NEW FERRET OWNERS: Is the FAQ doing its job?  It seems that people
who've read it still have questions on subjects it covers.  This isn't
a flame; I'm glad people are trying to get good answers.  But should
the FAQ be rewritten in some way to make it clearer?
 
Tim Kesterson <[log in to unmask]> asked
[PARAPHRASED]:
> 1. food brands?
> 2. ferret food or kitten food?
> 3. What are your recommendations for ferret food and/or treats?  I have
> spoken to many people, but most don't seem to agree.
> 4. How much Ferretone (Linatone) should be given to our little ones?
 
There's a fair bit of information in the Ferret FAQ about food,
treats, and Ferretone/Linatone.  I realize that it's not all that
conclusive, but that's because there aren't really any firm answers to
these kinds of questions, only lots of people's opinions.  I think the
FAQ pretty well represents the collective opinion of the FML
subscribers, though of course there's still some discussion.
 
That being said, all I can do is either repeat the FAQ to you or give
my own personal opinions... so here goes. :-) All the high-quality
brands of kitten food are largely equivalent.  Some people swear by
one, others by another.  We like to rotate two or three of them,
buying different ones every bag, so our ferrets don't become too
finicky.  There's no need to force ferret food on your pets if they
don't like it; kitten food should do just fine.  A number of treats
are mentioned in the FAQ; the most common is raisins, followed closely
by try-anything-and-see-what-yours-likes. :)  Finally, although the
Ferretone bottle recommends a whole lot of it every day, it's not at
all necessary if you're using a good food, and it -might- be an
overdose of vitamin A, so why take the chance?  A few drops to a small
squirt should be fine.
 
James Makowski <[log in to unmask]> asked:
> cage, food, dish, water bottle, book, litter-pan and Ferretone all for
> $179 (is that a good price?).
 
It sounds like a pretty good price to me, though they vary regionally.
 
> [about nip-training] Does anybody know which of these is the better
> approach (or even have a different one), when we should do it and
> how long before we should expect some results?
 
YMMV -- Your Mustelid May Vary.  Different methods work with different
ferrets.  Just keep trying 'till it works.  Whatever you do --
nose-flicking, water sprays, cage time, etc. -- do it right after the
nip.  You may see results as soon as a week or so, or it might take a
month or three.  Some ferrets who seem to have learned very quickly
suddenly begin nipping again at a few months of age, but training is
easier the second time.
 
>         Last question, for now.  :) We give our fuzzy four pumps of
> Ferretone in her food bowl every day as well as using it as a treat
> to reinforce litter training and better behavior.
 
See above, about the FAQ as well as about Ferretone.  I'd keep using
it as a treat but skip the pumps in her food bowl.
 
- Pam in Rochester, NY  <[log in to unmask]>
raisin provider to Pixxel and Rusty
Ferret FAQ - http://www.ceas.rochester.edu:8080/ee/users/rhode/index.html
             ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/ferret-faq/part[1-5]
[Posted in FML issue 1052]