Freeze Dried Raw & Wet Food
Freeze Dried Raw
- FC&E’s FDR Comparison Chart (above) only lists products that are marketed as “complete & balanced” for cats and are suitable for meal replacements. Created and maintained by Tara Whitehawk.
Canned/Wet food
- FC&E’s Canned/wet Food List (above) only lists *top-shelf* choices suitable for ferrets. Created and maintained by Tara Whitehawk.
Why Carrageenan (a common ingredient in MOST canned foods) Can Be Dangerous to your Pet
Soft Food DOES NOT DAMAGE teeth (these links pertain to cats, but keep in mind ferrets and cats have near identical dietary needs, and they have near identical teeth and jaws)
http://felinedocs.com/dr-steven-bailey/to-feed-or-not-to-feed-–-canned-food-–-that-is-the-question/
Converting Wet/Canned "Guaranteed Analysis" to Dry
By Holly
The percentages for wet food actually needs some math, since the percentages we know and love (ex: 30-40% protein) are in terms of dry food. So in order to get the correct percentages for wet food, we need to convert it to dry matter.
The article listed below spells it out really good - it refers to dog food, but the math applies for cat food and ferret food (and any others!) too.
The formula is:
Dry Matter Protein = (Protein% (Guaranteed Analysis) / (100% – Moisture% (Guaranteed Analysis)) x 100
So looking at the first food on the canned food chart, the Stella & Chewy's Pate, it's got 10% protein listed and 78% moisture. If we plug those into that formula...
Dry Matter Protein = 10 / (100 - 78) x 100 = 45.5%
The same can be applied for fat content and fiber.
Initially, looking at the Guaranteed Analysis, it looks like there's WAY too little protein or fat. But since the guidelines for ferret foods are based on dry, we'd need to take the moisture into account.
https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/choosing-dog-food/dry-matter-basis
But... Soft food?
By Mary & Holly
Yes, you should be brushing your ferret's teeth on these foods (can be found under Grooming > Teeth).
Soft Food DOES NOT DAMAGE teeth (these links pertain to cats, but keep in mind ferrets and cats have near identical dietary needs, and they have near identical teeth and jaws) but it does not clean them either. So brushing their teeth is VERY important.
http://felinedocs.com/dr-steven-bailey/to-feed-or-not-to-feed-–-canned-food-–-that-is-the-question/