Feeding Your Ferret: The Ideal Ferret Diet

Image By Stacy Lynn Baum, Wikimedia CommonsBecause of a ferret's short digestive track, and unique carnivorous diet, it can be difficult to find a proper balance when feeding your ferret. Keep reading to learn proper nutrition for your ferret, and how you can address it.

Proper Ferret Nutrition

The ideal ferret diet will consist of 30-40 percent meat-based protein, 20-30 percent fat, with less than 3 percent of fiber. Ferrets are strictly carnivores, so avoid feeding them any food that has fruits, grains, or vegetables. They won't be able to digest it. (Source: Feeding Your Ferret by Lianne Mcleod, DVM)

A Raw Ferret Diet

For a happy ferret, it's best to supplement ferret food with a nice, raw diet. This will provide your ferret with the nutrition it really needs.

Advantages of a Raw Diet

Feeding your ferret raw food has some great benefits. Here are a few.

• Clean teeth and gums.

• Better vitamin absorption.

• Better overall health.

• A healthier coat.

• Zero vitamin supplementation

• A happier ferret.

Healthy Ferret Food

Here are some great raw foods that are safe for your ferret.

• Raw chicken or turkey.

• Chicken necks.

• Small portions of raw, lean beef.

• Small baby mice or rats. 

• Chicks.

• Raw egg yolks.

• Raw liver or heart. 

Image by The Wicked Soul, FlickrA Good Balance

It can be both difficult and expensive to maintain a completely raw diet for your ferret, but you can still have a healthy happy ferret by supplementing his diet with completely raw food. Try feeding your ferret raw at least once a day or a few times per week. Some good options might include feeding your ferret a baby pinky rat or a raw liver or heart once a week, along with some raw chicken or egg yolks 4-6 times a week. For the best results, feed your ferret something raw at least once a day. Your ferret will love you for it! 

Processed Dry Foods

Processed ferret foods will allow you to give your ferret a constant source of food. For the best nutrition, there are freeze-dried carnivorous foods available at pet stores. 

Things To Check

If you buy processed ferret food to keep in your ferret's cage, you should be sure of a few things. The first 3 ingredients of the ferret food should be completely meat based, and there should be no grains, vegetables, or fruit listed in the ingredients. You may have to search a little bit, but be sure that there are no unnatural additives or sweeteners.

With this diet, you'll have a healthy, happy ferret. Supplement with raw foods, and your ferret will thank you for it.