Know what Jodi?  Basically, nowadays, you have many good ferret foods
to choose from.  I really don't think people begrudge those top brands.
I mean you really can't go wrong with most of the top ones (zupreme,
totally ferret, 8-1 ultimate, mazuri, etc, etc, etc).  So don't worry.
For the record, the food that you are using, is one of the very, very
best.  It is packed with protein, and I've noticed that ferrets really do
love it.  I think the foods that are frowned upon are any of the cheaper
brands (the cheap 8-1's, walmart foods, etc), the off brand foods, and
the ones with any sort of fruits or vegies in them, that sort of thing.
As far as cat foods, that is really up for far more debate.  That is
because no cat food that I know of is really good for ferrets.  Kitten
chows, some of them, are just fine.  You have to educate yourself on the
protein and fat levels, etc, so that you can choose one that would be
okay to mix with a basic ferret food.  I don't think that keeping a
ferret on pure kitten chow would be the very best thing because of the
different nutrient demands.  But I could be very wrong.  Things have
really changed with some of those foods in recent years.  Most people
mix kitten chow into their base food for emergencies so that they can
readily find a food source in a serious pinch.
 
There is only one expensive brand of ferret food that is often put down
(and I am among the many who put it down).  That would be the Marshall
Farms food.  It's quality is known to be very good.  I don't argue that
point at all.  But there is an issue with it that many people just can't
deal with.  For some reason, it makes ferrets poop more frequently, more
loosely, and with more odor than on other brands of food.  This makes it
difficult on the ferret owner.  Even if that can be dealt with, it makes
a ferret excrete an unbelievable odor when a ferret is on this food as a
pure source.  I dont' know if it's because it has a high fish content, if
it's due to something else, or a combination of things.  But it doesn't
just make their feces or urine smell.  It makes their whole bodies smell.
I so, so wish that MF would listen to the public's outcry about this
and figure out an alternative formula.  They really stand behind their
product though.  Maybe me and some of the general public is too anal
about such things at the risk of denying our pets a superior food.  My
opinion, however, is that anything that puts this animal in such a bad
light (smell being the worst complaint with ferrets) is not good.  I've
met people who've "given away" their pets because they could not stand
the animals smell.  Come to find they had their pets on MF only.  I have
to wonder if they had them on a different food and had some education
about odor control (cleaning, liter, shampooing, etc) if things would
have been different.  I think it would.  I had two kits on that food and
was nearly in tears with how much they smelled.  Then I found out about
the food, made the switch ... problem solved.  I also have to wonder
about such frequent loose stools.  Oh well, I'm sorry to have gone on
about just one food.  But it really is a sort of pet peeve with me.
 
Wolfy
http://wolfysluv.jacksnet.com
[Posted in FML issue 4923]