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Post by lozmoz on Mar 22, 2011 22:16:59 GMT -5
 Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this.. i had a look around and thought i might as well post in here as this is just a general discussion! Something that is really getting on my nerves (well, apart from people who dont feed their ferrets the right food and will argue with you about how their way is better even if it is clearly not!) is the large amount of people saying how bad uncooked egg white is for any ferret. I had originally thought this to be the case (because SO MANY people in my country had told me it) but I now know differently and Rufus has been getting raw whole eggs for quite some time (and has not suffered any bad side effects like i was warned!) I feel the need to tell people that the egg white isn't bad but i want to know everyones opinion on it.. the problem i have is that when i say "actually you can feed the whole egg!" I dont really have anything to back it up when they say "no thats wrong, its poisonous for them!" So.. I am wondering if anyone can give me their best explanation as to why there is nothing wrong with feeding a whole egg, and as to why it is in fact GOOD for them, so that the next time anyone argues with me, i will be able to provide them with some factual information OK, end of rant!! hehehe sorry everyone!!! :-) :-) :-)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2011 22:25:09 GMT -5
There are two reasons why people say egg whites (or raw eggs in general) are bad. The first salmonella, the second is biotin deficiency. A ferrets digestive system is designed to handle a bacterial load. The egg yolk has some of the highest levels of biotin in nature to counteract the avidin that is supposed to cause biotin deficiencies. I'll look for some sources to back that up later  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2011 23:27:32 GMT -5
Here is one site that also support what I just posted. The two main reasons people are afraid to feed eggs are actually not an issue. Raw eggs are perfectly fine when fed as a part of a balanced diet. www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=myths |
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Post by Heather on Mar 22, 2011 23:35:38 GMT -5
You can feed whole eggs, after all the egg is the most perfectly balanced food. The problem is most people don't feed the shell too. You should be fine to feed the whole egg, feed some of the shell too. I wouldn't feed more than 2 or 3 within a week. Don't be surprised that your little ones have some funky poops afterwards but other than that, they handle the eggs fine.
ciao
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Post by katt on Mar 23, 2011 0:31:34 GMT -5
You can feed whole eggs, after all the egg is the most perfectly balanced food. The problem is most people don't feed the shell too. You should be fine to feed the whole egg, feed some of the shell too. I wouldn't feed more than 2 or 3 within a week. Don't be surprised that your little ones have some funky poops afterwards but other than that, they handle the eggs fine. ciao As Heather said, they are nutritionally complete...when the entire thing is eaten. On it's own, egg whites could be bad, but with the yolk it is fine. The egg is designed to harbor and grow a developing baby for a long time period. I has to provide the growing chick with all of the nutrients it needs to grow - in perfect balance, as well as be able to effectively minimize waste. Wouldn't want the baby chicken growing up in a container full of it's own waste!  That would be very hazardous to it's health. The egg is a perfectly balance little machine. This is what makes it so healthy. For humans, cooking the egg denatures most of the biotin. But as Jackie said, raw they balance each other out. As long as the rest of the diet is well balanced as well, there is no issue. IF you fed ONLY egg whites, then you might have some problems. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2011 17:10:02 GMT -5
"I has to provide the growing chick with all of the nutrients it needs to grow - in perfect balance, as well as be able to effectively minimize waste. Wouldn't want the baby chicken growing up in a container full of it's own waste! That would be very hazardous to it's health."
Never actually thought about that Katt....very cool!
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Post by lozmoz on Mar 24, 2011 22:15:45 GMT -5
Thanks everyone :-) That is just what I've been TRYING to say but not knowing how to say it :-)
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Post by katt on Mar 29, 2011 17:12:43 GMT -5
"I has to provide the growing chick with all of the nutrients it needs to grow - in perfect balance, as well as be able to effectively minimize waste. Wouldn't want the baby chicken growing up in a container full of it's own waste! That would be very hazardous to it's health." Never actually thought about that Katt....very cool! *ahem self-important throat clearing* I'm an egg expert didn't ya know? ;D Hahaha jk We learned that in Physiology actually. My favorite class ever.   |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2011 17:36:18 GMT -5
 coolbeans! |
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That would be very hazardous to it's health. The egg is a perfectly balance little machine. This is what makes it so healthy. For humans, cooking the egg denatures most of the biotin. But as Jackie said, raw they balance each other out. As long as the rest of the diet is well balanced as well, there is no issue. IF you fed ONLY egg whites, then you might have some problems.
