From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2001-06-26 00:38:00 UTC
Subject: Re: ferretone
>Back to the age old question then...is it ok to give Nutrical to
>ferrets with insulinoma even though it contains sugar.
It's best to avoid it. When there is a need to break a seizure it
can be used as a sugar source, though.
>
>My goal is 1) to provide my ferret with all the nutrients he needs
>since all he really eats is turkey baby food and 2)to provide enough
>calories. I noticed that a jar of baby food only has 80 calories,
>and my ferret eats about one jar per day, which doesn't seem like a
>lot of calories for him. I posted on this site for info on how many
>calories a ferret should have but didn't get any solid number
>responses.
Our ferrets vary so widely that I would not even venture to pretend
that we could give a number response. Imagine humans: a slender and
small female who is not physically active will need few calories,
while a large person who engages in a lot of exercise needs a great
deal. The amount that the larger size professional body builders
need in daily calories and daily water intake would astound most
people. So it is with ferrets.
Rather than counting calories instead use a good scale like a
Cuisinart Kitchen scale or some reliable alternative and chart the
ferrets' weight. How often you do it depends on the ferret. A sick
one who is not holding weight will need it quite regularly, but most
will need it only once a month. That record is very useful for
noticing normal seasonal flux and also for spotting physical problems
that might at times indicate budding health problems.