Snakes consume their prey whole without any blood, guts, etc. being released. Strike, constrict, swallow, done. Ferrets, just like any carnivorous mammal, shred their prey and bite off chunks and gnaw on entrails. I've watched countless videos on YouTube of ferret kits and adults in the UK demolishing whole mice and whole rabbits on a plate or a bowl, and it's just really not something I'm interested in dealing with. I don't prepare anything with raw meat for myself, let alone a pet. It's not so much the cleaning up aspect (i.e. the counter, bowls, knives, etc), but rather the ferrets getting covered in nastyness. Really repulses me and I get grossed out at the idea of holding them/kissing them after they've eaten something like this. I see how messy they get just going in their litter box (they have no clue how to avoid stepping in something they just produced, which means I have to wipe off someone's tail or feet) and how soaking wet they get playing in their water bowl...I can only imagine how yucky they would get when eating raw, bloody, meaty prey. I know for a fact that Sophie would drag it off the plate and all over the carpet or the floor if I tried to make them eat in the kitchen. That's what he does with everything. They already get a bath once per week, would prefer not to have to give them one every time they eat.
Innova EVO is 2nd to a raw diet, with the highest protein level of any dry food and only whole meat ingredients, including fats, organs, etc. 88% of it is meat. The remaining 11% is made up of a small amount of tolerable vegetable matter such as sweet potatoes and cranberries, other proteins like eggs and cottage cheese, etc. They only add in things like taurine and other vitamins/amino acids. No chemicals, no by-products, no corn, no grains whatsoever. I also feed Innova EVO to my cats and they have never been healthier. Tessie, my run of the mill alley cat spent 18 years with me without a single health issue, and passed away in her sleep of old age. Poochins, my 2nd oldest, is going on 9 years old and still plays like a kitten every single day.
I think it's a combination of a lot of things that prevent the onset of these common diseases, and diet is only one part of it. I think lots of exercise/play, stimulation and intelligent interaction, proper sleep, proper hydration, and proper environment (space, cleanliness, comfy beds, toys, light, etc) all play a big part in their health and longevity. My mom's ferret Roxie was just diagnosed with the beginning of Adrenal Disease (rapid weight loss, hair loss, lethargy, etc.), and she is just turning 1 year old. She's a Marshall girl, like most are. Her ferret vet said that recent studies suggest that natural light vs. household light plays a big role in this, due to natural sunlight's affect on production and absorption of Vitamin D and other important vitamin structures. It's similar to how cats like to lay in natural sunlight, which produces Vitamin D within their fur, then they wash themselves in order to absorb it by licking it off the hair strands. They did a study using ferrets from the Ferret Nook rescue in Cambridge, since so many come in with AD, Insulinoma, etc. and they found similar deficiencies in those without access to natural lighting. My mom's 4 ferrets don't see much natural light, as her shades and curtains are always drawn in the house and the cage is in the corner of the livingroom away from any windows. My ferrets on the other hand reside in my livingroom that is flooded with daylight all day long from my double sliding glass patio doors. They also go in my bedroom which has 2 huge windows that I keep open as well, plus they get to go outside to play in the snow in the winter and on the lawn in the summer. Sophie is about 1-2 months apart in age from Roxie and he is healthy as a horse, and Mickie bounced back from his poor state of health within 1 week of being brought home. I also make sure they have only organic meat treats (other than the Yogies), have all sorts of interactive toys and fun things to tunnel through, wrestle with, chase, stash, tug of war with, etc. -- including an awesome "ferret sandbox" which is filled with uncooked white rice so they can dig and roll in it without making a mess. I keep them both mentally stimulated every day whenever they are awake and wanting to play. Unless they are napping or it's bedtime, they have full run of the house for multiple hours every day, probably around 4-6 hours total, sometimes more, and even then they often prefer stopping to snooze in the cats' beds in my room vs. go back to their pen to lay down, which is always left open when they are out. They also get bottled water that is filtered via reverse osmosis and de-ionized. I refuse to give them or my cats the chlorinated, fluoride-treated city water that comes out of the tap, that stuff is just not healthy for even people. I refill their bowl with fresh water twice daily to encourage them to drink, as I read a lot of articles that says ferrets are often dehydrated and drink more when given a bowl vs. a bottle and it is kept fresh. I put a lot of work into keeping them as nutritionally balanced as possible without feeding raw, very hydrated, mentally stimulated, clean, safe, and happy, and I think that is the best disease prevention there is.
I just wish I could find more private breeders than the 1-2 left out there, find someone closer to Wisconsin than 1500 miles away, and find someone with more than just sables and whites.
Obviously you're comfortable feeding whole prey to snakes, which I don't view as any "ickier." And the benefits from the raw diet are so numerous, I seriously feel guilty serving any animal kibble anymore.