Encouraging others to venture down the natural feeding path makes one a target for all sorts of comments; the loudest comments come from the nay sayers. Because these people think that speaking against something more loudly makes them more correct its hard to get those curious in the new adventure to speak up. Posting about how one simply breezes past a post only confirms what some of us know - you are bragging about choosing to remain ignorant, but can't stand being left out of a discussion. Apparently its ok for kibble feeders to make jokes at the expense of natural feeders,( I can recall a rather funny comment by one poster to feed chicken necks whenever a ferret had a problem) but sharing natural feeding views makes one a Taliban Missionary! It is encouraging though to see that the natural feeding program does have many people looking at what their ferrets eat. I get several requests from folks typically scared to even try because of the myths and repeated scare tactics of the "feed only kibble crew", I too was on pins and needles when first offering raw items to my first ferret. But she soon proved to me that propaganda can be ignored and evolution cannot be denied! The other 15 ferrets coming to my home have proved the same thing! IF people would simply LOOK and SEE their ferrets for the wonderful critters they are - they'd understand that Mother Nature designed a brilliant little predator with a surprisingly jovial, amenable nature that was naturally easy to domesticate. But domestication doesn't remove the eons behind their evolution. Domestication only enhances those qualities we deem suitable for us. Feeding naturally will not cause the ferret to become vicious, aggressive or reclusive. If anything the improved vigor they gain makes them more gregarious, energetic and playful! Maybe this increased vigor scares kibble feeders? Feeding naturally will NOT erase already well established health maladies like insulinoma or adrenal - think I've often acknowledged that and even expressed some first hand experiences with insulinomic ferrets turned natural feeders. Rescued ferrets with long standing health or emotional problems CAN benefit from natural feeding - but there is no way to reverse the ravages of years of poor food selections. Ferrets have no choice in what they eat - we keep them captive and give them what is convenient and suits our budget, its the ferret's innate desire to survive that keep them eating the stuff shoved in front of them. Its a credit to their survival skills that they live as long as they do on the foreign substances fed! Many folks want to offer their ferrets more enjoyment and enrichments and readily purchase toys, tunnels, cuddle cups treats and snacks and want to give them a good food. If the food labels said things like : "Ferret General Warning: Use of this product can cause your ferret to suffer IBD, tooth decay, gingivitis, periodontal disease, insulinoma and may contain toxic substances like raisins or cause intestinal blockages due to dried fruit.The nutrients in this product have not been studied to determine the exact requirements for the ferret." Much like the warning labels on alcohol and cigarette packages - how many consumers would heed those messages? How many would search out alternative foods? The jury may still be out on whether feeding naturally allows the ferret an actual longer life as opposed to kibble feeding, but it is certain that many maladies suffered by kibble fed ferrets are NOT encountered with natural fed ferrets! IF people had a choice to live and suffer with consistent digestive upset, sore teeth, blood sugar inconsistencies, depressed immune systems, recurrent diarrhea, limited zest, years of injections and medications that cause internal damages or to live those same number of years free of those problems - which would you choose? If people can make those same choices for their animal companions - is it really that difficult to choose? Marketing advertisers for kibble want you to feel good about feeding their product to your ferret. I want my ferrets to feel great from the food they eat! I encourage others to allow their ferrets a chance to feel great too! Until you feed naturally, you just don't know do you? Cheers, Kim please visit : for ferret help and info: http://holisticferret.proboards80.com/index.cgi http://ferretopia.proboards51.com/index.cgi yahoo groups Natural Ferrets [Posted in FML 6891]