heh, I'm jumping on the band wagon :).  my kids eat a mix of Bob C' gravy
and kibble.  I doubt I will ever feed just Bob C's, cause I'm afraid I'll
end up in an accident, and my backup ferret owner will end up in an
accident, and our ferrets will end up some place where the owner may only
feed kibble.  can't have them starved!  besides, there are some kibbles
they love.  I feed mixes of kibble and incorporate new ones and get rid
of old ones, I think the mixing and changing let the kids get use to more
tastes so they will accept more.  right now they are on Totally Ferret,
Innova Evo, 8-in-1 (the 45% protein one) and I will be phasing out
Felidae.  Innova is their favourite.  Sprite will eat her fill of chicken
gravy and then pig out on Evo.  and all the ferrets will crowd the dog
out of his bowl if I feed him when they are around.  (doggie gets solid
gold kibble).
 
I have tried feeding raw - homemade 4 pets.  the kids liked it, and I
stuck with it for about a year, but eventually stopped 'cause they got
diarrhea from it a bit too often, I think it was freezer burn or
something.  possibly the packaging wasn't great, possibly it is the pet
store or my freezer.  started making chicken gravy not long after that.
first we made it as a puree, but their teeth does get pretty bad after a
while.  now I chunk it.  we have a 3 pound "kitchen hammer" that we use
to smash up the chicken, after I cut of all the meat (take a chopper to
it first, so the leg bones don't slide around, and then smash smash! :)).
we use free range chickens, whose bones seem tougher than super market
chickens, so the hammer helps a lot!  then my nice strong boyfriend
grinds it up for me.  the ferrets weren't great about eating chunks at
first, so I spoon feed them, but I'm damn well not going to puree it for
them again, the little terrors shouldn't be too lazy to chew!  their
teeth are okay, and I don't brush.  how long will they live?  I don't
know.  5 of my current 6 are shelter adoptions, and my oldest is 7.5 with
lymphoma, on chemo and doing decently.  have had ferrets for 12 years
(wow, getting oldl!) and still learning to improving aspects of their
lives where possible..  I am, of course, hoping that feeding the rather
unnatural diet of Bob C's gravy (hey, where in the wild do you think
polecats hunt ground up chickens?) will lead to a happier and longer
life for my kids.
 
the chicken I give them does get cooked.  my friend tells me her kids
prefer the gravy a bit raw, but hard to get it the same each time.  I
guess I cook it because human did start to live longer after they start
cooking their meat (hmmm, is this proven?).  however, I do eat some
stuff raw (mmmmm, steak tartare... mango pudding [raw eggs]...)..  as
for salmonella poisoning, aren't most cases from restaurant food?  if
you want to feed raw, and are afraid of bacteria, maybe you can buy
irradiated chicken (doe they sell these?  and are eggs irradiated?) I
don't eat raw chicken myself, so that may be while I prefer Bob C's
chicken gravy... and I have to admit that before I put the
nutrica/ferretvite in... its pretty darn yummy...
 
I don't know if there is anyone on the list that will argue that kibble
is a natural food.  I think of them as crackers and cookies, most of them
are kind of yummy, they have varying amounts of sugar and fats, and I do
eat the junky ones sometimes.  but we are trying to buy ones that have no
trans fat and look at the nutrition break down a bit.  there are kibbles
that are decent and kibbles that are great..  and of course, there's the
90+ year old guy in new york?  that smokes lives off bacon fat and cheap
wine..  so who knows how much of what we do prolong lives?
 
one thing I have decided I cannot do for my ferrets is natural light.  I
have never been able to keep a daily routine.  I wake up different times
each day (yay flex work hours), eat at different hours, work in the
middle of the night..  so I don't think I'll ever be able to give them a
completely natural light cycle.  I can only compensate for this aspect of
bad ferret ownership by improving other aspects of their lives.  it isn't
so much about the best they can get as much as the best I am able to do
for them.
 
as for the debate going back and forth... I don't mind it, as I love
seeing different perspectives from different people.  also like to see
different styles of writing.  some people write in a very very emotional
way.  some people write in a more logical way, but use words that are
loaded with emotion.  I think the closest to neutral style of writing I
have read is Temple Grand (I am a big fan of hers).  the most emotive
writing I have seen is the Reader Digest sweepstakes promotion letters
(the sentences are so loaded it is funny).  I am a little sad when
someone gets upsets enough to leave the forum.  I am not sure I feel not
mentioning names is a gentler way of responding to posts with opinion
differences, if I am the original poster, I may feel that I am being
ignored, but that's just me.  for the lady who is upset that someone
criticized Sukie..  I would be inclined to think that none of us are
saints, and all of us have faults.  I don't mind being criticized, but I
do decide which of the criticisms I get are valid and I should improve
myself based on it.  (i.e. I am often criticized as being childish, but
since I enjoy being childish on occasion, I am not changing ;p).  if
someone posts something that is in a slightly hostile manner, that does
not mean what he or she says is not valid.  being able to take criticism
well, however it is presented, is a trait I greatly respect.  another
trait I respect greatly is admitting oneself is wrong, a rare trait,
I feel, as some people have enough trouble admitting another opinion
exists :)!
 
fyi, the person I admired the most on this list is BIG.  BIG rocks!
 
for scientific evidence vs anecdoctal evidence..  not sure that one is
more valid than the other..  a scientific study can come to some result,
but without knowing the sample populations and the biases, it is hard to
determine how objective it is.  I enjoyed Dr Kawasaki's talk (I was not
at his table topic) at the St Louis symposium, although it was a bit over
my head.  my questions about the raisins kidney relationship would be
about the age of the patients, environments of the patients, to give me a
better understanding as to whether the occurrences may be coincidences.
humans, after all, are really good at extrapolating non existant
patterns.  I question my vets all the time and if I pretend to be dumb,
they explain things better :)
 
I hope the gentleman, Kevin, who decided against Ferret Aid 2006 will
change his mind, the symposiums are really a lot of fun, and so much
ferret goodies for the kids (and yourseff)!  and think about meeting
a black footed ferret for real!  and its always fun to meet ferret
obsessees.
 
my 2 maltese ferret pennies :)
 
Selina, Sprite, Dart, Clef, Popcorn, Sorin & Mochi
 
IFC Ferret Aid 2006
POOF!  Ferret ART Show and Silent Auction
http://ferretaid.org/events/ferret_aid_2006.html
 
p.s. BIG, can I start a Lupron vs Surgery debate next?  or have I made
enough trouble?  ;)
[Posted in FML issue 5195]