From:
moreferrets@home.com
Date: 2001-04-25 17:26:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Eating spiders
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Sukie Crandall <sukiecrandall@t...>
wrote:
> >We have quite a few spiders this time of the year--our house is
old and I
> >don't use pesticides. (And I think the spiders keep worse pests
under
> >control, so I'm not inclined to get rid of them.)
> >
> >Several of my ferrets really enjoy eating spiders. They will watch
a spider
> >and then pounce. They don't play, they gobble, so the spiders
don't have
> >time to fight back.
> >
> >Excluding the dangers of bites from black widows, can eating
spiders harm
> >ferrets?
>
>
> Over the years I recall internet mentions of one kit suspected
killed
> by a venomous spider in Australia (Do not know type.), and maybe
two
> or three who abscessed dangerously from brown recluse bites.
>
> There is another consideration. Spiders top part of food chain; if
> insecticides are used in the area they may concentrate in the
> spiders. It seems doubtful,though that spiders would be a major
> dietary component for your ferrets.
i must sy that on the one occasion many years ago when my now-living-
up-to-his-aged-name yoda ate a spider, i jumped up and down for joy
with reckless disregard to the possibility of the spider having a
high concentrate of chemicals that would have been bad for him. i'm
ont of those softie save the owl types that a) can't stand spiders
and b) can't stand to kill 'em...so yoda's action saved me the
terrific disgust i feel when i trap a spider so i can take him
outside politely. ;)~