Q: "I was wondering, do you find that the ferrets have lower output with your gravy?....Sorry about the poop mail....." A: Don't worry about it; my ferrets are always sending me poop mail. There is a correlation between AMOUNT if feces and QUALITY of food; after all, what comes out the back end is essentially the stuff that exceeds demand, is indigestible, or is conveyed too rapidly to be metabolized. A surprising amount of poopie is not undigested food, but cellular debris from the intestines and bacteria. If digestion was 100% efficient, then you wouldn't expect much (or any) residue afterwards, but digestion is not as efficient as you might think. There is a lot of good stuff left which feeds an army of insects that have learned to love the abundance. Generally speaking, lower quality foods result in higher poopie yields because more of the stuff is being eliminated per meal. I have noticed that my ferrets put out about half as much as when they ate a kibble diet. But there is a danger (explained in the post below) that a diet low in indigestible fiber could exacerbate or directly cause problems. If you make Bob's Chicken Gravy from the original recipe, you will find I recommend adding a little fiber or oatmeal to the mix. the reason is to approximate the effect of hair and other indigestible parts a ferret would ingest if eating whole prey. It adds bulk, which makes elimination easier. I would still recommend petromalt or other vet approved compound to reduce the problem of hairballs. Q: "So how do wild mustelids (like polecats) keep from getting hairballs ... do they have secret stashes of Petromalt hidden somewhere?" A: Yes; they buy it in miniature underground malls, in shops called "Stash and Carrion." Who says they don't? I am sure some do, but I think the incidence of hairballs in domesticated ferrets is higher. Have you ever seen a mustelid in the wild? They crash through tall grass, rub over uneven surfaces and roll around on the ground. The mechanical action of moving through snags and brambles removes much of the loose hair and debris which is left on caged ferrets whose main physical challenge is climbing into a hammock. Wild polecats also take frequent dust baths and wriggling in the dirt also helps rid their fur of loose hairs. Finally, consuming whole prey is a type of natural petromalt because the tiny bone fragments and connective tissue snag hair and move it through (which is the point of petromalt, right?). There is one other thing some carnivores do which is cathartic in nature; they eat grass. A lot of times, the grass induces vomiting which helps bring up hairballs, but some of the smaller fragments pass on through, sort of fishing for those loose hairs. Frequent brushing and grooming of your ferret will go a long way towards eliminating problems with hairballs, as will giving a weekly dose of petroleum jelly or petromalt. If your ferret hates petromalt, mix a bit of ferrettone (or other favorite treat) into regular petroleum jelly, OR you can fill an empty gelatin capsule with petromalt and push it in like any pill (the gelatin will dissolve in the stomach, releasing the petromalt to do its thang). Both petroleum jelly and petromalt work because they are sticky and indigestible, catching those nasty little hairs on their trip through the poop chute. One thing that I have noticed (but have not done a study) is that adrenal ferrets have a worse problem with hairballs than healthy ferrets. During my necropsies, I have noted ferrets that have died of adrenal disease have hairballs in their stomach at least 5 to 8 times more often than ferrets that have died of other diseases. The reason is apparent; they lose their hair as a result of the disease and ingest more during grooming. Q: "As a Christian, I am horribly offended at your continual reference to evolution when discussing ferrets..." A: I love the hell-fire smell of theistic terrorism in the morning.... Science answers questions of a physical nature and theism answers questions of a spiritual one. I answer questions of a ferret nature. Since humans domesticated ferrets, which required change (aka: evolution) from a wild form to a domestic one; it is appropriate and proper to discuss those changes in a context of change (aka: evolution). I am sure your confusion regarding the definition of evolution could be eliminated with a trip through a dictionary, as well as your attitude towards people who disagree with you with a trip through the Beatitudes. Bob C and 16 Mo' Nippy Neandertals [Posted in FML issue 3024]