I don't want to create any problems or start any rants, but do all Petcos
feed ferrets salad?  I have recently had discussions with the people
caring for ferrets in my local Petcos.  Every time I go in there, there
are a couple ferrets (never over-run) with clean litter boxes, fresh
bedding, lots of water, lots of food in their food bowls, but the problem
is that the food (who knows what kind of food it is- it doesn't even look
like any of the ferret foods they sell; probably the cheapest stuff they
could find) is covered with a nice fresh fruit salad (lettuce, bananas,
raisins, peppers, etc... you get the picture).  Heck, I don't even know
if the ferrets can get to the most-likely bad-for-them food under all the
greenery and fruits.
 
I tried to explain to the people who care for the ferrets that ferrets
(unlike chinchillas, guinnea pigs, hamsters, etc...) are obligate
carnivores who are better off being fed chicken or turkey on their food
than fruits and veggies.  I tried telling them that sugary fruits like
bananas and raisins are very bad for ferrets to be eating constantly and
can/will cause them problems.  To this, the people replied that (and I
quote) "fresh bananas and raisins are GOOD for ferrets and why do they
put that stuff in ferret food if it isn't?"  Besides, they have never
heard that stuff was bad for them.  ARRGGGG!!!  Hair pulling!!!  Is there
any way to inform Petco about a ferret's dietary needs?  Is there any
way to MAKE management feed the ferrets better or at least educate their
workers as to the needs of different animal species (ie. ferrets are not
vegeterian rodents)?
 
On another note, has there been any progress on having different food
manufacturers change their ingredients to be more ferret-friendly (since
it is ferret food)?  Just wondering.  If ferret foods don't contain the
sugary goodness (and post warnings on labels of foods that do about the
potential health risks of sugary foods), maybe the pet store workers will
begin to get the point.
 
Sorry for the long post.
 
Katie & the Fab Five
[Posted in FML issue 5169]