>From:  Ben Brown <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Hello, aspen
>I was wondering about aspen shavings?
 
This is the choice of many of the ferret ranches.  Despite the very negative
attitude among some to any ferret ranches, many ranchers do care about their
ferrets and have settled on aspen as absorbant and relatively safe for
ferrets.  We still prefer old t-shirts as about the best bedding though.
 
>From:  George <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Cages
 
Safeguard sells suitable one-level cages for under $50.  Multi-level cages
under $60.  KW cages in California sells similar "rabbit cages" for similar
prices.
 
>From:  [log in to unmask]
>Subject: More on Feed
 
Everybody has made good points in this "debate".  Totally Ferret was tested
to some extent on ferrets in peoples homes - the AFA provided some
volunteers if I remember correctly.  It does have some compromises.  Being a
kibbled food in a sack is for peoples convinience.  I'm still convinced it
is the "best" of what is now available but not perfect.  It is too rich for
some ferrets and a maintenance diet I believe is under development.  Mixing
of foods is a good choice.  We rely primarily on only a few as our ferrets
have rejected several offereings.  We also appreciate the ability to tune
the diet to some extent based on mixing different proportions at different
times of the year.
 
But "by-products" can be both good and bad.  Horses obviously gain little
from chicken feathers as they are herbivores, but carnivores such as the
ferret can gain from non-muscle meats and even coarser by-products.  When a
carnivore eats an animal in the "wild" it eats the whole thing.  Even pieces
of skin, fur, feathers and bones.  Some nutrition is gained from these.  But
the point that cheaper foods use cheaper by-prodcuts is apt.  Too much fur
and feathers is not good but cheaper for the manufacturer.  Performance
Foods and Iams do seem to try to use the proper proportions of by-products
to suit their products.
 
There is no one single "right" answer.  There also though is no single mix
or single food that is right for all people's ferrets.  A single ferret
won't eat as much as a dozen or more.  Mixing too many foods will cause
freshness problems.  Some folks' ferrets have different needs than others.
Breeders are different than altered.  Different genetics result in different
needs.  As Mo'Bob pointed out the size difference in ferret genders put them
in two different food niches while still wild polecats.
 
>From:  Peria Area Ferret Connection <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: European Ferrets
>Does any one have information on who is importing the very large European
>ferrets now being brought into this country.
 
Well one problem is the very large ferrets are American.  We have the widest
variety of nationalities in ferrets I know of with American, English,
German, Swedish and indirectly Russian of any breeder I know.  The American
ferrets are by far the largest.  English the smallest.  The only imported
ferret countries we don't have are Australian and Canadian of those I know
have been imported.  I haven't been all that impressed with the few Aussies
I saw but I obviously haven't seen them all.  If I see any I'm interested in
I'll bring some of them into the business.  Canadians are probably coming
soon.  We also have some reputed polecat stock in the backgrounds of a
couple - read James McKay's books for info on that... (Peter Polecat in
particular)
 
Lars who is on this list is bringing in Swedish.  I know about some English
arrangements that are being made but not annouced yet as far as I know.  I
don't know of any large scale German importation currently.
 
What is it you want to know about?  I'll have some of the English and
Swedish at the Chicago show.
 
bill and diane killian
zen and the art of ferrets
http://www.zenferret.com
mailto:[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1709]