Ferrets are obligate carnivores, which means they need to eat large amounts of animal-based proteins and not things like grains, vegetables and fruit, which have no nutritional value and also contain fiber, which ferrets cannot digest. They also have a very short intestinal tract and it only takes about 3-4 hours for their food to go through. So, to enable the ferret to process their food, they need food which is highly digestible and high in animal protein and fat to maintain a healthy immune system.

In the past, working ferrets were given a diet of bread and milk. Since ferrets are lactose-intolerant, you can imagine what their poop must have been like as the milk would have caused dreadful diarrhea.

What were the people thinking of when they fed their ferrets a plate of slop, I wonder? Surely any thinking person would have realized that there was nothing nutritional there for the poor animal.

So what should you feed your ferret?

There are many who insist that a raw or whole prey diet is best. Day-old chicks and weener mice are said to be good as the ferret digests everything, bones and all, and this is apparently good for its teeth and makes their fur look healthy.

Others insist a balanced kibble diet is best as it all the vitamins and minerals included and is purposely made with the ferret in mind. For those who can’t get dry ferret food, the choice would be good quality chicken-flavored cat, or kitten, food.

If feeding a ferret dry food, the owner should look for a product which has a high percentage of protein (30-40%), which is animal-, not plant-based. High fat content and very low in carbohydrates and fiber (no higher than 3%).

If checking the ingredients of the dry food, make sure that the first 5 listed products include meat and/or meat meals.

Avoid brands which have soy, corn, rice or other plant-based proteins which are used as fillers and have no nutritional value. Also reject foods which include added sugars, like fructose.

Some owners give their ferrets raisins as treats. This should be avoided as recent reports have warned that frequent raisin treats *could* hasten the onset of insulinoma, which is caused by pancreatic tumors.

Do not give your ferret treats like cheerios or other sugary cereals for the same reason. If you want to give your ferret a treat, please find something which is meat-based.

Avoid giving your ferret dog food, either the wet or dry variety, dairy products, chocolate, soft drinks and certainly do not give it alcohol.

If you feed your ferret a whole prey or raw diet, make sure you remove all the uneaten food once your ferret has finished eating to avoid problems.

Dry food should be available 24/7 and always make sure there is clean, fresh water available too.

If you follow the basic rules above, you should have a healthy, happy and energetic little companion that will hopefully be with you for the maximum number of years possible.