From:
katharine
Date: 2001-09-14 06:13:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] a good tooth scaler
Patty wrote:
<Chris unless I start shooting down some birds
here, where do I go to get
fresh, raw whole animal carcass? Does carcass mean
with fur/feathers intact?
.......ANyone know how to get a ferret to accept
meat as food? <
You can get live mice or chicks that have been
raised for that purpose. We rehab some wildlife
that are fed these animals, such as birds of
prey. If live food makes you queasy (I know it
does me), you can get frozen mice and chicks.
Feeder mice and chicks are normally certified
disease-free.
If I were going to try to get my ferrets to eat
whole carcasses, I would probabky start with the
frozen stuff and move up to the fresh. I suspect
my ferrets would sniff and walk off <g>.
Some wildlife rehabbers actually gather recently
hit carcasses off the side of the road to feed
their charges. There is a slight risk of disease,
I would think.
I feed frozen mice/chicks (and crickets and meal
worms) to my opossums before release. They get
the whole thing. I toss them in and walk off.
When I return, there is no sign it was ever
there. Just don't make the mistake of feeding
them something too large. Been there, done that.
Katharine