From Bill: > Not to imply that Nancy's advice doesn't have merit, of course. But my > opinion is that the risks are quite small compared to the risk of a car > accident speeding to the vet because you think that your furball is gonna > die because it ate a piece of raw meat it found in the garbage. (disclaimer: upon rereading the following, I realize that much of it sounds like I am flaming Bill. I am not. None of this was written as being aggressive or "flamable". I think for the most part we agree, just not on the same level of severity. So please read this as a debate, not a flame war. Bill and I are friends, and I respect his opinion very much, I in no way want to invalidate them, even if I don't necessarily agree with them.) [Rather than flamage, it seems a trifle overly-defensive. We should let this discussion settle down a bit...] Well, first I *NEVER* said or implied that if your ferret eats one piece of raw meat or a bowl of chocolate ice cream that you should rush them to the vet. I would however say that both would be cause to keep a closer eye on your ferret for a few days to make sure they are O.K. As far as Chocolate goes, your major argument is that noone has proved that chocolate is lethal to ferrets. Well, when my furries are concerned that's just plain not good enough. I want proof that it's *NOT* lethal to them (an no, one or two cases of ferrets eating half a bag of chocolate chips isn't adequate proof, that's an exception, not a rule). Salt - maybe my reason isn't valid, but ferrets still should not eat salt on anywhere near the scale that humans do. I never said that they should be put on a no-salt diet, that would be just as bad, but they do get plenty from a normal cat/ferret food diet. You shouldn't give them a bag of Dorito's to munch on. Sugar - I maintain my original statement that ferrets should be given minimal refined sugar. A taste is O.K., but no more. Fat soluble vitamins - my information is taken from well-informed sources on this one. I stand by it. (even though I don't remember exactly where I read it, I do remember the content) Raw meat - I also stand by my original statement. There is a risk involved in eating raw meat. If you want to take that risk, that's your business, I can't stop you. So much of my life is involved with saving and helping ferrets, I will *NOT* publically condone this practice that I consider to be potentially harmful. In a case where I was fairly certain that the meat was very fresh, such as a reputable sushi bar, then I might consider it. But if I found my ferrets eating a hunk of raw meat out of the garbage I would be concerned. The test in England that you cite, that's not a valid argument. I'm sure those were lab mice, and not your average parasite infested wild mouse. And saying that cats catch & eat mice isn't valid either, I know more than a few cats that have been treated for intestinal parasites, mites, etc.... Some of which were *VERY* sick. Allowing your pets to eat wild animals puts them at that risk. It's a decision you each have to make, I'm just saying that there is a risk involved that you should be aware of (and that I personally do not recommend it). > Right. But I'm sure glad I'm not in a cage being having my low salt, low > sugar, no chocolate, no dairy diet decided for me! If I thought that my ferrets had the appropriate knowledge to make an informed decision about what they ate, I would certainly allow them to choose their own diet. The simple fact is that they don't. [Perhaps I should point out that they did for millions of years before we imposed our knowledge on them...] Given the choice between a bowl of ferret/cat food and a bowl of their favorite treat, they would eat and eat their favorite treat and end up starving themselves to death. Another good example is anti-freeze. Should we allow our pets to drink as much as they want just because it tastes good and they choose to do so? Even though we know it's lethal with just a few drops? That is ludicrous. We have to use our knowledge to keep our pets healthy. If you are going to take chances and put your ferrets at risk, I contend that you should at least be informed enough to realize that you are doing so. I conceded that there are ferrets who live a perfectly healthy life on rabbits and mice, which is part of the diet of man working ferrets in Europe. But, it's also likely that your ferret could catch one mouse it's entire life and end up dying of some bizarre intestinal parasite. There is a risk involved. I admit that I do give my girls a lick or two of chocolate ice cream if I'm eating it. I'm informed enough about the consequences that I consider this a safe amount. But, I've heard of ferrets that have severe problems if given *ANY* cows milk at all. They'll have severe diarrhea and have to be given intravenous fluids. If they didn't know that cow's milk was the cause, they wouldn't know not to give the ferret any, and that ferret would end up dying. - Nancy Nancy Hartman CIS graduate student [log in to unmask] U. of Delaware President and founder, Delaware Valley Ferret Club Owner of Percy, Bree, & Popcorn, the ferrets [Posted in FML issue 0387]