The main problem with feeding any domestic animal live prey is that they often instinctively become more aggressive- they have to in order to survive- they have to hunt their food and kill it to live. Therefore they are more likely to play harder, fight more and potentially harm others either intentionally or unintentionally. Many people feed carnivore pets live prey in a well meaning way to create a more natural diet. However these animals have been domesticated for centuries and it is no more natural for them to eat live prey than it is for them to dig into the ground and live in a burrow at the stage of captivity they are now in. Owners of cats, dogs, ferrets, fennec foxes, and more often find that live fed pets are much more prone to aggression. People feed live prey like rabbits and cats to dogs that they are training to fight - because it makes them meaner. Live prey comes with its own set of dangers besides the behavioral negatives, such as parasites and diseases that survive in live animals but not in processed food or even raw and the chance of the predator being harmed for example. Prominant snake keepers advise owners to feed only prekilled rodents as approximately one time in ten a live prey will bite the snake which often dies from the wound or ensuing infection. Snakes truly need the whole animal prey as it is the only complete food that is optimal for their health as no suitable substitute has been created. Respected brands of processed ferret foods are created to ensure the consistancy and quality of nutrients needed for the ferret's health, whereas rodent prey is not so regulated. Anyone ever check the taurine level of each mouse being fed? Anyway, please note that I have said "often" and "most" etc in the general terms and not as all inclusive statements. Every animal is different and none can be said to do anything all the time. We have 25 free range ferrets, 15 cats, 3 dogs, and a fennec fox all loose in the house (the ferrets are confined to their very large room for their safety) and yet being in a rural setting we too have had the occassional field mouse loose in the house and yes a few have even made it to the ferret room - yet no ferret has ever killed any of them - we have witnessed the sleepy uninterested look of a ferret with a mouse on its back - and the rest of the animals find them mildly amusing as well- only 3 of the cats ( and 10 are strays that have been rescued) have ever actually killed a mouse here. We have several live traps around the house and luckily have only ever seen a few mice in the house, and caught and released a few too. We also care for dozens of pet mice, rats, and other rodents and all of the animals have never found any interest in those even at floor level - however with ferrets tending to be a bit more tenacious if not curious we do not house any other animals in with them. Beth www.crittercamp.biz [Posted in FML 6225]