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Diet
Ferrets are obligate carnivores; the natural diet of their wild ancestors
consisted of whole small prey—meat, organs, bones, skin, feathers, fur—not just
meat.
Some ferret owners feed a meat-based diet consisting of whole prey like mice,
rabbits, along with raw meat like chicken, beef, veal, kangaroo and wallaby.
This is preferred in Europe and Australia, and becoming increasingly popular in
the US as concerns are raised about the high level of carbohydrate in some
processed ferret foods.
Alternatively there is a wide variety of commercial ferret foods available.
Kitten foods can also be given, so long as they provide the high protein and fat
content required by the ferret's metabolism. Most adult cat foods and many
kitten foods are unsuitable for ferrets though, because of their low protein
content and high fiber. Ideally, a ferret food should contain a minimum of 32%
meat based protein and 18% fat. Low-quality pet foods often contain grain-based
proteins, which ferrets cannot properly digest.
Ferrets often have a fondness for sweets like raisins, bananas, peanut butter,
and pieces of cereal. Such treats should be given sparingly (if at all), as
their high sugar content has been linked to insulinoma and other diseases. In
fact, veterinarians suggest not feeding raisins and the like to ferrets at all
because they are known to hide their food, raising the possibility of a ferret
hiding a large amount of raisins over time and then dangerously consuming them
all at once.
Ferrets, like many other carnivores, gradually lose the ability to digest
lactose after they are weaned. As a result, lactose-free milk is to be
preferred.
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