Bird-seed like poop.

Question
Hi,
My ferret has had bird-seed like poop on and off for about two weeks now. I'm not sure if I should be extremely worried about it right now or not? I read that it's because of undigested food? I feed him ZuPreem and I am trying to switch him to Iams Original cat food and he occasionally eats some of the Marshall's food that his brother eats. He's not taking to the Iams as quickly as I hoped so I'm guessing the ZuPreem is the problem? Anyway, I was wondering what I should do? I read that I need to switch him to a bland diet for a while..like Gerber's or a duck soup? After that for a while then what do I do? Switch him back to his dry food? Also could you please include some duck soup recipes you recommend?
Thank you!

Answer
Hello Allie,

Zupreem, as far as I know, is a pretty fantastic food and your little ones shouldn't be having the problem because of the food you're feeding. Unfortunately, bird-seed like poop is a very non-specific symptom, so the only thing I can tell you for sure is that you should get him into a vet to see if there is a problem, and sooner rather than later.

Iams is not a good food to be feeding your ferret (at least the Iams that I checked the ingredient analysis on isn't good - you should check it after you read this). Its definitely not better for him than Zupreem. An ideal ferret food should have meat as the first ingredient and other protein sources (like eggs) and other meat products in the first three ingredients, at least. You don't want to feed a food that has any plant material (like corn or corn products) in it because, over time, it might cause some damage. Ferrets can't digest plant material - they are whats called an obligate carnivore which means they are only physically equipped to break protein down. They have no use for fruits or vegetables and these things, since they can't break them down, cause blockages in their systems. If they are fed a food high in corn fillers (like Iams Original, for example) that can build up in their system and cause problems over time. Ferrets should be on a food with around 36-38% protein, 20-22% fat and no more than 3% fiber. Like I said before, the first ingredient must be meat (preferably not fish) and corn should be nowhere in the first three-five ingredients.

What you may want to try is Hills A/D wet canned cat food. It is generally available through the vet's office, but it is so easy on the stomach and very easily digestible. You can just add a bit of water to it to make it a bit more gravy-like. He may not recognize it as food right away, so you'll have to spread just a bit of it on his lips so he can lick it off and you'll probably have to repeat that process a couple times. You could also try a baby food, but make sure that it is all meat! Make sure its just chicken rather than chicken and rice, for example.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews