cobalt <[log in to unmask]> wrote on 5/22/2007, 2:00 AM: >If you order from a website many will list what they feed their >rodents...while some rodent breeders will feed dog food, most snake >owners don't want rodents that have been raised on dog food, so most >breeders (that I know of) feed their rodents either mixed grains or >Mazuri pellets (https://www.mazuri.com/indexMazuri.asp), or another >form of pellets. Those rodent breeders that feed their own formulation >of pellets are just not large enough to be buying from China, nor is >rice gluten a usual ingredient in prepared laboratory rodent diets. The problem is, it is a lot more then just rice gluten that has been affected. It appears to involve other grains (and not just grain glutens). And, in some cases, the contaminated grains are bought from China by one company, and then sold to an intermediary who resells the product. That is part of the reason that the list of contaminated foods keeps expanding. I am not saying that the frozen prey being sold for food has eaten contaminated food - just that it would be wise for people who feed prey to check with their sources, and not to assume that it is safe. I honestly think that so far we have only scratched the tip of the iceberg on this, and may learn in months to come the problem is even more widespread then we now think it is. Hopefully, though, some good will come from this. This has been a wake up call to pet owners everywhere that the laws that govern the production of pet foods are sorely inadequate. Hopefully public outrage will bring about change in this area. -- Danee DeVore International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator http://www.ferretcongress.org ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com You can help fight ADV! Visit: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/ [Posted in FML 5616]