>piece of small soft rubber tubing that she slit down the middle and it just
>slides right over the edges.  I'm sure you could buy tubing like this at a
>hardware store or plumbing supply.
 
        Aren't you a little concerned that they might chew and eat the soft
rubber tubing???  I'd opt for the hard plastic stuff.  I know my Joopie
would devour it in a second, because both he and my cats try to eat the
tubing that runs from the filter to the pump on my fishtank....
 
>Not knowing the dog's history or eating habits, we bought Milk-Bone dog
>biscuits, but found she wouldn't eat them.  HOWEVER, Melissa was seen
picking >up a discarded one and going to her spot and eating it all up.
Question is, >does anyone know if Milk-Bones are good or bad for ferrets?
 
        Too many milkbones can cause constipation in some ferrets.  I toss 2
or 3 into the big cage (3 ferrets) every few days.  Joopie in his little
cage gets 1 every three days or so.  My vet said (sorry to repeat myself)
that the *excellent* condition of my ferrets teeth can largely be
contributed to milkbones and good feeding.  I just buy the smaller sized
ones, for poodles etc. because that seems to be a perfect snack.
 
>Well it was not at all a fight, and it was not between ferrets armed with
>food:)  but I had a discussion with a pet store owner whom recommended that
>ferrets eat dog food.  I thought she was wrong and I *knew* that I read it
>either in a FAQ or on the list that cat food was a ferret staple.  Was I
>right or the pet store owner?
 
        Well not only was the pet store owner *WAY* off, but it's that kind
of ignorance that creates poor health in so many store bought ferrets.
        Ferrets must eat not cat food but *KITTEN FOOD* and a high quality
one at that (like Iams etc.)  There is not nearly enough protein in dog food
and I have seen ferrets come to us with their fur falling out and their
energy level so low it could make you cry...but a few weeks on Iams kitten
food and they are like new ferrets.
        By the way, a breeder I know mixes three kinds of kitten food (all
high quality brands) and feeds them to her ferrets so that they can adapt to
different foods in cases where the owner may run out of food and have to
borrow some etc.  It's a pretty good idea because some ferrets are pretty
finicky (cept mine, mine eat anything and everything)
 
>The best chance you have of buying an ECE-free ferret is to purchase one
>directly from Marshall Farms.  MF has a closed colony, and has nto seen the
>problems.  Ferrets only go out of MF, not back in, so it's pretty safe.
 
        Well, we don't come into contact with Marshall Farms ferrets here in
Canada.  The only ones I've ever seen are at a pet store in Bellingham (I
recognized the dots in the ears from reading the FML so I asked and they
sure were MF) and they are always always always sable.  Don't they breed
anything other than sable?  I have two sables (well, 4 sables actually) a
silver mitt and a cinnamon, and I don't want any more sables.  What I am
looking for is a Panda or a Badger kit and yesterday I found a breeder in
Maple Falls (the Bellingham chapter of Ferrets NorthWest) who breeds both.
(*side note : they were astounded to get the most beautiful butterscotch I
have _ever_ seen come out of a Panda and a Silver.  I tried to buy it, but
they weren't having any of it,  Dang!! *)  Anyhow, they assured me that they
haven't had any problems with ECE ever in any of their ferrets or the kits
they've thrown, so I am assuming it's pretty safe.  They have some amazing
breeding pairs....I can't wait until the babies are weaned in August.....
 
        Oh and to the woman who was afraid of handling ferret feces during
her pregnancy...As I understand it is best to stay away from *all* animal
feces.  As well, there is a test that can be run that will tell you if you
are already immune to this particular problem, in which case it would be
relatively safe to clean the litterboxes with some care taken about bacteria
in general.  Your doctor would probabaly know...
------
BooBoo *coulda asked me, I know.  I know everything.  I'm the god of ferrets*
Joop *shaddup BooBoo or I'll stuff you in this sock I'm currently stashing*
Ashley *I love this hammock.  those men are too stupid to figure out how to get
        in here.  Ahhhh, piece and quiet...*
the ancient Fang *damn I'm old....*
Chloe and Shadow *help*
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[Posted in FML issue 1270]