Feeding a Ferret
Ferrets are obligated carnivores, meaning they require & thrive upon other animals as their diet. They require high protein, high fat diets, with low fibre & low carbohydrate meals, with plenty of moisture for correct organ function. Fruits & vegetables, plant products, along with sweet & sugary items, are unsuitable for them & are detrimental to their health.
The diet of the Ferrets
When feeding raw, the ferrets must be fed from three different animal sources, an ideal diet being 65%-60% muscle meats, 15%-20% bone, 10% heart meat, 5% liver & 5% any other organ (brains, kidney, lung, etc).
My ferrets benefit from a higher bone content diet of around 20% bone, however the aforementioned percentages are a good staple for all ferrets.
I've comprised a list of foods suitable for ferrets below.
Muscle meats: These provide essential proteins & fats for the ferrets.
Minces - kangaroo, chicken, lamb, beef, pork, turkey, duck & rabbit.
Chunks & cheap cuts of meat - beef, lamb, pork & chicken. If you can find cheap cuts of kangaroo, duck, turkey & rabbit, go for it.
Heart (essential for taurine content for eyes & brains of ferrets) - beef or ox heart, lamb/sheep/mutton hearts, chicken & turkey hearts, rabbit heart.
Any meats that are high in salt, like ham, bacon & similar items, shouldn't be fed due to the salt & it can cause some problem with the kidney & bladder of ferrets. Tongue is also a good muscle meat to use.
Organs or Offal: To provide minerals & vitamins, along with more specific proteins.
Liver (utterly essential for a healthy ferret due to iron & vitamin A content) - beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, duck & rabbit.
Kidney (needs a minimum amount in diet) - beef, lamb, pork & rabbit.
Brains (also good for taurine) - beef, lamb, pork, chicken & rabbit.
Lungs (if you can source them, good for B vitamins) - beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turky, rabbit & duck.
Other organs, like the spleen, are also suitable, but most ferrets willl not eat the digestive tract of their prey, so there is little use in getting instestines to feed them. Organs should only make up 10% of a ferrets diet & liver must only be fed once a week at 5% of the ferrets body weight, too much liver can cause Vitamin A TOXICITY, along with dark, tarry & foul smelling stools.
Bones: To provide calcium & trace minerals for bone development & maintenance, dental health & digestive well being.
Wings - chicken, turkey & duck.
Necks - chicken, turkey, duck & lamb.
Tails - pork, beef/ox & lamb.
Ribs - pork, lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, duck & rabbit.
Other bone options are chicken feet & carcasses/frames, along with chicken maryland, chicken or turkey drumsticks, beef briskit bones, pork trotters, any reasonable ferret sized meaty bones will suffice.
Fish is also suitable to be fed, but keep to solely freshwater species or small, coastal bait species if saltwater (eg Shoreline Mullet). Whole prey items such as prekilled day old chicks, month old pullets, whole quails, rabbit carcasses, even matured rats & mice are suitable for a ferrets diet, however they can be costly & are not essential if feeding an already balanced diet.
My ferrets benefit from a higher bone content diet of around 20% bone, however the aforementioned percentages are a good staple for all ferrets.
I've comprised a list of foods suitable for ferrets below.
Muscle meats: These provide essential proteins & fats for the ferrets.
Minces - kangaroo, chicken, lamb, beef, pork, turkey, duck & rabbit.
Chunks & cheap cuts of meat - beef, lamb, pork & chicken. If you can find cheap cuts of kangaroo, duck, turkey & rabbit, go for it.
Heart (essential for taurine content for eyes & brains of ferrets) - beef or ox heart, lamb/sheep/mutton hearts, chicken & turkey hearts, rabbit heart.
Any meats that are high in salt, like ham, bacon & similar items, shouldn't be fed due to the salt & it can cause some problem with the kidney & bladder of ferrets. Tongue is also a good muscle meat to use.
Organs or Offal: To provide minerals & vitamins, along with more specific proteins.
Liver (utterly essential for a healthy ferret due to iron & vitamin A content) - beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey, duck & rabbit.
Kidney (needs a minimum amount in diet) - beef, lamb, pork & rabbit.
Brains (also good for taurine) - beef, lamb, pork, chicken & rabbit.
Lungs (if you can source them, good for B vitamins) - beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turky, rabbit & duck.
Other organs, like the spleen, are also suitable, but most ferrets willl not eat the digestive tract of their prey, so there is little use in getting instestines to feed them. Organs should only make up 10% of a ferrets diet & liver must only be fed once a week at 5% of the ferrets body weight, too much liver can cause Vitamin A TOXICITY, along with dark, tarry & foul smelling stools.
Bones: To provide calcium & trace minerals for bone development & maintenance, dental health & digestive well being.
Wings - chicken, turkey & duck.
Necks - chicken, turkey, duck & lamb.
Tails - pork, beef/ox & lamb.
Ribs - pork, lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, duck & rabbit.
Other bone options are chicken feet & carcasses/frames, along with chicken maryland, chicken or turkey drumsticks, beef briskit bones, pork trotters, any reasonable ferret sized meaty bones will suffice.
Fish is also suitable to be fed, but keep to solely freshwater species or small, coastal bait species if saltwater (eg Shoreline Mullet). Whole prey items such as prekilled day old chicks, month old pullets, whole quails, rabbit carcasses, even matured rats & mice are suitable for a ferrets diet, however they can be costly & are not essential if feeding an already balanced diet.
The following picture is an example of preportioning ferret meals. I no longer portion my meals like this as my numbers have increased since & this is inadequate for my requirements, however this is how I have done it in the past & how many ferret owners continue to do so.