Cara: My letter was a generic comment about making jerky, not necessarily for ferrets. I specifically stated that it came from University of Alaska food preservations studies. But if you want some that can be safely consumed by ferrets OR people, I strongly recommend you follow those guidelines. A large percentage of the Alaskan population supplements their diet with wild game, and UA has done a great deal of study on the matter for that reason. But if it is for your ferrets ONLY, then by all means allow / keep / put all the salmonella you want in your jerky treats. That is your prerogative. I was not trying to tell you do to otherwise. By the way: I also clearly wrote that the heat treatment was not about COOKING the chicken. It is a heat treatment only and has nothing to do with cooking. Lonny Eachus =========== [Posted in FML 7532]