hi Krystal and everyone,
 
>I have only used Kibble since i have owned ferrets, I use EVO in a mix
>of foods for my ferrets.  I have heard of long lived ferrets on kibble,
>but not yet of any on the "Raw Diet".  If anyone has information on how
>long ones on a raw diet have lived and if they have documentation of
>this so that I may compare.
 
Most of the owners who feed a natural diet and post here are relatively
new to the diet (myself included), so can't post in relation to this.  I
do know that no matter how long my ferrets live, they won't have had
chronic mouth infections for the majority of their life.
 
A natural diet isn't a miracle cure.  There are many things that can
claim their lives in the end (accidents, cancers, etc), but if we can
prevent unnecessary infections (like dental disease), we are contributing
a huge amount to their overall health.
 
Maybe owners who have been feeding natural for a long time can provide
this information, if there are any left on the FML.
 
>Also the other thing, is that I have talked to many, many breeders
>who have gotten imports from countries where the raw diet is
>commonplace and it seems those ferrets are a bit more aggressive.  Is
>this because of the the full meat diet?
 
Nope, raw meat doesn't make a ferret aggressive or savage.  In fact, I've
heard of some ferrets becoming less aggressive when fed meat because they
weren't getting enough nutrition from their previous diet (often cheap
cat food).
 
Some ferrets get protective of foods they consider "valuable" - mice
definitely rate highly on the ferret value scale!  Can't say I've ever
seen a ferret get excited about a bowl of kibble much less guard it.
 
This doesn't equal aggression, just that they know when they have
possession of an object worth something - just like the best toy in the
house :) And just as with the best toy in the house, even if you take
back that valuable object their behaviour won't be negative if you have
taught him/her their manners.
 
>Like what if the food spoils which I would believe would be
>commonplace as I have some that occasionally get baby food as a
>treat and sometimes I have to throw it out because it went bad or
>was being to turn.
 
Yes, this is a possibility, however the odds of a ferret getting sick
from food borne pathogens are so remote it isn't funny.  You're far most
likely to die in a car accident on the way to the shop, than your ferrets
are from eating the food you buy there.
 
Baby food is ground up very finely and has a large surface area - lots
of opportunity for bugs to get right into it.  Although it's cooked and
some are full of preservatives, jars can sit on the shelf for a long
time, just waiting to go bad.  Ground or chopped raw food goes 'off'
much more quickly too, also because of the large surface area
 
Whole prey from reputable suppliers is killed (usually by co2) and
frozen immediately.
 
Meaty bones (chicken necks, quail drumsticks, rabbit legs, etc) can
be obtained from breeders directly if you are worried about the meat
processing industry, or from reputable stores that don't leave their
meat sitting around for days.
 
If you ask the manager of where ever you buy your carnivore's food from,
you can find out where it came from, how long ago it was chopped into
pieces, if it has been frozen or just refrigerated, and other questions
to ascertain the quality of the food.
 
Although I personally don't have any worries with foods from the
supermarket, I am aware that many owners aren't happy with the way in
which these foods are handled by the meat industry and some stores.  The
solution to this is to find reputable suppliers, not feed inappropriate
foods :)
 
[Posted in 2 parts; combined into this post.  Part 2:]
 
>Also is the raw meat sterlized?  Can ferrets get any illnesses
>humans can from raw meat?
 
You can sterilize meaty bones if you like and although it isn't necessary
for the ferret, if it helps to ease their owners mind, then I think it's
a worthwhile exercise.  Ferrets have very tough digestive systems
designed to deal with meaty bones, prey and other fresh foods.  There
are lots of ways to sterilize foods if you have a look through the
archives (I'll see if I can find any and post them at a later date).
 
Yes they can get illnesses from raw meat, as well as many others things
including kibble, bananas or alfalfa sprouts.
 
>What is the shelf life once given to the ferrets for the raw meat?
 
Meat alone isn't great - meaty bones are far closer to replicating their
natural diet of whole animals.  Obviously, actual whole animals (mice,
chicks, etc) are even closer to replicating this :)
 
Whole prey isn't a compulsory part of a natural diet - a variety of meaty
bones and occasional organs from rabbit, chicken, quail, cornish hen,
and/or other animals is a great diet.  Which foods are fed depends a lot
on the owner's location, availability, cost and storage facilities.
 
Whole prey lasts for quite a long time before going 'bad' (often more
than a day).  If you live in an area where insects are a problem, these
can be kept away from food using things like feeding boxes or bug-screen
feeding areas.  Our ferrets are fed in our bedroom, so we use a feeding
box (also great for stopping the cats stealing the ferret's food!) and
keep our flyscreens shut during summer.
 
http://www.shona.org/photogallery/pe.toy?filenid=35126
 
Meaty bones last quite a while too (I've found around a day).
 
You soon get the hang of how much to feed and put down accordingly.  I
put food in the box twice a day, and I've learn to estimate how much to
put down so it lasts them until the next meal time.  All the food is
gone and replaced with fresh foods each 12 hours, so anything going bad
isn't an issue.
 
>Also what about feeding them a whole rodent, aren't bones a problem?
 
Nope, they are designed to eat bones.
 
>I tried the chicken gravy and after cooking until it was basically mush,
>i blended it down and still one of my ferrets found a bone and choked.
>She's okay but still isn't there a concern of this.
 
The more we mess with a food, the more likely a problem will occur.
 
Blending bones chops them into small pieces, which then gives the ferret
no choice on how to eat them.  They take a mouthful of soup, and can get
a small bone fragment sticking into their mouth.
 
If you give them a whole meaty bone, they won't get any nasty surprises,
they have to crunch manageable pieces off before they can even fit it in
their mouths.  They know how to eat bones, so best to give them whole and
let the ferret do what he/she knows how to do :)
 
shona
[Posted in FML issue 5205]