General eating habits, etc

Question
QUESTION: Hi. I am so sorry to keep asking questions, but there are some anwsers I can not find.  I have been trying to find out where my babies came from. I got my babies from a local pet store, and I believe they said that they sold only Marshall Farms Ferrets.  Is there any way to verify this, and should I be concerned?  I have heard and read some not so good stuff about Marshall Farms.  I was told at the pet store that Marshall Farms Ferret Food was the best on the market...But after visiting a web site for Ferret food, turns out that it is good, but not the best.  So I am concerned, for that and for all the things I have read about Marshall Ferrets.   Is there a way to identify where they are from?

ANSWER: Hi again, Carrie,

Never apologize for asking questions! I would rather you ask me a ton of questions, rather than find the answers in a not so reliable source, or not have the answers at all! I am here to help!

The way to identify a Marshall Farms Ferret is quite simple. One of their ears will have two blue dots tattooed to it. This signifies that the ferret has been neutered/spayed and descented.

Marshall ferrets are no less loving than ferrets you might get from a breeder. Due to the early spaying/neutering, you might see a Marshall ferret being a bit smaller in general size than a ferret from a breeder. There is also research that might point to this practice of early spaying/neutering as putting a ferret at higher risk for adrenal disease, but I don't think there is any real hard evidence of this as yet.

Marshall is not the best food on the market. It is pretty close to ferret junk food, actually and I would never feed it as a stand alone food. If you wanted to mix it with other high quality foods, that might be acceptable, but never as a stand alone food. Here is a food chart that you may or may not already have:

http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html

I would stay above a nine in the ranking of the food you feed your ferrets. If you need to switch food, this should be done gradually to avoid any stomach problems. You should start out with about 85% old food, 15% new food and feed that for about a week. Then, you should try about 25% new food, 75% old food for about a week and so on. You may see some looser poops than usual and this should be fine. That is just their tummies getting used to the change. Make sure they are staying hydrated by checking the scruff of their neck. If you scruff them, and the skin stays tented, then that is pretty severe dehydration that can only be helped by sub-Q fluids (delivered under the skin), so you don't want to let it get that far. Make sure your kids keep drinking water regularly.

I hope this helps, and again, there really isn't any huge difference between a Marshall ferret and a breeder ferret. Marshall Farm's is in the ferret business to make a profit and I disagree with SO MANY of their practices, but their ferrets need love just as much as the next ferret that didn't come from there.

If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Your answers are so helpful!!  Thank you so much!!  I was wondering since they have been eating Marshall Ferret food at the pet store and since we have had them, if that could be why they eat so much, they are eating around 5 cups of food per day, and they get mad if I don't feed them.  They also get cooked, shredded chicken 2 times a day, and it is like they are always hungry, could this be because they are not getting what they need from the Marshall food?

Answer
Hello again, Carrie,

It is entirely possible (and probable) that they aren't getting what they need from that food and that is why they eat more of it. In a higher quality food, you'll find that they will probably eat less of it because less makes them full.

Keep the cooked chicken up. I'm sure they love it and that will give them a healthy treat and a chance to bond with you!

Like I said, you should get them switched to a higher quality food as soon as possible. You could also start mixing a higher quality food into the Marshall's. That might help. I would switch entirely, but whatever works best for you and your kids should be fine!

If you have further questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask! Again, I am here to help!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews