Q: [Paraphrased from several emails]  "Isn't exercise more of a factor in
ferret obesity than 24-hour food availability?  Aren't many small meals
better than a couple of large ones?  Are human diet problems a good analog
for ferret diets?  When are good times to feed?"
 
A: Two old hippies finished the same time in a race to win a pizza.  The
pizza was their tie diet.  He he.  Diet humor.  A bit cheesy.
 
Believe it or not, the digestive system of all mammals functions basically
the same.  Herbivores have different structural differences, such as
enlarged caecums, complex stomachs, and increased bowel length, but the
way the stomach and intestine works is very similar.  However, small
differences can be quite important, so better comparisons are made between
animals who eat similar diets, and the best comparisons are those made
between animals of the same genus.  Since humans are omnivores, they are
not as good analogs for ferrets as another primary carnivore, nor nearly
as close as another member of the genus _Mustela_.  Since there are many
different members of the weasel group, many investigated at depth (such as
the mink, longtail weasel and black-footed ferret), any of these studies
would be better to use as an analog for ferrets than people.  Also, if you
ever study weasels, you will find the differences between them to be quite
minor in almost all respects.  Basically, in terms of diets and dietary
needs, what is true for one is true for all.
 
Mustelids tend to be mostly noctural, or active only at night.  However,
most of them can become dinural (active during the day) in order to better
feed themselves.  Some studies have found the "nocturnal" label to be
misleading; most _Mustela_ members are actually crepuscular--that is,
active during dawn and dusk.  One reason is it helps them avoid daytime
predators, such as lynx or wolves, as well as nighttime predators, such
as owls.  Dawn and dusk are difficult times for day or night specialists.
This might help to explain why polecats can see some color (reds and blues)
when most truely noctural animals only see in black and white.  Another
clue is that ferrets are very photoperiodic in moult and reproductive
cycles (both are hormone related).  If they were fully nocturnal AND lived
in extremely low-light burrows, photoperiod cycles would probably be not so
important, as is found in some nocturnal, burrowing animals.
 
The point here is that _Mustela_ members generally have two major activity
periods during a 24 hour period.  Excluding high-energy kits which will run
around at any disturbance, if watch your ferrets closely, you will notice a
similar pattern.  Now, few animals can eat when they are asleep.  So, if
your ferret is active twice or three times a day, it is already on a 2-3
times a day feeding schedule.  All I do is synchronize 20 ferrets together
by training them to eat at specific times.  This allows me to offer foods
that are subject to spoiling or contamination.  I put them down and the 20
devour everything in sight--no clean-up, no waste, no spoilage.  It allows
me to give fresh bone and meat without worry of bacterial enteritis or
spoilage.  Since my ferrets eat very little kibble compared to other foods
(cooked egg, chicken, turkey, duck, beef, whole mice, chicken bones, turkey
necks, crickets, earthworms, fishbait, rat pinkies, etc), this allows me to
insure each gets a fair portion and the big guys don't hog it all for
themselves.
 
Also, since I am directly observing the ferrets eating, I can rapidly see
which ferrets are off their feed, giving me an advantange in determining
illnesses.  But I have found other advantages as well.  My ferrets are are
more active, and play more than before, possibly because more are awake at
the same time, and/or because they are not filling up on kibble-based
carbohydrates.  Additionally, they bond to me more, because they see me as
their source of food.  Last (not really, but for now) I have noticed they
are in better condition, probably due to their increased activity patterns
as well as a better diet suited to their evolutionary needs.  Do some
ferrets wake up and snack?  Sure, but there is a world of difference
between a want and a need.  They only NEED to eat 2-3 times a day.
 
As for exercise, yes, exercise is far more important than diet in
regulating obesity.  But there are two things at work here.  Fat is
produced by diet, and muscle tone is produced by exercise.  For a ferret
to be in shape, it needs proper amounts of both.  Few ferrets are actually
obese; but most ferrets tend to have poor muscle tone (if you met one of
mine, you would immediately see the difference).  Humans are a poor analog
because our obesity tends to relate to a high fat intake; ferrets need
between 20-40% fat (depending on sex, age, etc), which would make the
typical human become a member of the "Fed Zepplin" group.  Because our
physiology is slightly different, and we evolved different eating habits,
the carbohydrates that help make fat humans lose weight tend to pack it on
in ferrets.  So much depends on the evolutionary diet of the individual.
 
It was pointed out that many weasels store food (cache food) for eating
later.  It was suggested this stored food allowed the polecat (or ferret)
the ability to snack on food between meals.  Probably not much; studies
have shown most _Mustela_ members eat cached food during unsuccessful hunts
or during low prey avalability times.  Remember, _Mustela_ members have
very deep sleeps in order to conserve energy, which is why they shiver when
waking up--to increase their metabolism to activity levels.  Finally, it
was suggested that several small meals are healthier than a few large ones,
In humans, that seems to be the case, but we are primate omnivores, and
ferrets are mustelid primary carnivores.  You would have to prove the
causal relationship before I would buy it.  Remember, wild carnivores are
famous for their ability to gorge at feeding times; they *ALL* do it.
The rule of thumb is, carnivores are gorgers (few meals), omnivores are
snackers (many small meals), and herbivores are nibblers (continuous
meals).
 
Ferrets poop so much because they eat so much because their food is mostly
grain-based kibble.  Dump the kibble and turn the ferrets on to meat and
bone based foods, and you will find a 2-3 time a day diet more than
adequate for them, and far heathier, I might add.  Oh, and FAR LESS POOP!!!
 
Bob C and 20 Mo' Mousing Muses of Mustelidom
[Posted in FML issue 2515]