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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 1:56:30 GMT -5
Hello everyone. Me and my partner have decided after much thought to look into getting a ferret. So I decided to join this forum to gather some more information. Because working at a petstore ive learned that most times the things that people at the companies tell you isnt always the best choice for nutrition. We wont be getting our new little addition for around 6-8 months yet but as with bringing any new fur baby into your life its best to be as prepared as possible! The few questions I did have were 1. What is the best brand cat food to feed. (I know raw or live food is preferable but its not an option for me unfortunately) 2. Dog and ferret? Best way to socialize? 3. Does anyone else have any opinion on letting the ferrets having free run of most the house (ferret proofed of course) Also with the exception of at night and when we are not home. 4. Any litter for the litter box that is not good for ferrets? Maybe cat litter? Do they tend to eat it? Thank you for any input. Will be greatly appreciated. (Side note: I do work at a holistic pet store so I have access to pretty much any animal product you could imagine. I like my animals to have the best nutrition possible.)
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Post by Heather on Nov 26, 2012 2:06:36 GMT -5
Hi I believe if your going to feed kibbles Epigen 90 is one of your best, I really haven't been paying much attention to it, I've been feeding raw for almost 20 yrs. If you work at a holistic pet store, why won't you consider raw, which is by far the best product? I love the protein variety at my holistic pet store. Dog/ferret.....avoid unless your dog is absolutely amazing. Dogs kill ferrets almost as much as accidents do and it's heartbreaking. No one is ever fast enough. I find it depends on the breed and the dog's mental state (prey drive). Some dogs I wouldn't trust with your ferret no matter what others with supervision. My ferrets run the house 24/7. I do have cages because I have multiple play groups but you will find quite a few people who allow their ferrets free run. Litter....use non-clumping, dust free. I use recycled rolled paper but many use wood pellet. Ferrets don't usually eat the litter but they do love snorkelling in it ciao
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 2:37:03 GMT -5
Hello and welcome! I don't know much about feeding cat food as Remus is on a raw meat diet. As far as dogs and ferrets, I introduced my dogs to Remus by bringing them in leashed while the ferret was in the cage, letting them sniff through the bars. I've worked my way up to being okay with them in the room unsupervised while the ferret is in the cage but I ABSOLUTELY WOULD NOT leave them both out together. If that's what you mean by letting your ferret free roam, I wouldn't advise it. I use Yesterday's News cat litter but wood pellets (not shavings) work well and are inexpensive.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 4:25:22 GMT -5
Why is raw not an option? I feed mine raw ground meat that I've frozen as well as frozen and defrosted organs. And ferret kibble. It's really not hard or expensive (cheaper than tinned food!) and doesn't take up much space in my freezer. Warning: Cat food makes your ferret smell. Don't use clumping litter. I like ones made from recycled paper.
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Post by manda on Nov 26, 2012 4:40:26 GMT -5
Welcome! I'm sure you'll know everything there is to know about ferrets by then, no worries And for the cat food everywhere I have read has said that Purina Kitten food is the best.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 7:54:31 GMT -5
Welcome! I'm sure you'll know everything there is to know about ferrets by then, no worries And for the cat food everywhere I have read has said that Purina Kitten food is the best. Purina is trash for any animal. It nearly killed my cat Merlin. I'll give you a hint- any food you can buy at a chain pet store, super market or big box department store such as Walmart or Target is NOT something you want to fed ANY animal. These stores do not sell any good quality foods, they only sell sugared up grain filled crap. If you feel you must feed a kibble, you can use this website to help you pick a good one out. moredooks.herobo.com/search.php?chart=ferret Hopefully that link works for you, there appears to be a DNS error for some people and it hasn't been working for me lately. The "best" kibbles to feed are Wysong Epigen 90 (ferret), Orijen cat, Go! Fit & Free, Wellness Core cat, Nature's Variety Instinct with freeze dried raw bits. Avoid any food with any grains such as corn, wheat, barley, rice. Minimum protein is 40%, minimum fat should be 20%. Raw is still your best option. If you can afford the high quality, grain free kibbles you could feed commercial raw your store should sell such as NVI, S&C's, Bravo etc and supplement with raw, meaty bones for dental care. Avoid all clay and clumping litters.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 16:54:45 GMT -5
Eukanuba. ... not sure if I spelled that right.
It's sold at vets quite often.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 26, 2012 17:02:32 GMT -5
Eukanuba is also one of those I refer to as "cr*p in a bag" You know it's bad when you can't access the ingredient list on their site ;D
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 17:11:26 GMT -5
It's important to base your kibble choices on your own research, reading the ingredients, looking at the guaranteed analysis, etc. You can't go by what the vet sells, or something you heard from someone who works at a pet store There is probably more false information about ferrets out there going around than true information.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 17:15:05 GMT -5
Eukanuba. ... not sure if I spelled that right. It's sold at vets quite often. Vet's also shill Science Diet which is also complete crap... they are not taught proper nutritional science at veterinary schools. They are taught what the sponsors teach them, and guess who sponsors a lot of vet schools? You guessed it, big pet food does. It's sad that these highly educated people honestly don't know any better. You have absolutely got to read the label on these things and learn what is good and what isn't so you can make informed decisions.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 17:19:55 GMT -5
Yeah you're right, I just tried to find their ingredients and they're sure not displayed in order of percentages.
Never thought about the sponsorship thing before. Feel silly now.
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Post by Sherry on Nov 26, 2012 18:26:57 GMT -5
No need to feel silly I fed vet cr*p for years before I started doing my own research.
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Post by Heather on Nov 26, 2012 21:38:07 GMT -5
A lot of people do. I can remember one time mentioning things were a lot simpler when I took the vet's word at face value and didn't know a lot of the information that I do now...but my cats only lived to be about 13 as compared to 22 and my giant breed dogs lived to be 12 yrs. instead of 7. So, don't ever feel bad because you believed, many, many people still do and don't see enough to ask questions beyond what is said by the professionals ciao
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Post by Sherry on Nov 27, 2012 0:17:11 GMT -5
And this is why cats are considered seniors at 8 years of age, and now ferrets at 4 years of age.
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Post by Jeremy's Boggle on Nov 27, 2012 0:30:24 GMT -5
Please feed ferret food and not cat food. Wysong's ferret food is highly recommended by others. I have a girl who may be her reported age 1yr but has the body of a 3 yr old and is blind due to malnutrition caused by eating cat food. No cat food PLEASE www.wysong.net/ferret-food.php
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