Yesterday, debi s wrote: >I honestly believe that food is NOT the main factor to a healthier >long lived ferret but instead it's the healthcare they receive and >the genetic background of the ferret." I know others have said something similar and I agree with them. I have not had as many ferrets as some people on the list, but I have been owned by ferrets for over 20 years. My first ferret (1983-1990) was fed Meow Mix or Cat Chow, depending on which one I bought when I went shopping. She was also given cherry Nibs as treats on several occasions. She was not an extremely long-lived ferret, only making it to the average lifespan of about 7 years, but she had no health problems until she was 7 when she developed a cancerous tumor on her shoulder. The four ferrets that I have had since then (2 from 1996-2003; 1 from 2005-2010, 1 from 2005- ) have been fed high-quality cat food or ferret food. All of them developed adrenal disease or insulinoma. If we are looking at food as the only contributor to good health, then I should go back to feeding Meow Mix. I'll just ignore the fact that the last four were all early alters and the first was not; it is the food that made the difference in their health! Inez [Posted in FML 6894]