STA Ferret Rescue

Ferrets are obligate carnivores which means that they depend solely on the nutrients found in animal flesh for their survival, and lack the physiology required for the efficient digestion of vegetable matter (although some ferrets enjoy a bit of cucumber or other veg as a treat). Plant matter in cat food and similar can infact lead to bladder stones in ferret which is why it is best to buy dry food (kibble) specifically manufactured for ferrets or follow a raw meat diet. In fact many owners provide a diet of both kibble and meat.

A proprietary high protein high fat dry ferret food is normally recommended. Vitalin, James Wellbeloved and Science Select are all good. They will give your ferret all it requires, but fresh meat is also good. Raw or cooked chicken, mince, rabbit, day old chicks, mice, an occasional egg yolk can all enhance the diet. NOTE ferrets with Kidney disease require a lower protein low phosphorous diet, and elderly ferrets may also benefit from a reduction in protein to help their kidneys.

When feeding ferrets it is always worthwhile introducing them to a mix of food, rather than stick to one type, just in case you are unable to get hold of it one week, or the supplier changes the ingredients or discontinues production. The ferret kibble we use tends to be a mixture of the following:

If its a raw meat diet that you want your ferret to follow, then make sure you give your ferret a variety of raw meat (a diet of day old chicks is not sufficient on its own, so make it varied with minced beef, chicken wings (including bones), rabbit, livers, heart etc, all all enjoyed by ferrets (don't give liver more than about once a week as too much Vitamin A can build up in their liver) and that your meat is fresh, sourced and stored safely. There is some very useful information about BARF (Bones and Raw food) feeding at Ferretlove and also on this forum http://holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi 

Dont rely on roadkill or feed your ferret carcasses that you come across in the fields, there may have been something wrong with that animal that led to its death. If you are buying whole rabbits check that the liver is healthly (a good way to tell if they rabbit has a disease), and that there are no lead pellets in the carcass (ingested pellets can lead to lead poisoning in ferrets).

If you wish to source your raw meats online, then use a reputable supplier such as Honeybrook Farm and make sure you freeze the chicks, quail, mice and rabbits as soon as the delivery arrives.

Dont store frozen meat for more than 3 months as the vitamins etc within the meat deteriorate overtime even in the freezer.

Cooked meat can be given but should not be relied on as the main food as a lot of the goodness is lost when meats are cooked, cooked bones should never ben given as cooking makes them more inclined to splinter which can cause problems in your ferret.

The best treats for ferrets are kibbles and raw meat as their are no hidden sugars or plant extracts in these that can lead to health problems. However you will read of various treats being given to ferrets, below are a few tips.

Supplements - if you feed your ferret good quality ferret kibbles and a good mix of raw meats they should not generally need supplements.

That said many ferret owners do use oil mixes as a treat or as a means to keep their ferrets occupied to aide tclaw cutting, or even as an aide to ferret introductions. There are a few propietory ferret oil mixes available in the UK such as Ferret Formula, Ferretone, Furo-tone, and Ferretonic, all are fairly similar but you can make your own, the following is a recipe suggested by a Ferrets Forum member:

5 parts Soybean oil, 4 parts Fish oil (preferably not Cod Liver), 3 parts Wheat Germ Oil. If you can find it, you can throw in a couple of teaspoons of Lecithin or Chicken Digest (not the stock-types!!!!)

Dont over do it with these oils as it can make poos loose and there have been questions raised in the US over links to cancer with some oils.

Pastes such as Bephar Malt Paste, Ferretvite, VitaFerret, can provide extra vitamins and minerals for a poorly ferret and can also be used for their laxative effect to help pass digested fur (ferrets dont regurgitate furballs like cats do, and fur can build up and block a ferrets gut) or clear a blockage, so certainly have their use especially round moulting time. There is also Ferret Lax available as a furball remedy.

Eggs can be given, but like any treat give sparingly. Egg whites are best avoided as the avidin in the raw egg white binds with biotin and can cause a biotin deficiency (vitamin H) which can lead to problems with the skin, hair and nails and cause nervous system disorders. It really depends on how much of their diet is made up of egg (egg is also present in some ferret food). So this is why most people give egg as a treat rather than a daily food, or remove the egg whites when giving egg raw, or cook the eggs (as biotin is not destroyed when eggs are cooked)

Dairy products -  ferrets are lactose intolerant, so dairy products (milk, cheese, cream, icecream) shouldn’t be given as these can cause diarrhea and also bladder stones, although lactose-free (e.g. cat/kitten milk) or soya milk can be given as a treat.

Xylitol - is increasingly used as a sweetener in sugar-free chewing gum and other confectionary; it is used in dental hygiene products and is also found as an excipient in many medicines. Of particular concern are the sugar substitute products that contain Xylitol which are used in home baking as well as in manufactured goods. Cakes, biscuits and other goodies made with it are toxic to dogs, and is suspected that this could also affect ferrets and cats.

Signs of toxicity can be seen as quickly as 30 minutes after xylitol ingestion in dogs. The xylitol causes a rapid release of the hormone insulin, causing a sudden decrease in blood glucose. This in turn may cause the following symptoms3:

Vomiting, Weakness, Ataxia (uncoordinated movements), Depression, Hypokalemia (decreased potassium), Seizures, Coma
Liver dysfunction and/or failure.

DON’T  give dried fruit such as raisins, or chocolate as these are poisonous to ferrets, and be careful with sugary foods...

  Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine which can cause chocolate toxicosis in ferrets (cats and dogs as well),
  symptoms include vomiting, diarrhorea, hyperactivity, polyuria, polydipsia, lethargy, tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, seizures
  and death. For the same reasons, coffee and any other caffeine containing foods/drinks could prove lethal to a ferret.

  Raisins/Sultanas if given over a period of time on a regular basis can lead to the ferret developing kidney disease or kidney
  failure. Ferrets like raisins because, like other dried fruit, they are sweet and contain sugar.

   Ferrets dont need sugar, there are hidden ailments that may not present in your ferret until middle age (3-4 years) such as
  Insulinoma, that are made worse by sugar, so sugary snacks and treats are best avoided (check the ingrediants on any
  maufactured ferret treats, you will be suprised how much sugar they may contain!)

Fresh Water is essential, as ferrets can dehydrate quickly. A large heavy cat bowl works well for one or two ferrets, water bottles can be used but it is always best to have one or more bowls in the cage/enclosure even with water bottles to minimise the effort needed to get fluids (water bottles can be hard work). Make sure you change their water daily , and check that they have not turned over their bowls. During hot weather make sure that they have extra water as they will also splash water from their bowls onto their bellies to cool down. Care should be taken with trays of water as ferrets can drown when playing.

During warm weather most ferrets will enjoy and appreciate a misting of water to help cool them down.

Occassionally a ferret may become sick and refuse to eat his/her normal food, when this happens seek advice of your vet to find out why this has occurred, as such problems can arise due to blockages in the stomach, kidney problems etc not just stomach upsets. So its really important to find out quickly why this has happened as this will help not only with the course of treatment needed for the problem, but also in terms of what foods to try to feed them (for example ferrets with Kidney disease need to go on a low protein, low phosphorous diet). In times of such illness prevention of dehydration is more important initially than feeding your ferret.

The following are some of the foods that many rescues and ferret owners have in their house for such emergencies, though there is no guarantee your ferret will eat these when s/he is not feeling well, sometimes you may have to resort to syringe feeding
Oxbow Carnivore Care a 45% protein, 32% fat formulation with added vitamins and minerals (contains phosphorous).Royal Canin Veterinary Convalescence Support Instant Sachets, a 42% protein, 25% fat formulation made from milk protein
  (Single 50g sachets can be purchased through fuzziebuddies.co.uk)Uncle Jims Duk Soup, 34% protein, 16% fat (created for ferrets, in particular those suffering from ECE)Homemade Duk Soup - its easy to make your own, theres useful recipes on Ferret ForumChicken Complan, more an appetite encourager than food supplement 15.6% protein, 15% fat (contains lactose, phosphorous
  & salt), can be purchased from Boots and many supermarkets as well as online. NOTE - may cause diahorrea.Cow & Gate Creamy Chicken Baby Food, no real nutritional value, but may encourage your ferret to eat something, can be
  purchased from Boots and many supermarkets (unfortunately we don't get any chicken only baby foods in the UK, or Gerbers
  that the Americans recommend).