From:
kath0524
Date: 2002-04-15 07:40:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Baby ferret nursing formula????
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., Flemming Farms <flemmingfarms@y...>
wrote:
> Actually - tho you'd think kitten - I think PetAg
> suggests people use puppy mix for ferrets. I had some
> kits that I tried hand rearing and I used a mix with
> the kitten formula. All but two died (by three
> weeks). When I had necropsies done we were amazed to
> see that these kits all had full tummies - but no fat
> around the organs.
I agree Amy. Pet Ag recommends Esbilac (puppy milk replacer) for
ferrets as well as their "wild" counterparts; mink, otters, weasels,
etc. Esbilac most closely resembles their mothers milk.
I was wondering if this is perhaps why we hear so often that orphaned
ferrets cannot be hand-raised. It has never made sense to me. Why
are ferrets any different than any other orphaned mammals? Why can
others be successfully raised and ferret cannot? After seeing two
people post to use kitten milk replacer, I wondered if this is what
is killing the kits that are being hand-raised. One even told me
that ferret breeders have recommended using kitten replacer. I'm not
talking about a supplement for a day or two. I'm talking about
raising orphans.
I would love to see some input on this. I have seen what an improper
formula can do to orphaned wildlife. It's a sad thing to see and
usually not reversible.
Katharine
(currently mother to 7 orphaned opossums)