Feeding Your Ferret - What is the Best Ferret Diet?

The diet you feed your pet ferret is critical to their health. Ferrets are obligate carnivores, meaning they must have a diet high in animal protein and fat. In the wild they would be eating small prey and ingesting all of the body parts. Their food should be 32 to 38% protein from animal rather than vegetable sources.

Ferrets have short digestive tracts and no cecum (a part of the large intestine that processes fiber) and do not digest vegetable matter well.

When purchasing ferret food, carefully read the labels and select a premium food. The better ferret diets will be found online. Ferrets have a rapid two to three hour digestive process. So it is vital that their diet is easily digestible, with high quality, nutritious ingredients.

Ideally, the first listed ingredient for ferret food should be animal proteins such as chicken or poultry by-product meal. Other protein sources like other meat meals, whole eggs, liver meal or fish meal should be listed next. Little or no vegetable proteins should be fed. Soybean or soybean meal, corn or corn gluten meal, or other cereal grains should be avoided. Any food with carbohydrates (grains) listed as primary ingredients should not be fed.

Ferrets have very high metabolisms and need to eat many small meals. They should have fresh food and water available at all times and changed twice a day. Do not allow your pet to go very long without eating as serious health consequences can occur. Serve their food in a large, heavy bowl to avoid tipping. A hanging water bottle will avoid their water from being contaminated with food.

What Not to Feed Your Pet Ferret:

Never feed dog food. It will not be high enough in animal protein and will not contain Taurine. The amino acid, Taurine, is essential for eye and cardiovascular health. Also skip milk or other dairy products as adult ferrets are lactose intolerant.

Ferrets are very fond of fruit and vegetables but they should be fed very sparingly if at all. Vegetable matter can cause intestinal blockages which can even be life threatening.

Other foods ferrets must not eat are chocolate and raisins

Feeding Older Ferrets:

A ferret over four years old may need a food with a somewhat lower protein level to reduce the chance of kidney failure. There are foods formulated especially for older ferrets.

Changing Your Ferret's Diet:

When you change your pet's diet, add a small amount of the new food to their original diet. Increase the new food over a few days or weeks. You can also place the new food together with the old in a sealed container. This will help the new food to smell like the old familiar food. Adding water or heating the food will also help to combine the aromas.

Ferrets can be finicky and refuse to eat anything they were not introduced to when young. Some food contains fish protein which may be less palatable to ferrets. Although it may be challenging to find a diet that is both healthful and readily eaten by your pet, but it is very much worth the effort. You will have a happier, healthier longer-lived ferret companion.

Diedre writes about Ferret Care and Feeding for BestBuddyPets.com

Feeding Ferrets - 10 Best Foods to Feed Your Pet Ferret

There are many types of food that a ferret can choose from. However, there are some things that we need to consider before buying and trying one. Also remember that your ferrets are light eaters so they need to have available food throughout the day to satisfy their hunger. Also, fresh water should never be forgotten.

From here, you can choose among these ten best foods which you can feed your ferrets.

Treats

These should not replace the main meals being given to your pets. Used in moderation, these are only used in training and positive reinforcement. Use sparingly. Some treats include hard boiled or scrambled eggs, bits of cooked meats. If the food contains grains, vegetables or sugar, do not give it to your pet anymore.

Duck Soup

This food should be genuine, unprocessed and with no salt. This can be good for an ailing ferret.

Cat Food

Due to the ferret's high protein requirement, it is recommended that younger ferrets (around 3 - 4 years old) should get kitten or growth foods but if your ferret is a little older, than the adult cat food would be more recommendable. Older ferrets can have kidney problems if they get too much protein. Be reminded to not give this to them regularly.

Eggs

Eggs are also high quality protein sources. Avoid buying meat and poultry by-products because they may not be digested well and they are not really a good source of useful protein.

Turkey

Turkey meat also provides the necessary protein your ferrets need. This, along with other meat products, should be served as a natural part of your ferrets' diet.

Beef

Beef can also be one source of good protein. This can provide 30-35% of the needed protein requirement and 15-20% fat to meet the needs of the ferret.

Lamb

You don't have to serve this as too cold or too hot. Just enough warmth is right for the ferret. Lamb meat is another solid source of animal protein.

Dry Ferret Food

Before buying, check the label and the ingredients to help you decide which one is the best for your pet ferret. Select the one without any grain listed in the ingredients.

Chicken Meat

If your pet doesn't want red meat, and even ground meat, you can opt for chicken meat. Cut them into little pieces, put it on a dish and give it to them. Don't forget to remove the bones.

Smoothies

Ingredients include "1/2 cup of Pet milk (Choose the one with lactose reduced and with thiamine and taurine), one egg yolk and a squirt of Nutrigel". You can already see your pet lick their lips in anticipation!

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Ferret Care - How to Care for Your Pet Ferret

If you have decided to get yourself a pet ferret there are several places that you can go to obtain one. The following are the most accessible places for getting your hands on a pet ferret:

1. A Pet store

2. A Breeder

3. An animal shelter

Ferrets have fairly long life spans compared to other animals of a similar size. Ferrets tend to live an average of about 8-9 years, which means that you should make absolutely sure that you want a ferret and have done all of the necessary research before purchasing one. Please note that ferrets do take a lot of care and attention and that you must take this into consideration before buying one. This article is intended to give you some basic information about ferret care and how best to look after your little ferret friend.

One of the most important things to note about ferrets is that they are a predominantly nocturnal species; this basically means that they are asleep for the majority of the day and they wake up during the night. The first few weeks of owning a ferret tend to be quite tiring for the new owner. Ferrets have lots of energy when they first wake up and they need lots of entertainment and exercise to keep them healthy, this means that when your ferret wakes up you will need to let him out to play. If left in its cage a ferret can become bored and restless and can get quite stressed and unhappy and this can lead to a ferret becoming quite ill and unhealthy.

Ferrets are naturally curious creatures and they enjoy crawling into small dark spaces. They also have a tendency to eat anything small enough to fit into their mouths, obviously this is not always good for them because it can cause them digestive problems and stomach aches. Another problem with a ferret's curiosity is that they like to chew cables; again this can be very bad for your ferret as getting several thousand volts through their delicate little bodies can cause them some serious problems. To avoid your ferret getting injured, sick or electrocuted you should make sure that your home is ferret proofed before allowing your little friend to wander around the place. Keep any rooms that you are allowing the ferret into clean and tidy, make sure that there are no small objects lying around, keep cables secure and out of your ferrets reach and try to block up any small spaces that your ferret may try to squeeze into. Blocking up small spaces will not only keep your ferret from injuring himself but it will also mean that he is easy to find at all times.

Ferrets are small mammals and are carnivorous so you will have to feed them meat. The thing about ferrets is that they have quite specific dietary needs and you will have to meet these needs in order to keep your pet ferret healthy. Ferrets have very high metabolisms and require food that is high in protein such as is contained in meat and poultry. Most pet shops will stock ferret specific food and they are also available on the internet at very competitive prices so getting hold of ferret food is very easy indeed. Some people suggest feeding a ferret cat food, this is not a good idea as cat food does not contain all of the nutrients that a ferret requires so prolonged feeding of cat food can have adverse effects on your ferret's health. It is important to avoid feeding your ferret anything that is high in fat or that contains high amounts of carbohydrates and sugar as this will make your ferret sick.

As with the vast majority of household pets your pet ferret will require water (I know this is an obvious fact but I figured I might as well mention it incise anybody forgot about it). Tap water should be fine for your pet ferret and you can dispense it into either a bowl or a bottle. A lot of people tend to put the water into a pet bottle that attaches to side of the ferret cage, similar to the type you put on a gerbil cage. The advantages of using a bottle instead of a bowl are that they do tend to be less messy. Whether you use a bowl or a bottle for your ferret's water you must ensure that you clean it regularly to avoid making your ferret ill.

Due to the fact that ferrets are curious and adventurous, not to mention occasionally a little bit destructive, it is not advised that you leave your ferret unsupervised. Cats and dogs are fine to leave in the house on their own unsupervised for periods of time and they, if trained properly, do not get into much trouble, this cannot happen with a ferret. If you leave a ferret on its own it could get stuck, injured or even poison itself by eating something that it shouldn't. If the ferret has to be left on its own for a period of time it is a good idea to put the ferret in a ferret cage. There is a huge range of ferret cages available on the market that cater to all sort of ferret needs and the prices vary widely. The average cage size tend to be around 18" x 18" x 30" a cage of this size should have enough room for your ferret to move around in whilst being small enough to easily fit into the average house.

Caring for your ferret will involve spending time playing with your pet ferret. If you wish to keep your furry little friend entertained it is a good idea to pick up a few ferret friendly toys. There are literally hundreds of different toys available for ferrets in the market; some of them are great fun for the owner to play with. When choosing toys for your pet ferret it will be a good idea to choose something that is hard-wearing and durable. Ferrets, like cats, can play quite rough and if they are playing with a flimsy toy it will end up being destroyed within five minutes. The ferret is equipped with very sharp teeth and claws and they often use these when playing so any toy that cannot withstand being pounced on by a fast moving ball of fur with teeth and claws is just a waste of money.

Ferrets are very intelligent creatures and are capable of being trained to carry out simple tasks. One thing that you can train them to do is to use a litter tray to do their business in. You will not have to buy a ferret specific litter tray as a basic cat litter tray will do the job. Teaching your ferret to use a litter tray will mean that you don't end up finding ferret droppings all over your house; it will also help to keep your ferret nice and clean too. There are various websites out there that can offer advice on ferret training and can give you some great tips about how to train your ferret to use a litter tray. When training your ferret to use the litter tray it is a good idea to reward your ferret every time he does this will mean that your ferret will associate going to the toilet with getting praise and a treat. I used this method of rewarding a pet for good behaviour on my cat when I first got it. Every time my cat used the litter tray I would reward him with a catnip chocolate drop. Unfortunately he realised that when he wanted a treat all he had to do was do his business so when he wanted a treat he would sit in the tray and would strain until the smallest amount of pee came out, then he would meow at me to fetch him his treats, I had to stop using this method because he was peeing every five minutes and I thought he would end up injuring himself. Luckily even though I stopped giving him the treats for every successful toilet trip he still learned that he must do his business in the litter tray. You can use the reward method to teach your ferret other tricks as well; my best friend taught his ferret to beg like a dog using treats. A popular belief is that getting a ferret whist it is young means that it will be easier to train than one that is older, whatever the age of the ferret you choose is up to you and training your ferret will be much easier the more time you spend with it.

Ferrets, like cats and dogs, require regular check-ups at the vets so that they can have their vaccinations to prevent them getting ill. Also the vet can keep an eye on your ferret's state of health and often the vet is a massive resource of animal care advice. If you have questions about caring for your ferret a vet would be an excellent person to talk to.

Ferrets each have their own personalities so your ferret may act differently to another person's ferret. Some ferrets will be mischievous some will be pig headed and stubborn so every experience is different, if you are lucky you will end up with a ferret that will have a personality that compliments yours.

As you can see from this article caring for a ferret can be quite difficult but as long as you spend time with your ferret and feed it properly everything should work out fine. The internet is full of information about ferrets and there are a lot of helpful people on the net who can give you great advice about ferret care, so do not worry if your ferret is acting odd and you don't know why you can probably find out the answer on the internet.

I have been writing about things that I find interesting and have begun to write about ferrets because I find them fascinating. The internet is full of useful information for the budding ferret owner here are just a few:

About Ferrets
Ferrets As Pets

Feeding Your Pet Ferret - What You Must Know

Learn How & What to Feed Your Pet Ferret

If you are thinking about getting a pet and would like something that's a little different from what everyone else has, you might want to think about a ferret. They are becoming more popular as family pets everyday and their playful antics will quickly win your heart. They are now one of the most popular pets in the world. In many areas they are no longer referred to as exotic, proving how popular they have become.

Ferrets do require a fairly specialized diet which you should know about before considering getting one. Ferrets only eat food which must be high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fiber. Before ferrets became so popular owners had to feed them cat food due to the fact there was no food made just for them. Nowadays many pet stores both on and off line carry ferret food. Its very important that a baby ferret has a good diet. Their early diet will likely determine if your pet ferret will live a long happy life and give its owner much joy and be a great companion for many years to come.

There are some guidelines you should use when putting a diet together for your ferret. They are basically meat eaters, requiring a diet high in meat protein. This should be 34% to 36% of their diet along with 20% to 30% fats. You should also make sure they get essential minerals like taurine and amino acids. Brewers yeast and rice flour are two additions that could be good for their diet. Ferrets are picky eaters and demand you feed them the best food you can. They will almost starve themselves rather than eat food they don't like. One good result of this is that they will be healthier which means they will require less medicine and trips to the vet. Ferrets do eat less food than other pets so you can afford the best quality food.

Even though your ferret will be awake only 4 hours a day you will need to feed them twice during that time as their metabolism is so high they burn calories at a very high rate. Ferret food comes in both wet and dry types. Although wet food is probably preferred by your pet as it easier for them to eat it does have drawbacks. The main one is that wet food freshness is lost a short time after it has been opened.

Dry food pellets do have many advantages as they are easier to store and manage while feeding your ferret. Another benefit of dry food is that it helps clean their teeth. Even if it sits out all day the nutrition value won't be lost.

Ferret's must have water available at all times especially if they are being fed dry food. Most of them like their water in a dish but a water bottle is probably preferable to make sure they always have clean water.

Even though ferrets like snacks you should avoid allowing them to have them. Like humans many health problems can be traced back to snacking. Some of the ones that affect ferrets are obesity, blockage of the intestines and diarrhea just to mention a few. One more consideration to avoiding snacks is that it can interrupt the ferrets diet schedule. If you must feed them a snack probably the best one would be a boiled egg.

A ferret is a great pet and by providing it with the best food you can find you will be making sure you have one of the most interesting four footed friends you can find. Along with that best food don't forget the clean water and your pet ferret will be healthy and happy making you the best friend they can have. Remember to consider their dietary needs when thinking about a ferret as your next pet.

If you are a pet owner or thinking about becoming one you should go to the website at Natural Pets Health to get more information on natural pets health foods, products & cures. You will also find general information such as the pros & cons of owning along with the caring for & feeding of all types of pets from dogs to snakes to fish to exotics.

Info About Pet Ferret Food

Taking in a new pet can become challenging but only if you lack the knowledge in basic pet care which includes nourishment among other things. If you own a ferret, you should know as much info about pet ferret food as you can gather in order to keep your pet healthy and nourished.

Below are few of the most important info about pet ferret food that you need to be aware of if you want to give your ferret the best possible care:

o Ferrets are carnivores and they have a really high dietary requirement in the sense that they need to feed often. Their metabolism is very fast compared to other pets like dogs and cats so you have to make certain that they do not run out of food in their cage.

o You can buy ferret feeds from pet stores as well as online. If you decide to shop for pet feeds from online stores, you can get a really good deal especially when you place bulk orders.

o There are various brands of ferret feeds so be careful when buying them especially if you have not tried it previously on your pet. The quality of feeds should always be your top priority so as to keep your ferret healthy.

o You should not feed ferrets just anything from your fridge when you run out of feeds. Once they get used to eating store bought feeds, their digestive systems become used to it and would tend to react quite differently if contents are altered suddenly.

o Always read the labels of the pet feeds specifically the nutritional information printed on the back portion. The best feeds for ferrets are those that are rich in protein and have very minimal carbohydrates.

o Avoid switching brands very often. Stick to one brand and buy it by the bulk. If you decide to switch, make sure that it will be long term so as not to cause any distress on your pet's digestive system.

o There are certain diet requirements that should be followed based on the age of your pet ferret. The older they get, the more careful you have to be when it comes to feeding them because they become more sensitive and picky.

o Fat is very important in your pet's diet. Since ferrets are very active, they need all the fat reserves that they can get.

o Avoid feeding your ferret cat food. In the past, it was an acceptable practice to feed ferrets with cat food. These days however, it is highly discouraged to do this because there have been findings on the inadequacy of certain nutritional contents on cat feeds. This means that feeding your ferret cat food would render them undernourished. Since there are ferret feeds in the market already, there is no need for substitutions anymore.

o Treats should be given in moderation because they might not be up for eating their own feeds because the latter taste so much better.

Timothy Cartwright is a Pet Ferret expert. For more great info on [http://ferretcaresecrets.com.au/pet-ferret-food]

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