Hello to All:

I have read the raw diet info. for some years now. If I owned a zoo and
had the money and knowledge, I could feed my lions raw meat..if it were
best for them. And I would know how to keep their environment free from
contamination by raw tid bits hidden here and there. I would have staff
to make sure whatever was necessary was done for the health of my wild
ones.

But my boogers are free roam. I have no zoo or staff. And they are ALL
comical thieves. I love watching them all run off to hide their treats.
I spend hours a day vacuming, sweeping, cleaning food and water bowls,
and entertaining my squirrels.

But I also work 40 to 50 hours a week, and am on call 24/7. I have had
2 emergency calls since early this morning.

So I do not have time for a raw diet in my free roam home. There is no
way I could pull out all the drawers to find raw entrails every day.
Nor would I ever want to. I do not cage my crew...though there are
cages in 3 rooms if they wish. Nor could I be sure I adequately cleaned
those cages if I left ferrets in there with raw food.

We have a problem with ants at times. I cannot imagine the horror of
hundreds of ants in my underwear drawer. Or the bacterial growth as raw
food is dragged throughout my home. A raw diet will not happen in my
home for these reasons. I am washing down rooms every day where they
have pooped on the floor. I am cleaning out 13 litter boxes every day.
I know my limitations.

I reason that I would already be beyond disgusted if I could see all
the germs spread as the poopers wipe their bottoms on the floor. I have
all ceramic floors now for that reason. But what areas have I missed?
My BELIEF is that there are enough disgusting and dangerous germs afoot
in my home already....despite the hours I spend each week cleaning up
after my vixens.

Cage the fur poopers while they eat their raw diet? Honestly...I do
not have the strength in my hands left anymore to think I would daily
thoroughly scrub all the tiers of each cage, daily change all the
bedding in it, and keep the dirty bedding seperated for hot water and
bleach.

So, these are my PERSONAL reasons why the raw diet will just not be
happening in my home.

As for allowing my animals to tear apart a living being, and cleaning
up all the blood and entrails and fur after hearing the attacked thing
screaming in pain and terror:

I have found numerous simple things to enrich my little devils. I just
unwound a new rolled up rug and attached tubing to it. The plastic
grocery sack from Costco ..gently throwing my babies out of it onto
fresh thick bedding? SUCH dancing of delight! A new box with crinkly
paper inside taped up with 2 holes of entry? Sheer laughter watching
their brains at work and their happiness wrestling around in the paper.
Large bowls of water with safe floating toys, the first snow of winter
in my bath tub, ferretone and ice cubes in a bowl of water.....So many
ways to entice and enchant the tiny ones.

There is no NEED to be enriched by torture, screams, and the misery of
others that I have ever read about. Please show proof that there is
such a NEED if I am wrong.

There is violence, pain, suffering, and misery in this life to fill our
cups aplenty." Enrichment " through the ripping, and shredding apart
alive of a helpless animal?

In my opinion, there is no" need" to fill ones cup with such
unnecessary horrors... unless one wishes and actively choses to be
unnecessarily cruel. I am rather stunned I am writing this to you all
here. But I believe these words with all my heart.

May Mercy and Goodness look down upon us
and shine its light upon us, and light up the dark
corners of mans mind.

Sincerely,
Lisette

[Posted in FML 6892]