Julia Goodwin-Todd wrote:
>I remember recently a raisin discussion on here but I was wondering for my
>friend if once a day (when there is not many treat alternatives for this
>guy) is a good thing or too much sugar.
 
We have all heard the good treat vs.  bad treat debate, and I have
no intention of bringing that up again (other than the following
"alternative" thought for all of you).  But Julia s post got me thinking
about an alternative (to raisins) of sorts.  Yes, we know that it depends
on "who" you ask as to whether they are a good/healthy treat or not.  [For
the record, *I* have made my personal decision that yes, I give raisins
for occasional treats.] Yeah, we know that most all ferrets love them.
And further, we all know that we should only give them in *moderation*.
 
So here is my thought... wouldn t *smaller* doses of raisins be a good
alternative (smaller = less sugar, but same great taste)??  But who has
time to cut a raisin in half?  Who wants the sticky fingers after cutting
a raisin in half?  Has anyone on here ever given CURRANTS as treats to
their fuzzies??  Funny story: In October, Mike and I were grocery shopping
for a new cake recipe that we wanted to try out and it called for
currants.  Well, neither of knew exactly what a currant was and we were
quite puzzled when we found them right next to the raisins in the
supermarket.  We even contemplated using raisins in the recipe instead of
whatever these "currants" in the box were, because with a name like
'currants,' how could they be worthy of being shelved next to the
RAISINS???  *Ahem* So, we humbled ourselves, stopped judging the "box" by
its cover and bought a box of these 'currants.' When we got home and had
begun our recipe, we were SHOCKED to see that CURRANTS ARE JUST LITTLE
TINY RAISINS!!!  Talk about something to laugh at ourselves about!
 
I am throwing it out for discussion to all the fellow FML ers... Who here
has tried em?  Does anyone know of any reason they wouldn t make a more
suitable ferret treat as opposed to a raisin?  Honestly, they don t taste
any different than raisins and they are about 1/4 of the size of a raisin.
I imagine the nutrition values would be comparable (I am not at home to
compare the two boxes).  I do think for those of us who on occasion or
regularly have rewarded our ferrets with raisins as treats for things like
using the litterbox, standing up on their hind legs, etc... CURRANTS just
*might* prove to be "less is more healthy" option here.
 
Audrey & Michael
Columbus, o"HI"o
Fuzzies Include:  Our "Angeled" Emmett Sheets, Mimi, Bodie & Doyle, Daisy,
Beau & Luke
"Other" 4-Legged Partners in Crime:  Hazey the dog & Julius the Cat
[Posted in FML issue 3617]