I feed 22 different brands of food, including ferret, cat, kitten, and one dog food. (I heard those gasps). Wonder why? Because I bought the brands that each ferret that entered our home was eating so that the food issue wouldn't be a source of stress on them in addition to the new home issues. Ferrets do not normally change foods easily. If a ferret has been eating a low quality food and then is suddenly switched to a high quality food (i.e. higher meat protein and fat content) this can lead to gastro-intestinal distress and the ferret not eating proper amounts needed, resulting in diarrhea, vomitting, and wasting. Oh and their favorite cereal too - Marshmallow Mateys. The dog food came from when I had dogs, the ferrets loved stealing it and even though the dogs are gone I still serve the dog kibble, to the delight of the ferrets. The cereal and dog food help to entice the little ones to eat, sort of like our appetizers. I also serve 4 different recipes (duck soup - my own versions) morning and night, that have the nutrients the little ones need and that everyone eats. The kibble content in the main recipe is made up of 5-7 different kibbles (Felidae, Evolve, TF, Zupreem, Pinnacle, SD, Chicken soup for the kitten lovers soul) with a can of A/D tossed in, oatmeal baby cereal, brewers yeast, electrolytes, vitamins and supplements. The other recipes are made with baby food, one with lamb, one with Turkey and one with chicken. My goal is to keep the little ones eating well and that includes allowing them to eat the foods they like, in addition to the recipes. Several little ones eat only the recipes, ferret preference as to which one. Peanut and Ferrets are close to 10 yrs old and they eat kibble and recipe (both are terminal but we take it one day at a time). Peanut has been with us since early 1998 and was estimated at 2.5 yrs when he joined our family. Peanut has severe IBD, kidney failure, and is adrenal, walks on his tippy toes (his feet look so fragile and old) with his ferrety back hump held high and his tail arched up over his sparsely furred back. Ferris joined us in 99 and I was told he was 5 yrs old then. Ferris has to have his bladder expressed and has some sort of a neurological problem which causes his head to turn back towards his right shoulder then he tips over and arches his legs out. It's heartbreaking to see but Ferris's attitude is priceless - he lays there till his seizure stops then he gets up and toddles around again. Ferris often falls into his recipe saucer but he takes it all in stride and then when he falls over he spends his time licking himself clean of recipe which he prefers to the baths. Ferris doesn't like to be assisted and will struggle to be left to do it on his own. I can't count the many times I've put him in a bed he was trying to get into, only to have him crawl back out, glare at me, circle the bed and go back in himself. He will sometimes allow me to hold him while he laps up his recipe but not very often. Both boys aren't long for our realm, and I'll have to make that decision sometime, but for now we take it one day at a time and I sneak in as many cuddles and kisses as the boys will allow. Tle www.ferretfamilyservices.org [Posted in FML issue 4836]