Here's a question for the scientific types. I've repeatedly seen statements that plant protein is not digested as well by ferrets as animal protein. Does anyone have an explanation for this factoid? I'm aware of the fact that ferrets have a short digestive tract and that non-plant sources of food generally have more concentrated nutrition, i.e., a greater proportion of protein and fat than plants a have. BUT, what is it about plant protein that's less acceptable for ferrets? Certainly ferrets don't macerate plant food the way a herbivore or an omnivore (like a human) does, and if you don't break open the cell wall, you don't digest what's inside. That's not an issue with a processed plant food like peanut butter which has lots of protein and fat and which most ferrets love. Why would the protein in peanut butter be less accessible than the protein in chicken for example? Protein is protein (assuming the amino acids are all left-handed) and it gets broken down by digestive enzymes and the amino acids are taken in through the gut. What's the diff? --Jeff (I'm-an-epidemiologist-not-a-protein-chemist) Johnston [log in to unmask] P.S. I'm not contemplating putting my guys on a vegetarian diet. I just don't understand the reasoning behind the accepted wisdom. [Posted in FML issue 1498]