From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2007-04-29 19:32:04 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: cloth eating
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
The first step is a vet appointment.
Dental problems and GI problems need to be looked at, and both nutrition and the level of
stimulation (physical and mental exercise) carefully discussed. Any of those things can begin
such behaviors in multiple types of animals if not sufficient.
In humans mineral deficiencies are often associated with eating non-food objects. Many of
the current meat feeders are not providing a balanced diet, and minerals are among the
places where those diets sorely fail the test. Notice the vet comments in the excellent article
on feeding by Danee DeVore in the current issue of Ferrets Magazine. Even rickets is on the
increase among such feeders due to unbalanced diets. If you are feeding a meat diet then
you need to learn how to alter it into a balanced diet. One route is by consultation with this
below mentioned group which includes publication by an individual who has doctorates in
both veterinary medicine and nutrition:
http://www.petdiets.com/
All of this said, I do know of cloth eaters and cardboard eaters in the best of conditions and
with all possible health related problems checked for and eliminated. Some just get weird
habits and then the item being eaten needs to be removed. But the first step is to assume
that there could be something wrong and to check all the possibilities carefully.
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