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.

Other makes of ferret kibble include Vitalin (now stocked by Countrywide Stores or online - this has 40% protein so is a very good ferret kibble), and Supreme Science Ferret Food (a lot of pet stores can get this).

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.

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 be 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 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, some ferret owners will give the yolk as a shared treat one a week/month either on its own or mixed with an oil or cats milk. There is some speculation about links between feeding eggs and rat tail, which is one of the reasons why eggs are best not fed regularly.

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 manufactured 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.

Some good info in the thread, despite the Americanisms used (sorry, seeing American words changing our British-English language and becoming the 'norm' is a bit of a pet hate of mine)
Anyway, well done Tapir. It's a good thread and I'm sure it'll be of good use to anybody that's thinking about getting a ferret

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Sharing our house with two fabulous cats

5 Stars, but I think you should add a warning... that once you get a ferret you instantly become addicted!! He he

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very helpful! we feed our ferrets with pets at home kibble and fresh rabbit which they love, i also love giving them the odd egg and watching them trying to get in to it!

Nice one Tapir, very useful concise information. Rep and 5 stars for you :3

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You're hanging out with us now. Dignity's got nothing to do with it :3

good post, i agree with pretty much everything you put. normally i disagree with what some people write about ferrets but not this time. mine also like pigeons, rabbits, chickens all sorts of meat... squirrels on occassion (don't ask).