Food
What Are Ferrets SUPPOSED To Eat?
By Mary Wesker
Ferrets are obligate carnivores, just like cats. The dietary needs of an obligate carnivore are basically MEAT ONLY. This doesn’t mean just any cat food is acceptable, unfortunately. Most cat foods are death in a bag for ferrets and cats, but since cats are larger it takes much longer to see the debilitating effects of bad diet in them. Part of the reason our charts were made was to make food selection easier on newbies, and help people learn what is and isn’t acceptable to feed, and how to figure that out.
When kibble feeding you should be looking for the most heavily meat based kibble available. If the meat percentage is listed, great! (You really wanna shoot for 80% or more, however personally I’ll go as low as 70% if mixing with a better food and offering FDR) If not, you’ll need to do a little math to figure out how carb-heavy it is, and it can give you an idea of how much meat is really present.
You also want to AVOID peas as a MAIN ingredient (generally speaking, the top five-ten ingredients are no place for peas) as these are not only cheap plant based protein “bumpers” in kibbles (they make the food look more meat heavy than it is because peas are high in protein) thus not well metabolized by ferrets, but peas in large amounts increases the risk of developing bladder stones.
Links to Reading
Orijen on Biologically Appropriate Foods
Dr Karen Becker (vet AND animal nutritionist) on The Importance of Species Appropriate Diets
What is an “Obligate Carnivore”?
AFA On Ferrets being Obligate Carnivores Scroll to #8
Dr Karen Becker on Food Allergies (Or, Why Veterinary “Prescription Kibbles” Are Bad)
Dietary Cause And Control Of Insulinoma In Ferrets
Correlation Between Insulinoma and Improper Diet
Why NOT To Feed Dairy of ANY Kind
Why a Vegan or Not Meat Based Diet Will Kill Your Cat and Sicken Your Dog (Remember, cats and ferrets have nearly identical nutritional needs)
Fattening up Ferrets
By Tara & Holly
Ferrets range from all sizes - some can just be petite! Ferrets undergo seasonal weight change. Also females are much smaller than males naturally, so a tiny girl is totally normal. They can gain up to +40% of their normal weight in the fall/winter and lose that in the spring and summer.
If you recently adopted an underweight ferret, get them to a vet before trying to put weight on them. Bulking up too quickly can be a health risk - introducing a lot of fats to their diet suddenly can upset their stomachs a lot, especially if they're used to poor quality food or just not eating a lot in general. Unless your vet says otherwise, the best you can do is work on transitioning them to a healthier food and let time make the change.
ALWAYS ALWAYS Consult a knowledgeably/ferret savvy exotics vet BEFORE trying to put weight on a ferret. Many are naturally lean and having an overweight animal presents many health risks.
Carnivore Care is great for weight gain or ill/post surgical ferrets.
Beechnut Meat Only Baby Food (NOT suitable as a staple diet, just as a recovery/emergency food): Chicken, Beef, Turkey
Slimming down Ferrets
By Tara & Holly
Ferrets regulate how much they eat and they don’t over-eat - so it is very hard for a ferret to get overweight. Ferrets range from all sizes, some can just be extra chunky! If kibble-fed, they should ALWAYS have food accessible, and you should never take food away to make them lose weight, no matter what diet they’re on.
If your ferret is a kit (under 1 yr old) they will be eating A LOT because they are growing! This is normal - let them pig out and grow up healthy.
They also gain weight for the fall/winter months - with some ferrets this can be an extreme change. If the winter coat is coming in (or is in process) the weight gain is most likely due to the seasonal changing.
If this change is sudden, or notice your fuzzy isn’t playing as much or having trouble walking, breathing, etc, make an appointment with your ferret’s vet to rule out underlying illness/ disease.
Water
By Holly
A ferret’s natural diet (raw) is full of water & juicy meats, so their thirst-drive isn’t very strong. Water bottles should never be used on their own, because there’s not enough water that comes out, and they’ll stop drinking before they’re actually quenched. Also the metal ball on water bottles will damage their teeth. ALWAYS have a water bowl available - you can have a bottle as a back-up, but never as the only option.
If your ferret digs the water out of their bowl, you can raise the bowl up a bit (the clip-on water bowls for cages) and/or attach a small tray to catch the water they dig out. Make sure your bowl is big enough, and metal preferably. Smaller bowls can cause whisker fatigue, which results in ferrets chewing on the bowl from frustration.
https://holisticferretforum.com/care-and-enrichment/cages-and-bedding/water-dishes/