>From:    Elwin Bullard II <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: The Meow Mix defense
>To the folks who think I'm horrible:
>You don't understand, I tried to wean Ootz off Meow Mix when she was the
>only ferret.  If did not work.  She will not eat anything that does not
>taste like MM.  She did not eat for a about a week one time because I would
>not put anything but MF ferret food in her bowl.
 
Elwin, I don't want to encourage your feeding of Meow Mix, but in your
defense...
 
Back in '86 when we got Sidney, we knew nothing about ferrets or their
nutrition requirements.  We fed Sidney nothing but a grocery store boxed cat
food (I think it was "Special Dinners") and he lived a normal, healthy life
of 7+ years.  He never had one health problem in all those years.
 
On the other hand, why feed that stuff if you know better, as I do now, and
why take the chance?  I'm sorry, but I also cannot believe that Ootz would
go a week without eating rather than touch MF ferret food.  A ferret that
has gone that long without food would probably eat any garbage it could
find.  By the way, the proper way to switch their food is to add increasing
amounts of the new food to her present food every day or so.  Don't just
dump something new on 'em.
 
When we rescued Beasley, we were told "He won't anything but this..." with
"this" being MF ferret food.  We got him switched off of that in about a
week or so by slowly adding more and more IAMS to the MF food.
 
For the ferrets,
Mike
 
* Michael F. Janke - [log in to unmask]
* Member, South Florida Ferret Club & Rescue
* Shelter Home Page - http://www.bridge.net/~mjanke
*
* Opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily
* those of the South Florida Ferret Club & Rescue
[Posted in FML issue 1922]