The Great Pet Food Debate- Raw vs. Cooked

Following last summer’s pet food recalls, many pet owners have opted to make their own pet foods a home. If you are one of these people, or thinking of being one of these people, you’ll undoubtedly need to find a few pet food recipes and stock up on vitamin supplements for your home made food. Most importantly, however, you will need to decide whether to feed you pet a raw or cooked food diet. Those who advocate for raw food diets often claim that raw foods are richer in fats and proteins and better for your ferret’s teeth than cooked food. Raw food advocates will also claim that feeding your fuzzy raw food helps decrease his or her likelihood of developing concerns &other such illnesses and can improve not only the quality of life of your ferret, but its lifespan as well. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to support these claims. Though there may be potential benefits to feeding your pet raw food diets, there are risks too, to both your health and theirs. In fact, the Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association has gone so far to say that “the documented evidence of `health risks (of raw diets) outweigh the perceived benefits” (Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association – official position, 2006). The American Veterinarian Medical Association is also against raw food diets; their concerns, however, seem to be less centered on bacterial health risks to humans and animals and more focused on dietary inadequacies and imbalances in raw food diets (Freeman et al. Journal of American Veterinarian Association, 2001). Additionally, the Public Health Agency of Canada has raised red flags about raw food diets. They are concerned with potential health risks for pets from increased exposure to bacteria, parasites and protozoa found in raw foods and the risks that this poses to the humans, especially to children, pregnant women and elderly people as well as others with compromised immune functions who find themselves in contact with the pet. If you wish to feed your et raw food, by all means do so, but now you are at least aware of what established human and animal health organizations are saying about the subject, and you will be able to assess the risks and benefits for yourself.

Missing in Action – How to find a missing ferret

Once you’re sure that your fuzzy is no longer in your house here’s what to do:
1) Walk around calling your ferret’s name. If your pet comes to the squeak of a toy, use that toy. If it’s not trained to come to the sound of a toy, try squeaking or rattling his or her favourite toy anyways… it ever hurts t try!
2) Leave a kennel or box with a few fluffy pieces of your ferret’s bedding in it. Your ferret may just be exploring around the corner and stumble back when you’re not around – sometimes a missing ferret will turn up asleep in the box!
3) Submit “lost” ads in the classified sections of all newspapers and publications both online and in the community. Try to be specific in the description, but not too technical. Saying, for example, that you are missing your ferret and she is a small sable is meaningless to those who are unaware of ferret lingo. Try instead to describe your missing pet as “dark brown and black with an off-white fact and a black mask”. Detailed descriptions can sometimes help people realize that the animal that they just saw run past is a pet.
4) Make up colour posters and paste them in as many locations as possible. Make sure that you include more than one picture of your ferret to ensure that those seeing the posters can get a clear idea of what your pet looks like. It is important to emphasize that the missing animal is a PET and not a wild or semi feral creature and that though it is friendly, it may be frightened.
5) Go door-to-door asking those living around you if they have found a ferret or know anyone that has. I would advise to do your neighbourhood and a couple bocks around it in all directions just for good measure. It sounds silly, but it has worked for me!
6) Call all local animal control agencies and shelters. Report your ferret missing and find out they have found any ferrets or had anyone call in to report that they had found a ferret. Be sure to call back regularly as these places are very busy and your lost ferret is not likely their top priority.
7) Check out all found ferrets even if the description does not match yours – remember that no two people describe something in exactly the same way. Additionally, check out fund ferrets in surrounding areas as well – you never know how far your fuzzy could have traveled.
8) Keep you ears open and remember that most people can’t tell the difference between a ferret and a weasel. If you hear a neighbour mention seeing a weasel under their shed, it may be your pet ferret.

Ferrets and Other Pets

Ever wonder if ferrets will get along with other animals, like cats and dogs? Watch the videos below... now you know!

Kitten vs. Ferret (external link)


Cat vs. Ferret 


Dog vs. Ferret


Ferret vs. Cat and Dog 


and though we wouldn't recommend getting one as a pet.....
Lion vs. Ferret 

Ferrets on the Bus

Ever asked yourself why ferret rescue shelters and societies are needed? After reading this story about a lady in Ottawa who was not allowed to take her ferret on the bus despite the fact the ferret helped her deal with her agoraphobia and anxiety. After reading some of the comments on the CBC page about this story, I understand the need more than ever. Ferrets have been lap pets in North America for about 20 years, yet few people seem to know anything at all about them! Thank goodness for excellent rescue societies such as FIRST in Vancouver and the Alberta Ferret Rescue Society, plus the Ferret Rescue Society of Ottawa which publicly supported the woman and helped reverse the ban. Hopefully we'll see one in Prince George and northern British Columbia within the next few years.

The Great Pet Food Debate - Ferret vs Kitten Kibble

Should you decide to feed your ferret kibble, the first thing that you should think about is what type of kibble you will feed them. Some experts advocate for feeding ferrets high quality kitten food, others suggest that special ferret kibble is best. Experts which advocate feeding ferrets specific kibble for ferrets will often point to the fact that this food, designed specially FOR ferrets is tailored to the needs of ferrets, whereas kitten food is tailored to the needs of kittens, not ferrets. Proponents of high quality kitten food quickly point out that though, in theory, ferret kibble is designed for ferrets, in reality it is often poorly formulated and designed more to take money from unsuspecting pet owners rather than to nutritional requirements of ferrets. While both sides do have some excellent points, the best approach is simply to go to the pet store and read the ingredients of the foods yourself. Generally, a good kibble for a ferret - that is to say, one which meets many of its nutritional needs, has a minimum of 30% protein from animal sources, and at least 20% or more fat. A good ferret diet should not only be high in fats and protein, but should contain taurine as well. Ideally, the first two ingredients on the bag of kibble should be meat, and not grain. A food whose first ingredient is corn meal, for example, would not be suitable for a ferret. One whose first ingredient is chicken meal, on the other hand, is more suitable. Cat food should not be fed to ferrets as it is tends not to be as high in protein as kitten foods, and fish flavours should be avoided for two reasons - ferrets are generally not overly impressed by fishy-tasting food, and such food has a tendency to make the ferret's poop really stink. Personally, I opted for high quality kitten food for a few reasons: It was higher in protein and fats than much of the ferret food on the market at the time, it was less expensive and more readily available, and if I ran out of food in the middle of a trip, it was not a big deal - I would simply head to the nearest pet store and pick up my trusted brand. Both my ferrets had beautiful, healthy coats, clean eyes, and relatively long lives.

The Great Pet Food Debate - an introduction

Feeding Your Ferret
Yes, I know this sounds simple, but really, it is a topic that is rather debated in ferret, as well as other pet circles. What should you feed your ferret? Kitten food or Ferret food? Kibble or home made? Raw or cooked? Opinions regarding the correct feeding of your pet ferret are numerous and diverse. Though the final decision of what you feed your ferret is up to you, here is a brief overview of possible risks and benefits of feeding your ferret certain diets.

The purpose of this blog...

The purpose of this blog is not simply to talk about my pets, but rather to act as a source of information about ferrets, especially for those dwelling in northern British Columbia. It is my hope that this blog will provide relevant, useful information to both current and prospective owners, and perhaps even help connect ferret enthusiasts, people wishing to find new homes for their ferrets and those wishing to add a ferret to their homes. Yes, this little blog does, indeed have BIG aspirations, but with any luck, at least some of them will come true.