Hello!
I have two ferrets and for the longest time they have been fed Marshals and Mazuri kibble.
I began researching the best kibbles and found an awesome food chart that made me never want to feed my ferrets those brands ever again.
I am on limited budget however so the best kibble according to this food chart that was readily available to me and affordable was Zupreem Premium.
My ferrets made the transition rather quickly and really seem to like the Zupreem.
However, my concern is that as soon as they began eating it  the developed gas that could be audibly heard when they went number 2.
I hoped that this was just from the shift in food and that this would go away with time. 
However, it has been about a month and they still have gas. It is not as loud as in the beginning, but they are still gassy in comparrison to when they were eating Marshals/Mazuri.
Also, they're stool is slightly loose. It's not diarrhea, just slightly more wet than it used to be with Marshals/Mazuri.
My ferrets have had no behavior changes and don't seem to feel sick from the gas/slightly wet stool, but I'm still concerned.
Should I continue feeding them Zupreem?
Is the gas and stool change serious?
Thank you so much for any help!

Since it isn't full on diarrhea I wouldn't worry. Change in stool when changing foods is normal. I think the slightly looser stools are probably causing the farting as well. One of my girls has gas when going number 2 pretty frequently, she also happens to be my only kibble eater. She definitely isn't sick tho, just a few little toots here and there when doing her business! She eats a mix of Nature's Variety Instinct chicken/duck and Orijen cat and kitten. I would stick with the Zupreem and look into mixing in at least 1 more high scoring kibble so you have more options if something comes up. I'm not sure if you noticed but a number of high scoring kibbles on the Moredooks chart are actually cat food and these are ok to feed ferrets too. It doesn't have to be specifically for ferrets.

Zupreem is still a horrible food so there will be problems. If you are on a budget you might actually be better off with raw. It is healthier and cheaper on average because they eat what we throw away like organ meat and gizzards.

Now about the gas. Gas is caused when digesting but in an obligate carnivore like a ferret it means that they are not digesting the food properly(bad diet) or eating too quickly due to the kibble being painful on their teeth making them ingest air. There are a couple more reasons but bad diet is the biggest. 

I just bought a second ferret that is over weight and the vet put him on a low glucose cat kibble, now I find that his stool is not as big as before and a little mushy, is that normal.

Glucose is a sugar, and therefore not good.  What cat food is it?  I have a chubby girl that could stand to lose a bit.  I've been feeding Zupreem for 7 years, and for the last 2 years we've mixed it with Dr Foster and Smith.  We also feed soups, 2x a day, made from ground kibble and raw turkey, as well as mix in an alternating 3rd kibble.  I won't disagree that raw is probably best, but mine have done pretty well with raw kibble mix.     Whenever you change their diet/input, there will naturally be changes in output.  We don't eat enough meat to give ours leftovers/scraps, because even turkey isn't cheap anymore, and the  cost of freeze dried raw etc, is crazy.  If we had a separate freezer we could buy in bulk, but with 9 plus ourselves, we compromise and do the best we can for them.  So far, out of 23 ferrets, we've had 5 cases of insulinoma:  2 of those ate cat chow for 2 years before I got them and 1 got the cheapest cat food.
Prissy is well over 7, and Kahlua made it to 8 1/2.  A lot of mine were rescues, ages unknown. Kahlua was taking her meds with ferretone for a year.

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD

Thank you everyone for your help. (:

leeandparker


Zupreem is still a horrible food so there will be problems. If you are on a budget you might actually be better off with raw. It is healthier and cheaper on average because they eat what we throw away like organ meat and gizzards.

Now about the gas. Gas is caused when digesting but in an obligate carnivore like a ferret it means that they are not digesting the food properly(bad diet) or eating too quickly due to the kibble being painful on their teeth making them ingest air. There are a couple more reasons but bad diet is the biggest. 

Thanks for your input. (:

Maybe it's not the absolute best, but I don't think it's "horrible".
I understand that it may be hard on their teeth and I have always been wary of this with their kibble. With the Mazuri/Marshals mix I  always used to wet it to make it easy for them to eat. However Zupreem pellets don't absorb water readily. The pellets have to soak a long time before becoming mushy so they have been eating it dry. 
They may be ingesting air after all.
However, I don't think the gas could be because of the over all quality... They were eating Mazuri before, and I wish I had been more educated, but in comparison Zupreem is far better quality ingredient wise. They were never gassy before even with the Mazuri.
So I think you may be right. Perhaps it is because the hard pellets are difficult for them to chew.

As far as raw diet, it is something I would look into, but my ferrets have been kibble fed all their life and have never shown any interest in any meats I put in front of them. They won't even to much as sniff it.
How can I transition my ferrets? Is it possible they will be completely reluctant? 

my food is, Hill's Prescription diet - m/d Feline weight loss - low carbohydrate- glucose management.

Mama to Sherlock & Watson

Kaytee Fiesta mix is a horrible food. Zupreem is very much acceptable. You searched out the food chart and read labels on your own already and that is better than what a lot of people do. Keep trusting your instincts and doing the best that you can. I suggest adding more kibbles to the mix not because Zupreem is bad, but because you never know when it may become unavailable or if the ingredients change your fuzzies may not like it anymore and you don't want to be left scrambling to find something they will eat.
P.S. 3 of my 4 fuzzies have been raw-fed exclusively for almost 2 years and they also get gassy from time to time. It is very much normal and not some health issue. Homer ripped one yesterday while climbing up the couch!

If you are interested in switching to raw I can help! I have some tips and tricks that have worked for me as well as other ferrants, just send me a private message and I will gladly answer any questions you might have and help you along the way. I also have a write-up in the raw feeding section that has details about the cost and preparation of the homemade raw that i feed my crew.