Ferret Care Guide

There are a few options for feeding ferrets, and there are several schools of thought amongst the ferret community as to what ferrets should be fed. Ferrets are obligate carnivores like cats, which means that they have evolved to only be able to eat meat. A common misconception is that ferrets should only be fed raw meat products like raw mince and this frequently leads to nutritional deficiencies and health problems like metabolic bone disease, as ferrets have evolved to eat whole prey.

A whole prey animal consists of 60-70% organ meats, and only 30-40% muscle meat, not to mention bone, skin, and fur. Furthermore, many vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and calcium are not stored within muscle meat, and exist in much higher levels in organ meats. We also recommend that ferrets get a whole prey item such as a mouse or a day old chick at least two to three times a week, regardless of whether they are fed kibble or raw meat as the main source of nutrition.

Whilst, a primarily whole-prey item diet is the optimal diet for ferrets. Feeding this as the sole diet or at all to some ferrets may not be possible. For example in households where there are immunocompromised individuals or small children, raw meat can be risky. Furthermore, as ferrets imprint on their food when they are kittens it can be tricky to get them to eat whole prey items unless they have been introduced at a young age. This is why it is ideal to feed juvenile ferrets to food sources with a range of different tastes and textures.

A raw meat diet is certainly possible, as long as only 40% of the diet consists of muscle meat such as chicken breast, thighs, beef pieces, or lamb. Mince falls under the "muscle meat" category. The remainder of the diet should consist of organs such as hearts, kidneys, livers, lungs, and tripe from chicken, beef, and lamb, and a small amount of bony meat for the calcium content, as well as maintaining dental health. Raw bones such as chicken necks, chicken wings and frames can also be fed to ferrets for calcium and to help with dental health but monitor your ferret closely to ensure the bones are not splintering or too tough on their teeth and discard of uneaten bones.

Kibble can be fed as the main diet supplemented with either whole prey items with or some raw muscle and organ meats added in. Just remember to adjust the feeding portions accordingly if you are mixed feeding. The most important thing when it comes to feeding ferrets kibble is to ensure that it meets the ferrets high protein (30-40%), high fat (15-40%) and low carbohydrate (< 25%) requirements.

There are a few ferret specific diets such as Pet Pacific, but you can also feed a high quality kitten or cat food such as Ziwi Peak and Orijen. Stay away from lower quality brands as they may not meet the high nutritional requirements of ferrets.