Before reading, please understand that the following includes my personal opinion on what I consider the best way to feed my ferrets. I have included links to other sites which have more in depth information on the following diets.
Ferrets are strict carnivores. Their diet should consist of at least 34% protein and 20% fat. When deciding what to feed your ferrets there are three major options: whole prey diet, all raw meat diet, and kibble diet. You can also do a combination which find best suits me. Remember, changing an adult ferret's diet to a healthier diet can be difficult but is not impossible.
Your leftovers are NOT for ferrets!
Ferrets are strict carnivores. Their diet should consist of at least 34% protein and 20% fat. When deciding what to feed your ferrets there are three major options: whole prey diet, all raw meat diet, and kibble diet. You can also do a combination which find best suits me. Remember, changing an adult ferret's diet to a healthier diet can be difficult but is not impossible.
Your leftovers are NOT for ferrets!
![Picture](/uploads/1/1/5/5/11553788/5295081.jpg)
Whole Prey Diet: consists of frozen/thawed mice, rats, day old chicks, rabbits, quail
This diet is ideal because it is the diet that is closest to what a ferret would eat in "the wild". This diet includes bone, skin, fur, organ meat, and muscle meat.
http://www.rodentpro.com/
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=479
This diet is ideal because it is the diet that is closest to what a ferret would eat in "the wild". This diet includes bone, skin, fur, organ meat, and muscle meat.
http://www.rodentpro.com/
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=479
All Raw Meat Diet: should consist of 75%- Muscle Meat 15%- Edible bone 10%- Organ meat
_Raw Meaty Bones : chicken wings, chicken legs, cornish hens, turkey
Chicken is always great for ferrets, but consider sticking to wings and legs or the meat of wings and legs because dark meat has a high percentage of taurine, an essential amino acid for ferrets. There is no need to remove meat from the bones. Ferrets
know what they can and cannot eat. They're so smart!
_Organ Meat: liver, gizzards, heart, tripe, etc
_Bugs: crickets, mealworms, superworms, etc.
_Random Items: Egg yolk, beef chunks, sardines
Fish can be fed to ferrets, but I have heard that adding this to their diet changes or enhances their smell. I for one like the ferrety smell, but I would prefer not make it stronger than it already is.
Ferrets Eating Egg Yolk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNwBce82le0&feature=plcp
http://www.cypresskeep.com/Ferretfiles/Nutrition-FM.htm
http://www.everythingferret.com/nutrition.htm
http://weaselwords.com/ferret-articles/ferret-nutrition/
_Raw Meaty Bones : chicken wings, chicken legs, cornish hens, turkey
Chicken is always great for ferrets, but consider sticking to wings and legs or the meat of wings and legs because dark meat has a high percentage of taurine, an essential amino acid for ferrets. There is no need to remove meat from the bones. Ferrets
know what they can and cannot eat. They're so smart!
_Organ Meat: liver, gizzards, heart, tripe, etc
_Bugs: crickets, mealworms, superworms, etc.
_Random Items: Egg yolk, beef chunks, sardines
Fish can be fed to ferrets, but I have heard that adding this to their diet changes or enhances their smell. I for one like the ferrety smell, but I would prefer not make it stronger than it already is.
Ferrets Eating Egg Yolk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNwBce82le0&feature=plcp
http://www.cypresskeep.com/Ferretfiles/Nutrition-FM.htm
http://www.everythingferret.com/nutrition.htm
http://weaselwords.com/ferret-articles/ferret-nutrition/
![Picture](/uploads/1/1/5/5/11553788/3655196.jpg?274)
Kibble Diet: The first three ingredients (I prefer to look at the first six) should be meat based. Grains and by-products are no-nos. Most people add that there should be no fruits or vegetables in the ingredients, but this is near impossible to find in a kibble. If ferret kibble is not available to you, high quality cat foods are also a really great choice. Cats are also strict carnivores (not dogs!!!) so they have very similar needs as far as nutrition. Even in great cat foods there are sometimes fruits are veggies, but this is to bind the food together.
Lovin' Kibble: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0h7yZ89e9M&feature=plcp
http://www.ferret-universe.com/care/resources/food_chart.pdf
Lovin' Kibble: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0h7yZ89e9M&feature=plcp
http://www.ferret-universe.com/care/resources/food_chart.pdf
Always have fresh water available for your ferrets! I have found that my ferrets prefer to drink out of dishes although I still have water bottles available as well. BEWARE OF SWIMMERS!
There are many benefits of feeding your ferrets raw meat or whole prey.
1. Lower instances of insulinomas
2. A healthy way for them to use their chewing and biting behaviors
3. Higher energy level. If you can believe it!
4. Less smelly fur
5. Softer (and sometimes longer) fur
6. More muscle mass
7. Less poop. Their bodies will absorb more of the nutritious food. Yay!
8. Less smelly poop. Double yay!
9. Less plaque build-up and periodontal disease
10. Lower instances of inflammatory bowel disease
11. Stronger immune systems
12. Increased muscle development in head, jaw, chest
13. Increased dexterity
14. Mind stimulation. Unlike kibble, their food will not be in ready to eat bite sized pieces.
15. Fresh breath and clean and polished teeth. Yay for natural toothbrushes!
16. Higher hydration levels. Natural foods contain water!
1. Lower instances of insulinomas
2. A healthy way for them to use their chewing and biting behaviors
3. Higher energy level. If you can believe it!
4. Less smelly fur
5. Softer (and sometimes longer) fur
6. More muscle mass
7. Less poop. Their bodies will absorb more of the nutritious food. Yay!
8. Less smelly poop. Double yay!
9. Less plaque build-up and periodontal disease
10. Lower instances of inflammatory bowel disease
11. Stronger immune systems
12. Increased muscle development in head, jaw, chest
13. Increased dexterity
14. Mind stimulation. Unlike kibble, their food will not be in ready to eat bite sized pieces.
15. Fresh breath and clean and polished teeth. Yay for natural toothbrushes!
16. Higher hydration levels. Natural foods contain water!
My Feeding Routine
Monday AM - frozen hopper mice
Monday PM - Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen LAmb
Nupro Soup
Tuesday AM - Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Beef
Tuesday PM - Wysong Ferret Archetypal 1
Wednesday AM - Wysong Canned Turkey
Wednesday PM - Day old chicks
Nupro Soup
Thursday AM - Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Duck
Thursday PM - Wysong Ferret Archetypal 1
Friday AM - frozen hopper mice
Friday PM - Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Venison
Nupro/egg yolk soup
Saturday AM - Wysong canned rabbit
Saturday PM - Wysong Epigen 90 kibble
Sunday - Wysong Epigen 90 kibble
It's my busy day! Sorry furs!
I always buy from www.petsupplies.com , but do compare to www.ferret.com and the wysong website at the time of purchase to compare rates and shipping prices because sometimes the other websites run sales.
Monday AM - frozen hopper mice
Monday PM - Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen LAmb
Nupro Soup
Tuesday AM - Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Beef
Tuesday PM - Wysong Ferret Archetypal 1
Wednesday AM - Wysong Canned Turkey
Wednesday PM - Day old chicks
Nupro Soup
Thursday AM - Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Duck
Thursday PM - Wysong Ferret Archetypal 1
Friday AM - frozen hopper mice
Friday PM - Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Frozen Venison
Nupro/egg yolk soup
Saturday AM - Wysong canned rabbit
Saturday PM - Wysong Epigen 90 kibble
Sunday - Wysong Epigen 90 kibble
It's my busy day! Sorry furs!
I always buy from www.petsupplies.com , but do compare to www.ferret.com and the wysong website at the time of purchase to compare rates and shipping prices because sometimes the other websites run sales.
Ways to Introduce New Foods
- Mix new food with old food
- Smother the new food in ferretone or another supplement that your ferret is used to
- Playing with your ferrets before introducing a new food is great so that they really work up an appetite.
- Only leave the new food in the cage
Harsh as that last one sounds, that is actually the way I switched my adult ferrets to their improved diet. Adding Ferret Nupro helped also. (Nupro is the supplement I use instead of ferretone. It actually has almost all the same ingredients as the Marshall duk soup packets. I found that pretty interesting.)
http://www.ferret.com/item/nupro-ferret-supplement/670050/