It is one thing to say that an animal can't properly digest something, but quite another to claim that it is harmful in small amounts. Humans regularly eat foods they can't digest (non-soluble fiber, for instance). Obviously, ferrets are not humans. But many ferret foods have ground corn or some other grain as a major ingredient, which also contains indigestible fiber (although, as we know, total fiber is limited in any good ferret meal). Of course we also know that ferrets can be prone to blockages so we must watch things, but there is probably no need to be extreme or paranoid about it. The fact is that small (I very much want to emphasize "small") amounts of fruit or vegetable are not likely to hurt ferrets. Of course caution should be used. We know for example that there are stories of ferrets being harmed by grapes or raisins in a few cases... yet some reputable ferret foods contain raisin juice! I suspect that in most of those cases, the ferrets somehow got more than just a few grapes or raisins. One of Fred's favorite treats is a dried cranberry. They are small, often smaller than raisins, and I only give him one. Usually no more than one in an entire day. 8-in-1, makers of 8-in-1 Ultimate, one of the highest-rated ferret foods, sells "Ferret Bites" ferret treats in a can. I have some here. Ferret bites contain (among other things) bits of raisin, dried banana, dried pineapple, and dried papaya. I know of no reports of ferrets ever coming to harm from eating Ferret Bites. But as I stated in the beginning: moderation is probably key here. Once I came home with cases of lettuce. Lacking any better place to put them, I left them on the kitchen floor. Then I went in the other room and sat down for a while, forgetting that Fred was loose. I went to investigate a noise in the kitchen, and found Fred burrowing his way through a head of lettuce. I mean literally digging a tunnel through it. Apparently just for fun, but he did stop and nibble on little bits here and there. I also found him in the refrigerator one time (he can open it but it is very difficult so he doesn't do it often), again nibbling on some lettuce. No harm came to him either time. Though of course I kept an eye on him after, just in case. Fred likes apples and pears, and even oranges. Whenever I eat an apple or pear, he bugs me for "his" piece. I will cut him a small piece (again: very small... maybe the size of 3 pennies stacked together) and he runs off with it and eats it. Occasionally he tries to come back for more, but he knows I will not normally give him more than one per day... it actually averages out to a lot less than that, because I don't eat them every day. Once he ran off with a whole apple. I thought it was far too big for him to pick up, but he grabbed it by the stem. I wasn't worried about it; I thought it was too big and round for him to bite. But he managed somehow anyway, and had nibbled a pretty good-sized chunk out of it before I discovered that he had and took it away. Again, he has never shown any signs of harm from any of these things. In fact, I left a paper bag full of apples on my kitchen counter one time, only to again hear a commotion from there some time later. Fred had climbed up on the counter, and had opened a drawer. He already had most of the apples out of the bag, and he was rolling them, one by one, into the drawer. I think he had visions of the world's biggest ferret stash of apples. I almost felt bad that I had to stop him. Anyway: my point is that I believe that there is probably no harm in occasional, small quantities. Of course we have to make sure that it's not something that is poisonous, and you never know when an allergy might occur. But for the most part, little bits of fruit or vegetable probably do no harm to an otherwise healthy ferret. But I would not make it a regular -- or certainly not significant, anyway -- part of their diet. Lonny Eachus [Posted in FML 7251]