Yesterday, debi s wrote:
>I honestly believe that food is NOT the main factor to a healthier
>long lived ferret but instead it's the healthcare they receive and
>the genetic background of the ferret."

I know others have said something similar and I agree with them. I
have not had as many ferrets as some people on the list, but I have
been owned by ferrets for over 20 years.

My first ferret (1983-1990) was fed Meow Mix or Cat Chow, depending on
which one I bought when I went shopping. She was also given cherry Nibs
as treats on several occasions. She was not an extremely long-lived
ferret, only making it to the average lifespan of about 7 years, but
she had no health problems until she was 7 when she developed a
cancerous tumor on her shoulder.

The four ferrets that I have had since then (2 from 1996-2003; 1 from
2005-2010, 1 from 2005- ) have been fed high-quality cat food or ferret
food. All of them developed adrenal disease or insulinoma.

If we are looking at food as the only contributor to good health, then
I should go back to feeding Meow Mix. I'll just ignore the fact that
the last four were all early alters and the first was not; it is the
food that made the difference in their health!

Inez

[Posted in FML 6894]