I have many times seen the claim that ferrets who are fed prey have cleaner and whiter teeth. For some this may be true, but it is not always the case. I have nothing against feeding ferrets raw prey. I also have nothing against feeding ferrets kibble or other commercial foods. I feed my kids a variety of things, and let them pick and choose what they want to eat. I have 5 ferrets that are about 2 years old, and 4 of those eat mostly prey. The fifth eats only kibble, despite my many attempts to switch her over. The prey eaters have eaten prey since they were kits, so they have never really eaten kibble at all. In the past few months, all 4 of the prey eaters have needed to have their teeth professionally cleaned by my vet, while the kibble eating ferret still has clean white teeth. Of my 1 year old ferrets, 2 of the 3 are starting to get a tartar buildup, and so I have started brushing their teeth regularly. All 3 of them eat a primarily prey diet. I have a girl who is almost 9, and eats only kibble. I had her teeth cleaned when she was about 6, and they still look in good condition. She has not lost any teeth, although it is clear on close inspection that her back molars have been worn down. Now, I will say that eating kibble can cause an unusual wear pattern on the back teeth. Whether this is a substantial problem or not I do not know. Some experts say it is, but many vets feel it is not. I am not saying that all ferrets eating a prey diet will need their teeth cleaned. I am sure there are many who don't. But, what I am saying is that eating prey may not by itself be an answer to preventing dental problems in all ferrets. I think that dental problems are related to a lot more then just diet. As an example - my husband and I eat pretty much the same things. He tends to have a lot of dental problems, while I have none. But, his father and some of his siblings also have moderate to severe dental problems. My parents and brother, like me, have good teeth with only normal routine care. So, I think there is likely a genetic component to dental problems or lack of them. The other thing I frequently hear about ferrets fed a prey diet is that their feces are nearly odorless. Again, that is not my experience. The odor varies greatly according to what they eat, though. And, I know there are others who feed a prey diet who agree with me. My experience is that when they eat chicks or chicken, their feces have the worst odor. A meal of mice or rats produces less odor then chicken does, but still has more odor then my kibble fed kids. But, even kibble fed ferrets can have varying degrees of odor in their feces. A ferret that eats a kibble with a lot of fish and fish oil will generally have more odor to the feces then a ferret fed a kibble with little or no fish in it. I have always stayed away from kibbles that contain a lot of fish, and that may be why my kibble fed ferrets have less odor to their feces. In the end, as others have said, it is a matter of owner preference. There are pros and cons to all of the different feeding methods. What is important is to provide your ferrets with a diet high in animal protein and fat, and as low as possible in carbohydrates. I have shared this link before, and I will include it again. It is an article that looks at the pros and cons of the 3 main feeding methods - commercially prepared foods, homemade cooked diets, and raw prey or raw meaty bones diets. The article is geared toward dogs, and so some of the specifics about nutritional needs are not applicable, but the overall message does apply. http://www.petsynergy.com/overview.html My own experience is that feeding a raw prey diet is a lot more expensive then feeding a high quality commercial food, unless you have an inexpensive source of prey items. But, I do not find feeding a prey diet to really be any less convenient or messy. It did take some practice to learn the best way to feed the prey without ending up with prey stashed all over my house. But, once the logistics were worked out, it is no less convenient. The ferrets that eat prey really do like it, also. Danee DeVore ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know! For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com ADV - Find out how you can help: http://help4adv.terrabox.com/ [Posted in FML 6235]