Hi Ya'll,
 
Cooking a pot of beans and gonna make cornbread.  You know that goes with
chocolate cake, at least in my family.  Traditional to eat beans on top of
the cake.  hehe.  Don't ask.  All the men in the Merchant family eat this.
 
On Borax- I used borax to kill fleas in the carpets for years.  Works well.
But...after I got ferrets, my vet recommended that I use something else or
get the encapsulated boric acid available at the pet stores or through Flea
Busters.  His concern was the ferrets proximity to the dust and being a lung
irritant.
 
Boric acid is technically poisonous.  Lots of things are used to make things
that are used topically that are not meant to be ingested.  But boric acid
has a low toxicity rate compared to man made chemicals, with a lethal dose
of 50 (about as low as you can get).
 
I would use borax or regular boric acid only where I know the ferrets are
not going to reach it, and treat common areas with the micro-encapsulated
form of boric acid.  It is excellent for controlling sugar eating ants, I
mix it half and half with powerdered sugar and trail out for the ants to
eat.  Also, ants will not cross chili powder lines, but again, keep this
away from animals, believe me it can irritate the hell out of you if you
breath it.
 
I have used organics for a very long time, they work well, are less toxic
and less harmful to the environment.  I would caution folks that although
herbal, organic or any similar term sounds benign, often nature makes some
nasty items.  You should still be well informed, and cautious when using
ANY form of pest control.
 
On Taurine- actually, taurine (and the other amino acids) are a COMPOUND of
protien, not protien itself.  In fact, if anyone knows any of the theories
on vegetarian eating, one will recognize the terms complete and incomplete
protiens.  The amino acids inside the protiens are what is refered to here.
Is is a theory, now known to be invalid, that vegetarians need to make sure
and combine proper protiens in order to make use of the amino acids they
contain.  However, current thinking says that as long as the amino acids are
eaten within a couple of days of each other, you are ok.
 
Most can be manufactured by the body.  However, there are some (called
essential amino acids) that cannot be manufactured, they must be ingested
to be obtained.  Taurine is one of these.
 
As of a couple of years ago, there were no dietary guidelines in place for
cat, kitten, or ferret foods regarding the AMOUNT of taurine needed in these
animals diets.  It is known they need it, but there is no known amount that
is needed.  Thinking then was that more was needed than realized.  This is
one of the reasons percentages of taurine is not normally listed on pet
foods.  In fact, it often isn't listed anywhere, which can give the
impression it isn't in the food.  This can be rather misleading.
 
One of the things a lack of taurine will do, in the long run, is cause
blindness.  It will affect the overall health of anything.  That is why you
should not feed dog food on a longterm, or main, basis.  Dogs do not require
the taurine that cats and ferrets do.
 
I add taurine to my duck soup recipe.  I feed this every week.  I have asked
the folks on this forum if you can overdose on amino acids, but got no
answer.  The head of the forensic anthro dept here at the school, Dr. Stout,
felt it could be conceivable to over do the taurine in humans, but he has
no good background to give me an opinion on ferrets.
 
You can then extrapolate this knowledge to your's and your ferret's diet.
Think about it, it is really quite simple.  We all evolved to eat a certain
way.  Pre civilization did not allow for anything to eat balanced meals of
various foods at one sitting.  Even in anthropology, the term
hunters-gatherers has been reversed to more accurately reflect the diet of
early man.  We ate what was available, as do animals even today.  Carnivores
in the wild eat what is available and can go a good bit, and regularly do,
without meat.
 
While I think it is important to feed a good diet, I think we make too much
of this also.  I feed Totally Ferret, which I have seen wonderful results
with.  But I am also not a stickler on treats, or feeding a wide variety of
foods.  And even those who are currently advocating carcass feeding for
their ferrets, in the not too distant past, advocating feeding treats of all
kinds.
 
The biggest problem is pets getting fat on such a wonderful diet.  But one
has to realize that each ferret is an individual, and each individual will
carry different weight.  And make use of the available nutrition in
different ways.  Because something is available in the food, does not mean
that each individual can make use of it.  That is why some folks, no matter
what their diet is, can't eat a totally vegetarian diet, or not have to take
iron supplements for their anemic blood.
 
You have to look at each animal.  Trust your eyes.  See how their coats
look, how active they are, how alert they appear.  And if you think there
is a problem, ask YOUR vet.
 
And remember something a rather prominent Houston vet is complaining about,
not everyone on the internet is what they claim, nor do they have the
knowledge they appear to.
 
Maggie Mae, Margaret, Marie, Margie, you know...
HER
[Posted in FML issue 2304]