqui
[Posted in FML issue 2325]