Once they are over 6 months in age it is generally harder to introduce ferrets to a new taste. Some never accept new flavors but most do if you gently rub a bit on their gums and noses a few times and let them lick it. (With died foods the things to do are to mix the foods together during an introduction, or even grind some of the old food and let it be a powdered covering for the new food.) This is one reason why people who have had ferrets a long time usually feed a mix of foods and introduce a lot of flavors, esp. ones that will be needed when a ferret takes sick like assorted types of meat baby foods and a/d, to ferrets when they are kits. >Hello everyone!! I was doing some research online on Marshall Farms. I >have only heard negative feedback about them. Does anyone own a Marshall >ferret? Do you have any problems with him/her? I contacted Marshall and >they sent me an article that was written about them on March 18, 2002. >If you would like to read it, I will happily forward it to you. Well, we have had ferrets from a range of breeders in our family for 20 years and the MFs have not differed from any from other sources in health or longevity of their ferrets. Simply no difference at all. What have differed poorly here have been some fancies, and that has been totally independent of the sources (farms, small breeders) so we are avoiding pandas and blazes now in case that wasn't a statistical quirk and really was a reflection of a genetic problem that impacts beyond the well documented hearing problems that can occur. (There are pandas and blazes that I have heard about who have or have had normal lifespans of 7 or 8 years, but I've heard of more dying younger -- that is NOT a scientific sampling,though, so may mean absolutely squat. To be safest just be extra careful to get regular check-ups and medical tests a bit younger on them and more consistently.) If you want the best chance of a long life and best health then you need to find a private breeder who has been careful to keep long and detailed records of health and longevity that you can check. Show championships mean nothing except looks, and I have heard of some champion lines that have ferrets which lived to only 5 years old which is far too young. >[Moderator's note: If it was on the FML, I have it, of course. Lemme >know please. BIG] Yep. At the top of every issue of the FML is info on accessing the FML archives which are at http://listserv.cuny.edu/archives/ferret-search.html . Thanks for having those and the list, and the faqs, and the SOS list, and so much more, Bill! [The last couple of months will be there by the end of March. BIG] >I have to ask...Why? Why dye your ferrets fur, for what possible purpose >would a sane and rational ferret keeper decide to change its fur colour? It comes in very handy if there are two who look rather similar and one needs medications in the wee hours when you are likely to be sleepy. Food coloring can prevent a dangerous mistake then. Nor do they find it "humiliating"; if they realize that it gets them attention they get happily excited about it being renewed every two weeks or so. We have had fine results from it when used for that purpose. Sukie For health information: http://geocities.com/sukieslist http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Ferret-Health-List [Posted in FML issue 3730]