>I've read that fish is not required in a ferrets diet. I read that >their closest family member eats more rodents, birds, amphibians, etc >than they would a fish. I read that mink require fish, and that is >where the myth began that fish needs to be in ferret food. Now........ >am I right or wrong. I'd like to know. Did I fall upon some interent >rumor, a good hypothesis, or did I run into the truth? Which? There are some EXCELLENT posts by the ferret-specialist vet, Dr. Jerry Murray, in the Ferret Health List Archives (which are VERY easy to search at http://fhl.sonic-weasel.org/ ) on the IMPORTANT roles for health maintenance that some of the fatty acids from fish can play. Just type in "fish" and "AFERRETVET", and you'll find his posts: 3, 12, 2002 Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Update, Warning, And Insulinoma YG11849 1, 22, 2002 Re: [Ferret-Health-list] more on omega fatty acids, some YG10399 12, 8, 2001 Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Answers on Melatonin usage YG9239 9, 8, 2001 Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Re: Can anyone tell me how YG7127 8,18, 2001 Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Bob C and treats YG6473 6, 1, 2001 Re: [Ferret-Health-list] RE: Flaxseed oil YG4221 5, 8, 2001 Re: [Ferret-Health-list] RE: K/D vs Eukanuba YG3372 4, 27, 2001 Re: [Ferret-Health-list]RE: Mad cow disease YG3005 3, 23, 2001 Kidney disease and proper foods YG1651 3, 21, 2001 Re:good treats. YG1558 3, 10, 2001 Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Corn over Rice YG1074 On the other side, one would not want to give a diet that was mostly fish without supplementing Vitamin E because in that case with someof the fish yellow fat disease can be caused and kill the ferret, as may other but slower possible nutritional problems. Here ius a taste from a few quoted parts (I have his permission to quote.) but do go read the entire things: >As for diets: the higher the protein and the fat the better. Low fiber >and low carbohydrates. Unfortunately your statement about ferrets being >unable to digest corn is not accurate. Your comments about fish are >also not accurate. Fish is highly digestable and a high quality protein >source. It actually has a higher value than chicken! Plus it contains >the important omega-3 fatty acids. Yes fish does smell like fish, but >it is a good protein source! Wheat, Zupreem's main carbohydrate source, >contains about 11.5% protein (actually higher than the protein content >of corn ~9%). Wheat also has a higher post prandial (after meal) gluose >response than corn. Better than rice better worse than corn! As for >treats: avoid raisins, cereals, bananas, and candy. Cooked meats, >cooked eggs, Hill's a/d, and Gerber's baby food (chicken and turkey) >You are right both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty oils are needed in the >diet, but it is the ratio of the 2 that is important. In dogs and cats, >the ratio of O-6 to O-3 should be 5 to 1 to 10 to 1. It is likely the >ferrets ratio would be similar to the cats. > >... The big picture is flax seed oil is good but fish oil is probably >better. That is why Iams kitten, Eukanuba kitten, Totally Ferret, >and Marshall's ferret food all have fish oil in them. (Marshall's >also uses fish as protein source.) >Omega-3s are also in fish oil, salmon, herring, and tuna. They do >indeed help with the fur coat and reduce itchiness of the skin. There >is a recent article in the Lancet (British medical journal) that reports >Omega-3s may even prevent certain cancers in people. If you want an oil >supplement then flaxseed oil or fish oil is a good option. There is MORE, so go read those! DO note that he is careful to use qualifiers like "may" when something is hypothetical; and then go with what hypotheses you choose to follow after reading a lot of info, and always recall that degrees and levels of items can alter the effects; for example it may be that complex carbohydrates over a certain amount can have bad effects but lower than that won't have bad effects -- but the actual amount remains unknown. Yes, you can do without fish and not suffer as a result IF you supplement those fatty acids form another source like flax seed oil, but be SURE to refrigerate that oil and keep it away from lights and only buy a small amount at a time; it breaks down rapidly. (Eating the GI tract of frogs may be one way that polecats get fish indirectly -- but that is ONLY a guess and could be way off. For all that I know of frog omega fatty acid components they may be direct source.) [Posted in FML issue 3947]