Ferrets
DIET (part 2)
The most appropriate diet for a ferret would be whole prey foods such as rats, mice or chicks. However, we realize that the average American feels squeamish or downright distressed by the thought of feeding these foods. However, owners of carnivorous reptiles, such as snakes, must feed these prey foods routinely, as there is no alternative for these reptile pets.
The next best choice to feeding a whole prey diet is to feed a balanced raw carnivore diet. There are more and more of these diets available in either freeze-dried or frozen form as pet food companies realize that heat processing the food and making little baked kibbles may not be the answer. Several of the fresh, frozen or freeze-dried carnivore diets have been successfully used in ferrets. Our current recommendation is the Archetype Diet by Wysong. It is cold-processed, contains beef, lamb and chicken meat products, is well accepted and comes in small chunks so it is easy to feed. In general, you should look for diets that they are made from meat suitable for human consumption (preferably organic) containing all the parts of the animal (organ meat, muscle, fat and bone), a high level of fat and containing no grain or grain products, sweeteners or chemical preservatives. Do not use diets designed for dogs that contain vegetables and grains.

Now we come to dry, processed ferret diets, the very diet most veterinarians, ourselves included, have used for years. Although there have been tremendous strides made in the quality of dry ferret diets in the last 25 years, we have yet to see one that we believe is completely appropriate for ferrets. Let’s take a look at the composition of these diets and compare that to what we know of ferret nutrition. We have discussed that ferrets are carnivores and need a high protein, high fat diet with minimal carbohydrates. To use numbers, a dry ferret diet should contain at least 30 – 40 % crude protein and 15 –20% fat. The protein should be of animal origin and highly digestible. Unfortunately, pet food labels do not indicate digestibility of the components and the protein percent you read may contain both animal and plant sources of protein. In addition, grains, such as corn, wheat or rice, are used not only to increase protein but as a “filler” and as a means of binding the final product together. Ingredients on a pet food label are given in order of their amount in the diet, starting with the largest.

For ferrets, the first three ingredients should be meat-based. Processed dry foods are heated during production and in the process nutrients can be destroyed or altered and then have to be replaced artificially. In addition, other additives may be used to keep the food from spoiling. To add insult to injury, several of the diets have dried fruits and vegetables in them. Ferrets do not need these items and in addition the dried form can make it nearly impossible for the ferret to process. We have already had one case of a ferret that needed emergency surgery to remove a piece of dried carrot blocking his intestine that he consumed in a “ferret diet”. Clearly, these diets are packaged to appeal to human consumers and may have little to do with appropriate ferret nutrition.

The worst examples of processed diets are the ferret treat foods. Nine out of ten ferret-specific treat foods we examined had no meat products whatsoever and were comprised entirely of sweeteners and grains, with some fruits and vegetables thrown in. This is not only not healthy it is downright dangerous. In addition, people who use treats often use too many because it is emotionally appealing to watch a ferret enjoy a snack. So if the pet enjoys one treat why not give him five or six? In an animal with such a small body size, five or six treats might make up a good portion of his food for the day. Of course ferrets love the treats because they are attracted to sweets, but that does not mean it is good for them? Many people like chocolate, but if they ate chocolate as 25% of their diet, they would have some serious health problems including diabetes! Again, the packaging is for the human and as long as we keep buying it, companies will keep making it.

If you decide to make a change, you may find that adult ferrets can be very particular and will resist change. This is because ferrets develop most of their taste preferences by four months of age but they will change if given no choice. We do not believe that it is necessary to “wean” a ferret off of a less digestible and gradually introduce him to a more digestible diet. We just change “cold turkey”.
If you keep offering the old diet, there may never be a change to the new diet because they will go back to the original diet. It will probably be necessary to let your pet get hungry before he/she makes a change. Temporarily coating a new food with a fatty acid supplement or vegetable or fish oil as an enticement may help. However, be aware that ferrets that have insulinomas should not be fasted for more than 6 hours. These little guys may take a bit more time to change over the diet. If your ferret is currently being treated for any illness, consult your veterinarian first before making
any changes.
© 2004 Midwest Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital