02/05/2022
Let's talk, Ferret Dietary. Some food for thought.
Ferrets are strict carnivores, ferret's in the wild eat whole animals, eating their meat, soft bones and organs.
Being strict carnivores means that they can only consume meat products, and should never be fed grains, vegetable and plant matter, dairy etc.
The optimal diet for a ferret is a complete balanced raw diet consisting of:
✯ Meat/ muscle 65-75%
✯ Heart - 10% (this is vital for taurine)
✯ Organs - 10%
✯ Edible bone (soft bone) - 10- 15%
for a more in-depth guide to raw feeding, I highly recommend reading: https://www.rawfeedingadviceandsupport.com/ferret-starter-guide #:~:text=A%20balanced%20raw%20diet%20for,at%204%20meals%20a%20day.&text=Edible%20Bone%3A%2010%2D15%25,use%20of%20the%20word%20edible.
That brings me to, why not kibble or cat food?
Cat food in simple, is designed for cats and ferrets have very different dietary requirements than what cats have.
Cat food can contain products such as wheat and corn which can lead to serious issues in your ferrets intestines and digestive tract. Ferrets also can not digest fibre, fibre is also found in many cat foods. This goes for both cat kibble and wet food.
Kibble is the leading cause of pancreatic cancer in ferrets, even if your great great great not so great grandfather used to feed his ferrets kibble.
The famous 'vetafarm ferret food' contains pea flower and other plant matter, pea flower causes bladder stones in ferrets.
I see a lot of people wanting to transition their ferrets from a raw diet to a kibble or mixed diet, sometimes for convenience sometimes for other reasons. But raw diet is the best diet you could feed your ferret, and if you are wanting to transition to a kibble diet, I would do some more research and rethink if it is the best idea,
Evidence and references, for further reading and information:
https://ferretedu.weebly.com/pea-free-food-chart.html #:~:text=Why%20avoid%20peas%3F,avoid%20peas%20in%20any%20amount.
https://www.trifl.org/can-ferrets-eat-dry-cat-foods/ #:~:text=Many%20pet%20owners%20wonder%20if,are%20designed%20specifically%20for%20them.
https://www.rawfeedingadviceandsupport.com/ferret-starter-guide #:~:text=A%20balanced%20raw%20diet%20for,at%204%20meals%20a%20day.&text=Edible%20Bone%3A%2010%2D15%25,use%20of%20the%20word%20edible.
