Since 1999, when I got my first ferret and read that they are obligate
carnivores, I have questioned feeding them kibble.  It wasn't until the
past year that I started hearing anything substantial concerning natural
feeding.  All those years of reading labels on bags of kibble and looking
for the "best" kibble I could find for my ferrets never quieted that
voice in the back of my head that kept telling me that my ferrets are
obligate carnivores.  At every education day, I would repeat those same
words, "A ferret is an obligate carnivore" and go through the details of
explaining that they need a high protein, high fat content kibble, but
never totally accepting what I was saying.
 
Until recently, when I found a group, [log in to unmask], was
I able to get more information and lots of advice on converting to a
natural diet for the ferrets.  I now have four ferrets (all under the
age of 3) on a diet of cornish hen pieces (including bones & organs),
small rats (not live) and chicks (not live).  I went very slowly with
the transition as my schedule required that I be out of town during
the early stages.  However, when I returned to my normal schedule, the
kibble came out of the cage and was replaced with ground chicken (bones &
organs included) and everyone did fine.  Then when I started offering
whole pieces, Gabriel (2 years old) had a hard time understanding that
the chicken pieces were food, but "breading" them in crushed kibble
helped him over that hump.  When I left for work this morning, he was
happily gnoshing away on a chicken leg.
 
Am I suggesting that the only method is a natural diet?  No, but what I
am suggesting is that it should be looked at and studied as carefully
as the kibble that you feed your ferrets.  EVERY bag of kibble that I
checked contained grain of some sort, potato starch or rice and that
was were I drew the line.  If you wouldn't feed a lion a bowl of KIX,
why would you feed a ferret foods with grain?
 
I don't think it is about the longevity of a ferret fed natural or
kibble.  Any ferret adopted/purchased today could have some underlying
illness that even the best diet of kibble or natural foods wouldn't give
that ferret a longer life.  I think it comes down to what you, the ferret
owner, feel is best for your ferret.  You are responsible for choosing
the food that you feel best satisfies the nutritional needs of your
ferrets.  My decision, and I stress that it was MY decision, to feed my
ferrets a natural diet is based on what I feel best suits their daily
nutritional requirements.
 
I truly believe that we are learning something new everyday about what is
best for our ferrets and food is right at the top of the list.  I would
encourage ferret owners to continue to dialog on this subject as there is
much that can be gained from honest and open discussion.  This discussion
is not about demanding change, it is about learning and sharing.
 
Phyllis
[Posted in FML issue 5192]