Ferret food

With their cute appearance and restless nature, ferrets have won the hearts of many animal lovers around the world and are among the ten most popular pets. Those who are considering purchasing this wonderful animal are naturally interested in how to feed the ferret at home.

What ferrets eat in the wild

When drawing up a meal plan for a pet ferret, it should be borne in mind that this animal is by nature a predator, and therefore a significant portion of its diet is meat. In natural conditions, ferrets feed on various small animals, mainly mice and rabbits. They do not disdain birds, frogs, worms, insects. Bird eggs and fish are also often eaten. But wild ferrets practically do not eat plant food, berries and fruits: it is poorly processed in their stomachs. However, such a diet seems unbalanced only at first glance. It is living protein food that contributes to the most complete development of these animals.

Ideally, a ferret's diet at home should be as close as possible to its diet in the wild. However, many owners refuse this method of feeding animals for obvious reasons. Not everyone can calmly observe how their pet crunches cockroaches with pleasure or kills a mouse. In addition, supplying such feed fresh daily is problematic and not cheap. Fortunately, there are alternative feeding methods available to keep your ferret healthy and happy.

What ferrets eat at home

Most ferret owners prefer to feed them specially prepared homemade food. This type of food is much simpler and cheaper than the one described above, but it requires compliance with certain nuances.

As already noted, the main food for wild ferrets is protein, which enters their body along with meat. Therefore, it is logical to assume that domestic ferrets also eat meat. But if you feed the animal only with lamb or chicken, then its diet will be inadequate, and this, in turn, will negatively affect the well-being of the animal.

The fact is that, although ferrets in the wild ignore plant foods, they get it by eating small animals. Along with meat, the ferret's stomach gets undigested food from its victims, which the body breaks down into carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

Purchased meat is not able to provide the animal with the full range of nutrients. Therefore, the animal's diet must be supplemented with other foods and vitamin supplements. When properly fed, the ferret will be playful and live a long life. Thanks to the correctly selected food, the appearance of the ferret will also change for the better: the coat will become fluffier and shinier, the teeth and claws will be strong, and the eyes will be mischievous and shining.

What can you feed your pet ferret?

Having decided to feed the ferret with natural food, you should be very careful about what foods can be given to the animal, because an incorrectly selected diet can seriously harm the animal.Moreover, it is important to remember that some products in the daily diet are required, and some should be given out in periods and in a strictly allotted amount.

Common list

Below is a list of what you can safely feed your ferret at home:

• various types of raw meat (beef, horse meat, veal, rabbit meat);
• raw poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, goose);
• cereal flour porridge (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, millet);
• boiled vegetables, ground in mashed potatoes (cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli).

Some products should be given rationed. Among them:

• offal from the named meat without films (liver, kidneys, stomachs, heart, lungs);
• boiled sea fish (trout, mackerel, horse mackerel, cod, flounder);
• fish and animal oil;
• cottage cheese;
• chicken and quail eggs.

Although ferrets are happy to eat all kinds of fish, not all types of fish are suitable for food. So, river fish can provoke a lack of vitamin B1 and worms, and species such as pollock, hake and blue whiting can cause anemia.

Unlike meat, ferrets must cook fish for food and grind them into minced meat together with their head and bones, since these parts are rich in vitamins and minerals.

The Basis of the Ferret Diet

Since meat makes up the majority of a ferret's diet, due consideration should be given to its selection and handling:

1. The ferrets' chewing apparatus is designed so as to butcher live flesh, and therefore the meat that ferrets eat at home must also be raw.
2. Pure meat should make up at least 50% of the animal's daily menu.
3. It is not recommended to boil the meat, as boiling thickens the fiber structure and makes it more difficult for the ferret's delicate stomach to digest. Feeding with such a product can cause obstruction of the animal's gastrointestinal tract.
4. Purchased meat must be fresh. In a stale product, harmful microorganisms multiply very quickly.
5. Because ferrets have an accelerated metabolism, it is vital for them to have a fast-digesting animal protein in their diet. It is best to feed your ferret chicken, duck, turkey, goose, beef, horse meat, veal and rabbit without bones or films.
6. It is strongly not recommended to feed the animals with pork, lamb and any products from this meat - it can cause obesity and heart disease in animals.
7. You should not use purchased minced meat for feeding ferrets: it may contain impurities of pork meat. Minced meat can be made independently from the above types of meat by adding skin from peeled poultry, cut clean fat and ground chicken wings and necks.
8. Animal fat is a must in ferrets' diets, so there is no need to specifically remove it from meat.
9. Meat by-products must be washed and removed from the foil before feeding the ferret. They should make up no more than 15% of the animal's daily diet.
10. It is not advisable to purchase meat and fillets in trays for food for ferrets, as they may contain preservatives that provoke allergies in animals. It is also better to refuse frozen meat, except for rabbit or turkey meat.

Clean water is the key to pet's health

An important aspect of a good nutrition for a ferret is a drinking regimen. Since these animals have an accelerated metabolism, they drink very often, 20 - 30 times during the day. Thus, they are saved from overheating, since they do not have cutaneous sweat glands and are not able to cool their body by sweating. Lack of moisture instantly affects the animal's health, causing dehydration and heatstroke, and can lead to its death. In this regard, care must be taken to ensure that the ferret always has free access to fresh, not too cold water.

What else can you give ferrets

As noted earlier, a ferret's diet should not consist solely of meat, as it does not cover the animal's need for minerals and carbohydrates. To achieve a balance in the diet of the animal, it is worth diversifying the feeding with other products, but this must be done responsibly.

So, the ferret's menu should contain vegetables, but only those that contain a small amount of fiber. These include:

• cucumber;
• a tomato;
• zucchini;
• radish;
• pumpkin;
• broccoli;
• cauliflower;
• Bell pepper.

Vegetables should be cut into small pieces or mashed. The share of plant foods should not exceed 10% of the total amount of food.

This figure also includes fruits. Ferrets love to feast on sweet berries and fruits such as:

• banana;
• mango;
• persimmon;
• Apple;
• pear;
• watermelon;
• Strawberry wild-strawberry;
• currant;
• cherry, sweet cherry;
• gooseberry.

It is preferable to feed the ferrets raw with these products in small pieces, having previously peeled them off so that the animals do not have constipation. Dried, candied and canned fruits, as well as citrus fruits, grapes and raisins, avocados, pineapple and melon are not recommended due to the fact that they are toxic to the animal's body.

Dairy products deserve a special mention in the diet of ferrets. The structure of the digestive system of these animals does not allow them to process lactose, therefore, pure milk should never be given to animals, otherwise it will cause diarrhea. Nonetheless, dairy products are important for replenishing calcium stores and should not be completely eliminated when feeding. In particular, feeding ferrets is acceptable:

• cottage cheese;
• kefir 0 - 1%;
• Bio-fermented baked milk.

All products must be fat-free, free of sugar, flavorings and dyes. It is necessary to feed dairy products by dividing the product into small portions and only on the recommendation of a veterinarian.

Can a ferret have an egg

You can also enrich the animal's menu if you periodically feed it with an egg. It contains a rich supply of vitamins B12, D and E, as well as fats that the ferret cannot get enough from meat.

However, ferrets can only be fed raw quail eggs. A raw chicken egg contains the compound avidin, which in the animal's body reacts with the substance biotin and destroys it. Biotin deficiency, in turn, leads to serious metabolic disorders in the animal. When boiling an egg, avidin breaks down, and the product becomes safe for the animal, but first it is worth removing the protein from it so as not to provoke an allergic reaction.

Feeding the ferret with boiled yolk should be done no more than 1-2 times a week.

What dry food can you give your ferret?

For those who, for some reason, cannot cook natural food for the ferret every day or are not sure that the animal's diet is composed correctly, feeding with specialized feed is suitable. In Russia, for several years now, the supply of professional food for ferrets has been established, among which you can find products for every taste and wallet. On the market, similar feeds are presented by several large companies:

• Padovan;
• Eagle Pack;
• Bosch Totally Ferret;
• Evo Dry Ferret Food.

Like other dry foods, ferret formulations are divided into 3 classes:

• Economy;
• Premium;
• Super Premium.

It is best to feed the ferret with the last two classes of food - they are of higher quality, although they are more expensive. Economy-class food is often made from meat leftovers that do not differ in nutritional value: hence the low price.

The composition of the feed should not be ignored. For complete feeding, the ferret needs 35-40% protein, 20-22% fat and no more than 5% vegetable fibers in the menu. Dry food should not contain soy meat.

Finding the best dry food for ferrets is not easy. It all depends on the animal itself, therefore, after feeding with new food, you should pay attention to the condition of the animal. Ferret food is suitable if:

• its coat is shiny and soft, the hairs do not split or break;
• healthy skin without redness;
• eyes are clean and shining;
• he has no itching and inflammation;
• there is a good appetite;
• the belly of the animal is soft and round, and the ribs do not protrude;
• he has regular stools that are not too fluid or not too hard;
• the color of the stool does not have a pungent odor or yellow-green tint.

Can a ferret be fed cat food?

Before the advent of dry food lines designed specifically for ferrets, few owners of these animals fed their pets with cat food. Although this kind of feeding is practiced today, it should not be overused, since it does not meet the needs of the animals. Dry cat food usually has enough protein for a ferret to thrive, but it is very low in fat. Those who choose to feed ferrets in this way should opt for Premium Kittens and Pregnant Cats with chicken or turkey, in which the ratio of nutrients required for the animal is respected. To avoid nutritional deficiencies with such a diet, you should additionally feed the ferret with boiled egg or meat, and give vitamin supplements. It is not recommended to buy fish based feed.

How many times a day should you feed your ferret?

Unlike cats and dogs, ferrets do not need to be fed on a schedule, focusing on 1 to 2 meals. The ferret's fast metabolism and an active lifestyle lead to the fact that the animal must constantly eat something in order to feel good. Therefore, there must always be some food in the bowl.

During the day, the ferret can eat from 7 to 10 times, moreover, it does not depend on the time of day. If the diet is composed correctly, it is worth allowing him to eat when he wants, and not be afraid at the same time that the animal will get fat.

What vitamins should you give your ferret

To care for ferrets at home was complete, it is necessary to ensure not only proper feeding of the animals, but also to correctly select vitamin supplements.

As with dry food, there are vitamins specifically formulated for ferrets. The largest manufacturer of such additives is considered to be the "8 in 1" company. This brand offers both general strengthening compounds and special preparations for the beauty and health of the coat.

The ferrets' body is not able to independently accumulate vitamins of groups B and C in the required amount, therefore, feeding the animals with vitamins must be carried out daily for 1 month, repeating the course 2 - 3 times throughout the year. However, this must be done if the animals eat natural products. Ferrets fed with dry food receive all important vitamins and minerals from them and do not need additional feeding.

Once or twice a year, you can feed the animals with fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E. The formulations containing them are usually produced in the form of oil solutions. It is important to accurately observe the dosage, adding 1 drop of the composition to the animal's food every 2 days for a month. An excess of vitamins can cause poisoning.

Features of feeding during molt and pregnancy

An additional dose of vitamins is required for ferrets during molting, as well as for females during pregnancy and rearing.

Ferrets molt twice a year and usually lasts 1 to 2 weeks. At this time, the animals often feel discomfort and itch a lot, sometimes even interrupting sleep because of this. Proper nutrition can make molting less invisible to the animal. To do this, when feeding, along with the usual food, the ferret should be given vitamin preparations for wool with taurine. It should also be remembered that when a molting ferret is licked, hair particles enter its body. To prevent clogging of the intestinal tract, it will be useful to add a special paste to the food, which will help the animal get rid of the fur in the stomach.

The diet of pregnant females also requires additional vitamins and nutrients. First of all, you should increase the proportion of dairy products in the menu, which are a source of calcium, which is necessary for laying bone tissue in future puppies. You can apply a solution of kefir and calcium chloride, adding it to food, 3 ml per day.

The amount of fat in the menu of a pregnant female should also be increased. This can be achieved by feeding the animal with egg yolk and fish oil 2-3 times a week.

Since the females begin to shed on the 20th day of pregnancy, vitamins that are useful during shedding can also be given to the expectant mother. In addition, there are a number of vitamin complexes that are beneficial for pregnant ferrets:

• Calcidee from "8 in 1";
• CA-37 (SA-37);
• Calcephit-7;
• Trivit;
• Tetravit.

What you can't feed ferrets

Often, the owners strive to pamper their pet with a treat, however, if you give the animal anything, it can be fraught with consequences. To keep the ferret healthy and active, the following foods should be excluded from the animal's diet:

• all products containing sugar and salt;
• bakery products
• soy products and mushrooms;
• any hot meals;
• pork and offal from it;
• lamb and offal;
• river fish;
• smoked meats;
• soups;
• fried foods;
• raw vegetables, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic;
• spicy food;
• unmilled bones;
• unmilled cereals;
• milk, sour cream, kefir and yoghurts;
• nuts and dried fruits;
• dry dog ​​food;
• chips, popcorn, flavored cereals and croutons.

Even in small quantities, such food can severely harm the ferret's body. Therefore, no matter how the animal asks for another goodies, you should refrain from feeding the pet with prohibited foods. Instead, it is better to give the animal, for example, special drops for ferrets or a piece of banana.

Conclusion

While it might seem like a hassle to feed a ferret at home, if you follow the guidelines and take proper care of the animal, then all the efforts will pay off with the playfulness and healthy appearance of the pet.

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