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Ferrets - Feeding

Feret Food - What do ferrets eat?

Your ferret is a natural carnivore, however, feeding your ferret need not be the nightmare you probably think it should be. You don't have to go out in the dead of night to get your furry friend a bunny, or feed raw meat to it! You can buy a specially formulated dry mix ferret food; though a domesticated ferret will happily thrive on a dry complete mix cat food with the occasional high animal protein tinned cat food for a treat. Choose cat foods with animal protein as the second highest ingredient, as your ferret will digest animal protein easier than vegetable protein. Dry compete mixtures are cheap, easy to dispense, store, have a long shelf life and cause less mess in the cage making this the ideal ferret food.

Food passes through the ferrets gut in about 4 hours so it is essential that ferret food is available at regular intervals or on demand from a 'hopper'. Your ferret should regulate its own weight and only eat what it requires.

Do not give your ferret bones to gnaw on or as toys, they are not good for them at all! You can give your ferret treats as training aids and as a once in a while surprise - only you will know what your ferret likes as a treat try anything you would eat. A drop (literally) of honey on the ferrets tongue from a small squeeze bottle can be used when training as a - 'good ferret' reward if it likes it.

What do ferrets drink? The answer is simple water. Fresh clean tap water is the best and preferred drink for ferrets. Cow's milk should be avoided as this may cause stomach upsets and cause the runs! Goat's milk can be given to lactating mothers and kits if they are not thriving on 'mothers own'.

Fully-grown, active ferrets have special requirements specific to their species and need more nutrients than other carnivores.