Clubhouse ferret food chart

This is based off the original More Dooks food chart which is no longer online. I have kept her original wording on many of the instructions with slight adding of information by me (in red). Such as the disclaimer about PEAS linked to bladder stones. Links have been added to the manufacturer’s website where available. Ingredients verified October 2018. Not all cat foods are listed.

Summary

This chart mathematically rates dry ferret, cat, and kitten foods.

Keep in mind that it is impossible to determine the exact quality or meat content of a food from just the information that is required to be on its label. The best we can do with the bit of information we get is approximate (or look at foods that provide meat content claims).

This chart rates foods by assessing the amount of protein and fat they contain, and then scoring the quality of their main sources. It also penalizes high amounts of carbohydrates (such as vegetables and sweeteners).

Animal Protein: This is a protein-based ingredient from an animal source: the main requirement in a carnivore diet.

Fruit: Fruits may deliver useful vitamins, but they're high in sugar (very bad) and they're not a part of the ferret's natural diet. They shouldn't make up large portions of the food, but are usually okay to see low down in the ingredients list.

Vegetable: This is not a natural part of a ferret's diet, and may not be not well digested. A small amount of vegetables is typically needed to bind meat together in kibble, and vegetables are sometimes used to provide needed vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, vegetables are often added in larger amounts as 'filler' to reduce the ingredients cost for the manufacturer, so watch out for how high up on the ingredients list they appear. NOTE – Peas have been linked to bladder stones hence why they are notated in RED on the chart. Do not feed these foods as a sole source - mix!

The Exact Math (feel free to skip if you're lazy)

We award equal points to both protein and fat being as high as possible. Each percent that is in the food earns 0.51 points. The first 6 ingredients are rated on a weighted scale (meaning points are more greatly affected by ingredients that are higher on the list):

+6 for the first ingredient, +5 for the second, +4 for the third, +3 for the fourth, +2 for the fifth, +1 for the sixth

Named meats and meat meals. Named animal fats or oils.

+3 for the first ingredient, +2.5 for the second, +2 for the third, +1.5 for the fourth, +1 for the fifth, +0.5 for the sixth

Unnamed meats, meat meals, fat, or oils.

Named by-products and digests.

0 points awarded

Unnamed by-products and digests.

Flavoring, plant oils, supplements, and anything else not listed.

-3 for the first ingredient, -2.5 for the second, -2 for the third, -1.5 for the fourth, -1 for the fifth, -0.5 for the sixth

ALL vegetables and fruits. Grains/corn/wheat will not be punished beyond other vegetables unless someone can find substantial proof that they do more harm than potatoes. I've spent a lot of time trying with no luck getting results.

-4.5 for the first ingredient, -3.75 for the second, -3 for the third, -2.25 for the fourth, -1.5 for the fifth, -0.75 for the sixth

Vegetable proteins (to roughly reverse the points they awarded for elevating the protein level)

-12 for the first ingredient, -10 for the second, -8 for the third, -6 for the fourth, -4 for the fifth, -2 for the sixth

Sweeteners (sugars that provide no nutritional benefit).

This criteria seems to be quite effective for scoring the vast majority of foods, but do keep in mind that some foods with a very limited ingredient variety may score a bit lower than they "should".

The Score

All Foods are given a ranking in points, and point ranges are divided into tiers.

Green Tier: Excellent Foods that a ferret can thrive on.** These all have a minimum of 40% protein. Most of them are grain-free and provide a promise of at least 75% animal ingredients.

**note that Epigen cat/dog is an exception that has excellent protein levels, but does not contain enough fat for a ferret to thrive on (it is 11-12% fat) and is thus recommended as a treat or 'mixer' only. (Wysong should be mixed)

Blue Tier: Solidly good foods. Most of them meet a ferret's basic requirements for protein and fat and do not include any meat by-products.

Orange Tier: A ferret could live on these foods, but I would not expect them to thrive. I would recommend switching or mixing with a higher quality food.

Red Tier: Foods that I would NOT consider to be suitable for a ferret. (pink)

Important Tips

· If you're entirely new to ferret nutrition and would like a crash course to help understand our logic, visit our Ferret Nutrition for Newbies page.

· While we believe that high quality kitten foods are ferret-suitable, there are also people who don't. If you're not comfortable feeding cat food, don't do it. You can scroll down to the bottom of the page to disclude cat foods or change the chart's scoring system. (sorry I did not modify the chart to be sortable)

· DON'T feed only one food. If the formula ever changes and your ferret is picky, you will be really stuck. Pick 2 or 3 foods and mix them or rotate. (this cannot be stressed enough!)

· Whole prey or raw meat is the very best diet, I recommend checking it out before making any decisions. (look up “holistic ferret” on a search engines or Facebook)