Kathy wrote:
 
>We received a box the other day which contained these little Styrofoam
>'peanuts'.  The ferrets LOVE to dig in them.  We are careful not to let
>them chew or anything on the 'peanuts'.
 
If those peanuts are truly styrofoam, I would remove them right away.
Even ingestion of a small piece could cause a potentially fatal blockage
or require expensive surgery to save the ferret.  Run the peanuts under
water, if they don't dissolve, then get rid of them.  Cornstarch peanuts,
which will dissolve in water, are perfectly safe.  Those are the only
peanuts (real or otherwise) that they should have access to.
 
You can purchase a dig box with cornstarch peanuts from
theferretstore.com.  Also, shipping supply companies, such as uline.com,
sell larger quantities of biodegradable cornstarch (12 cu. ft.) for $24.00.
 
Happy ferreting!
 
Dee
[Posted in FML issue 3714]