From:
caitlynmaire@earthlink.net
Date: 2002-05-31 16:00:00 UTC
Subject: Re: chronically ill ferret - update
Hi,
>
> Also, I was wondering... I would like to find a good ferret food that
> isn't so expensive, but without compromising the nutritional health
> just to save money. Any ideas?
Don't try to save money on food. The cheaper foods are either less
dense or less nutritious without exception. When my ferts ate KayTee
FortiDiet (when I first got them) they produced mountains of smelly poop
and ate bunches of food. Switching to Totally Ferret reduced the poop,
the smell, and the consumption. KayTee FortiDiet isn't a bad food, BTW,
but some other brands (or KayTee Fiesta) are just plain nasty.
Also, let's do the math on Totally Ferret. We have nine ferrets (and
had 10) and a 30 lb. bag lasts two months. It costs us about $68.
That's $3-$4 per month per ferret for food, which is far less than the
cost of medication or even routine vet visits over the year. Totally
Ferret is as expensive as it gets.
> What are some good kibble cat foods
> to try?
Cat food simply doesn't have the nutrition your ferrets need. Stick
with high quality ferret foods such as:
Totally Ferret
8-in-1 Ultimate (*not* Ultra)
Path Valley Chicken and Rice
Zupreem Ferret Diet
Mazuri
The Ferret Store Superior Choice
If you can save a dollar or two switching between these and your ferrets
don't mind, that's fine of course.
> I want to keep all 5 ferts healthy, but would love to save
> some money on food.
If you can't afford the cost of a decent food, IMHO you can't afford to
keep ferrets. It's simply the smallest expense, and it does make a big
difference in terms of their long term health.
> And if you have any ideas on saving money on
> litter it would be appreciated too. I currently use the Marshall's
> litter.
We use Yesterday's News Ferret Litter, which used to be cheap but is now
hopelessly expensive. Any time we've tried to change out ferrets
suddenly became untrained. With nine well trained ferrets we've decided
not to change. YMMV, of course. Certainly any recycled newspaper
litter, whether for ferrets or cats, is fine. Clumping litter is not.
All the best,
Caity and the notorious nine