I suppose I missed all the hatefulness that keeps getting touted. Were
you guys really calling names again? Go to the corner ! go on now.. off
you go and think about it... hmmm where's your hat.

Anyway - sometimes - I really don't wear my feelings on my shoulder. I
look for THE MESSAGE - NOT ATTACKS in communications - we've become
such an overly sensitive people - 'don't look at me like that, don't
say that.. don't do that.. it offends me'..

Surely, hopefully, we can someday get back to not thinking the worst of
each other and think only of the message. Discuss "it" with whatever
calm or vehemence that it takes, but don't make personal remarks and
then move on...

The raw vs kibble debate? My opinion is that raw or natural is best, if
the animal being fed was healthy and hearty - anemic food won't work.
And of course best if disease free, but still best.

Now, no one is suggesting that any one go out there and club an animal
to death, drag it in and ring the dinner bell - are they? LOL... and no
one is suggesting that your only choice is that you pull frozen
carasses from your freezer to plop it/them onto a plate and holler
"come and get it".

For those of you who can raise a variety of animals at home and who can
feed them to your ferrets - great.. after all there's plenty of people
out there who do that with snakes.

But for those of you who can not do that, you do have another choice
that is NOT kibble. You can order RMB frozen discs. Ground up "food"
(animals) for your ferrets dining pleasure.

Is this a horrible thing? well is mass producing chicken, beef, lamb,
pork, etc for human consumption a horrible thing? Those are very
subjective questions and not for the masses to debate (mostly because
the masses can't debate without degenerating into a battle). Just think
of them as ferret TV dinners (the ground RMB discs).

I run a rescue and mostly I feed kibble. I would prefer to feed RMB or
whole prey but I can't risk having someone fall through the cracks of
shelter shock, new life and not eating. So I keep kibble in the bowls.
I DO offer both raw and cooked meat to anyone who wants to partake and
I even try to get this fuzzy or that fuzzy -- to 'JUST TRY IT!'

I do talk with potential adopters at length about diet and I stress
that raw/natural is the best way to go IF a variety of offerings is
made over the week or at least over a month.

What is the reason I don't think kibble is best. hmm -- MAN --yep homo
sapien sapien --- lol..

Actually I read and I listen. I pay attention to what's going on around
me, including the muscle tone, tooth brightness, gum pinkness, eye
clarity and coat shimmer of my non-human roommates. I also consider the
sources of my information.

Facinatingly enough, I actually think that these doctors, whether
specialized veteranarians (not just any veteranarian), biologists, or
paleozoologists(even self-proclaimed ones), or dieticians may know more
than I do about some aspects of a ferret's needs. You know -- people
who have actually done studies, comparative and investigative. People
who have actually taken the time to look, comprehend, discuss, catalog
and draw VALID conclusions. (That was a KEY word there.. that - VALID).

I'm going with the research which, right now, seems to be giving Mother
Nature her due. Too squeamish to feed your ferrets naturally? OK.. get
the discs.. or hire someone to feed your ferrets. Do YOU eat meat or so
you eat kibble? and do you believe Bob's findings of we are destroying
their teeth and gums? THAT HURTS!

I'll equate feeding ferrets to feeding your kids.. you say ferrets are
your kids so let's make a real parallel. "mom I don't want to eat my
veggie" or "mom I hate meat" "dad all I want is some carbs (pasta),
processed condiments (ketchup) and sugar (ice cream, cookies etc)."

Really seriously - what do you say? OK honey here load up on empty
calories and set your self up for diabetes (which is at present
epidemic in this country), heart disease ( the silent killer - well one
of them), liver or kidney failure. Get the point?

Don't have the guts to feed raw/natural? Hmmmm maybe you should work on
that. But remember.. this is MY opinion. If you just can's do
raw/natural..OK -- then feed the best kibble that you can. As long as
you don't feed rodent, rabbit, or an herbivore food, or an
insufficiently nutritional kibble. Do what you have to do, but don't
hate someone for waving their flag. Listen if you wanna and skip it if
you don't like the message. This is after all America.. right?

And I want to hear Sukie's conclusions on the info she posted about
mycobacterium (spelling from memory - memory isn't always right)  

Vicki

OK I'll hop on down now.. any one who wants to flame me please meet me
in the alley of PRIVATE POSTING - please don't upset the nice people
here... LOL

Vicki

Vicki Montgomery
Tricks and Treats Rescue 
Greater Houston/Galveston Texas 
713-472-6599 
[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] 
"Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things,
man will not himself find peace." ~ Dr. Albert Schweitzer

[Posted in FML 5400]