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Post by josiesmom on Sept 1, 2008 10:00:39 GMT -5
 I swear that's what Marshall's mantra is! I generally don't browse other sites if they aren't into feeding naturally, so forgive me if this product has been out for awhile and I am just now noticing it- but Marshall's has come out with yet one more product which I swear is a subversive attempt to annihilate the living ferrets just to be able to sell more baby ferrets! BANANA BANDITS!  what are they thinking? oh, Duuuhhh- they DON'T think! Their bandit treats are already nothing but globs of poisonous garbage if you ask me with all their glycerin, glucose, fruit juice, and other junk. They make them in all sorts of flavors of things ferrets shouldn't eat- is it any wonder so many people are so confused as to what is healthy and what is not? After all, Marshall's has been breeding ferrets for decades they ought to know what is healthy for ferrets hadn't they?  Obviously NOT!  Please- stop the insanity! Cheers, Kim
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Post by Heather on Sept 1, 2008 10:10:32 GMT -5
You have my sympathies....they make more garbage treats than anyone and supposedly have nutritional staff on board. Of course they're all about selling more furbabies If they weren't they would do something about the adrenal problem they have in their lines. Diet and lighting have a big thing to do with this but in the long run genetics also plays a factor. They don't really care. It's all about the bottom line. Ferrets love it. It's like my Loki....he was fed cocoa puffs before I got him...I had a chocolate cookie and for the first time he gave me kisses...it was all about the flavour still on my lips... Ferrets are sweet junkies just like us and Marshals are lapping it up. ciao |
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Post by suds on Sept 1, 2008 15:11:38 GMT -5
Its all about the dollar , make a cute package with a cheap product to produce , put a little sweetner in it to make the animal want it more , put a fruit name and say its nutritus and the average person is none the wiser  they know the majority of peeps dont research diets just throw a picture of a ferret on it and they think its good for them .. its a shame but we are the minority that come here to learn more about the animals we have , where as the majority just go and buy what the "pet stores tell them is good and cute packages none the wiser !! sometimes I think they worry if the properly educate people on proper diets such as eating mice and other rodents that most people wont think there cute anymore and there sales would go DOWN , all about the money not about the animal ( |
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Post by Forum Administrator on Sept 1, 2008 16:03:20 GMT -5
Kim, kim, kim. Didn't you know? Ferrets LOVE bannanas! I mean just go look at wild polecats. They hunt down bananas ALL the time! Its their main source of food.  I can see it now *in a nature show nararator voice* "And here we see the elusive 'wild banana', prey of the european polecat. Notice the polecat eyeing the banana from the bushes. This poor banana is weak and will not stand a chance...."  Oh dear lord, but seriously though. BANANA? |
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Post by ranchhand on Sept 1, 2008 22:43:42 GMT -5
Did you know that Marshall Farms offers a health guarantee [ONLY/i] if you feed their food? They tried to get me to sign it there at the PetCo. I got a 'bit upset about that, but I consoled myself by saying "It's alright, this is the same moron that told me ferrets are in the related to rats."
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Post by pear2apple on Sept 2, 2008 7:26:48 GMT -5
Yes, I know about the contract with Marshall's about feeding their foods. But thats not all it is, you feed their food for 1 year and you have to document everything, and if something happens to your ferret, you must be able to prove it was caused by genetics in order for Marshalls "guarantee" to come through. The guarantee is to give you a new ferret to take the place of the one who died!
The don't tell you all that info in the pet store, but there's a reason Marshalls needs to have that guarantee, it happens way too often!!
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Post by buzzonesbirdie on Sept 2, 2008 7:40:37 GMT -5
Crash our only ferret bought from a pet store came with that and when the lady handed me the info I took it smilled said thanks and threw it in the trash on the way out. We got Crash home showed him a piece of chicken played tug of war with him, watched him eat it, and hubby said to me "oh look there goes their stupid guarantee". I think that marshalls has some of the worst ferret food out there. I think really good cat foods are for the most part better then most ferret foods. But my babies are on raw which is better then anything with a picture of a ferret on it.
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Post by sherrylynne on Sept 3, 2008 8:27:14 GMT -5
When I first got Boris, I really knew nothing about ferrets, just that I was giving an animal a home away from where he was no longer wanted. And yes, I used to feed Living World kibble, and Bandits treats. And his poos were so bad that I had another fecal done to see what was wrong. Nothing showed up. I switched the food and they got a bit better. Then I started educating myself, and realized how bad the treats were. All this took about 5 months, and the addition of 2 more ferrets. After I quit giving the Bandit's treats though, their poos went to normal, and their coats started getting better, and now I have 4 extremely healthy, soft ferrets.
I really do wish more people would learn about their pets. It's a steep learning curve, but aren't they worth it?
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Post by tsslilsis on Sept 3, 2008 11:36:19 GMT -5
I contacted them. I can't wait to see if they reply or not.
Might have been a waste of my time but who cares.
I told them I know about 300 ferret owners who won't touch their products because of the things they have in them. I told them they lose money because of it. I asked if there was any upgrading forseen in the near future and told them that if they fix the products there would be more people interested in them. AHAHAHA. Well. *ahem*. I really want to see what excuses they may come up with.
-~Ketlin
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Post by aleronferrets on Sept 4, 2008 8:23:47 GMT -5
Yes, I know about the contract with Marshall's about feeding their foods. But thats not all it is, you feed their food for 1 year and you have to document everything, and if something happens to your ferret, you must be able to prove it was caused by genetics in order for Marshalls "guarantee" to come through. The guarantee is to give you a new ferret to take the place of the one who died! That is generally how a guarantee works (you get a "replacement") in the order of animal breeding. The real issue with MF's guarantee is that it only covers the ferrets for one year and doesn't cover the most common ferret illnesses - insulinoma and adrenal. I do know people who have gotten a replacement through the guarantee for a deaf ferret though and got to keep the deaf ferret. The don't tell you all that info in the pet store, but there's a reason Marshalls needs to have that guarantee, it happens way too often!! Actually I doubt MF ends up sending very many replacements at all. The illness has to be proven to be genetic and present at the time of birth, has to show up before the ferret turns a year old, the ferret has to be with the original owner and you have to be able to prove that you fed only their food. It is a guarantee offered mostly to make people feel "safe" about their petstore ferret purchase but it means very little. A real guarantee for a ferret would be at least 3 or 4 years and would cover insulinoma and adrenal. IF MF's guarantee was like that, they would be giving replacement ferrets left and right since many develop one or both of those diseases. |
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Post by charmantpapillon on Sept 5, 2008 17:11:50 GMT -5
I would much rather indenture my first and second and third born children over get a small breeding stock and breed my own healthy animals =D now that i know better anyways. not to mention ANYONE who wanted one that i didnt know from this site would have to go through a screening pricess that included a house inspection a personal interveiw references (professional and personal) not to mention a back ground check to make sure they have no previous animal abuse charges. Also a spay/neuter contract that they wont be altered until a females first heat or 8 months of age (whichever comes first). And the raw feeding requirement because i wouldnt want any animal i worked so hard for to be fed kibble its not good for them..
It may seem intense to some but im sure you guys would under stand it being with all the crappy impulse buyers out it'd be a way to weed out the not so serious and un knowledgeable pet owners first
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Post by Heather on Sept 7, 2008 7:51:58 GMT -5
Sounds absolutely fantastic to me If I lived closer I would try and buy from you  My greatest dream is to someday have a fuzzy that I've put as much research into getting as I did for my puppy. I love all my rescues, with all their troubles though and it's not going to happen any time soon. You stick to your guns sweety....I know a quite a few breeders, dogs, cats, spoken to some very nice ferret breeders too (you get to know quite a few when you're in the pet portrait business) it's a very difficult and costly output. It's also very difficult to stick to the hard line that you want, when someone hands you cash in hand and you've had a large litter with more babies than prospects in taking them. I wish you all the best there are some really good breeders out there, who really mean what they say....I hope that your one of them Good luck ciao |
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Post by charmantpapillon on Sept 7, 2008 9:30:53 GMT -5
Id rather know my baby had THE home. than A home. they wont be as expensive as marshalls and that other one whos name i cant rmemeber =\ because i wouldnt be in it for the money just the joy of having lotsa baby animals XD
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lorelei0922
Cageless and Roamin' Free
Happily Feeding Natural!
Posts: 245
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Post by lorelei0922 on Sept 10, 2008 13:50:17 GMT -5
This is what we did this spring when we bred two litters of kits... Thankfully!!! its common practice to wait until a jill's first season a hob at 6 months to neuter..
but all my kits went to Raw feeding homes.. with homechecks and hands on training in MY home before they left...
The kits didn't leave until 10 -12 weeks either!
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Post by aleronferrets on Sept 13, 2008 18:56:15 GMT -5
I would much rather indenture my first and second and third born children over get a small breeding stock and breed my own healthy animals =D now that i know better anyways. not to mention ANYONE who wanted one that i didnt know from this site would have to go through a screening pricess that included a house inspection a personal interveiw references (professional and personal) not to mention a back ground check to make sure they have no previous animal abuse charges. Also a spay/neuter contract that they wont be altered until a females first heat or 8 months of age (whichever comes first). And the raw feeding requirement because i wouldnt want any animal i worked so hard for to be fed kibble its not good for them.. Good luck finding such homes. So far I have been very discouraged with finding raw feeding, non-vaxing homes who are willing to do late altering/no descenting for my kits. Plan on keeping them all an extended time until appropriate homes show up (or long term if such homes don't show up). |
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