Ok, I didn't really want to get in this but here I am anyway.  I am one
that will usually respond to people privately other than on the FML.  One
reason is the person will get it quicker.  Another is that so many people
tend to pick things apart & latch onto pieces of what they read or think
they read, that it is soon blown up out of proportion which results in a
big fuss.
 
I don't know about all of the different foods on the market.  I don't
know how companies put their product together & sell it.  I do know what
happened to my birds because of ZuPreem pellets.  And I know what I was
told by my vet caused the death of my birds, which he did necropsies on &
which were also sent off to an independent lab for further study &
results.
 
Here goes, .......again.  All of my birds get Kaytee pellets, all of the
time.  From the smallest to the largest.  (I am not trying to get anyone
to buy KT ferret food) I give the larger birds a treat of raw peanuts
every day.  The smaller birds, like Cockatiels, don't hold food in their
foot/claw so I didn't think they would be able to eat peanuts & wanted to
give them something as a treat.  When ZuPreem came out with their fruity
pellets for birds, I sprinkled a small amount, only intended as a treat &
not as a diet, on top of their regular KT pellets.  I started to find dead
birds when I went out in the morning.  After about the 3rd dead bird, I
took the next 2 to my vet for necropsy.  He found that they died from a
liver or kidney problem.  Now since it has been a few years since this
happened, I can't remember which one it was.  He then sent them off to
find out what the cause of the problem was.  Came back that there was a
large build up of Vitamin D in the liver/kidney.  He asked me what I was
feeding them, & he knew I fed KT.  I told him & he told me this: KT is
a company that does extensive testing on every batch of food during
processing, and several times afterwards before it is shipped out.  Which
is why they put the word, "exact" on every bag.  They make sure that every
batch/bag has exactly the same ingredients in it as their formula.  They
make sure that you will not get one bag that has too much of an ingredient
or too little one time & something different another.  Smaller companies
like ZuPreem & Pretty Bird & some others don't do that.  There might be
too much of one thing one time & too much of another the next, or too
little.  It cost me $200, $100 each bird to have it tested, not counting
what I paid my vet for what he did.  This was for birds I wouldn't get
more than $20 each for.  I did good to get $15.  I lost breeders & babies.
He told me that these companies counted on the fact that to have the food
tested, most small breeders like me couldn't afford to have the food
tested.  It costs about $600 to have each bag tested, or each brand.  He
told me to stop giving them ANY ZuPreem.  I did & the deaths stopped.  I
never had a problem like that before or since, so draw your own
conclusions.  The food was the only change.  For me, they will never get
another brand of bird food.  Now I am sure that other bird people give
this to their birds as a diet & they may not have a problem now, but I
consider it a time bomb.
 
My ferrets will never get any ZuPreem.  I cannot trust them, will not
trust them.  I got a sample of it & threw it right in the garbage.  I
wouldn't even give it to the chickens.
 
I think that many people are giving their ferrets this food is because it
is high in protein & fat, so I ask this.  If you are feeding other good
quality ferret food & I know it is good to have a mix of different foods,
(I do)& you buy those high in protein & fat, how much of high protein &
high fat is too much?  What I am getting at, if you are feeding other
good quality foods like TF or 8in1 or from the Ferret Store, is it really
necessary to add yet another for that reason?  If some of you can't get TF
or 8in1 in your local pet stores, please try The Ferret Store.  They are
just really wonderful people to deal with.  All credit info is strictly
confidential.  I believe they accept checks if you don't have a credit
card.  Orders are quickly processed.
 
Lynn & Clan War Weasels
[Posted in FML issue 3112]