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Ferret Care

DIET

Ferrets are strict carnivores, meaning they are designed to eat whole prey items, which includes all parts of the killed animal. The only nonmeat items they might encounter in their diet would be in the stomach and intestinal tract of their prey, where it is partially digested. This might include small amounts of grains, fruits and vegetables. Ferrets have a very short gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the flora (the organisms living in the GI tract) are very simple, unlike the flora of animals that eat more vegetation. It takes about 3 to 4 hours for food to go from one end to the other and thus they absorb food rather inefficiently. Ferrets tend to eat several smaller meals and carry any excess to their dens to eat later. Did you ever have a ferret that took food and tucked it away in the corner of the cage, or a piece of furniture?

Because of the short GI tract and the poor absorption of nutrients, ferrets require a diet that is highly concentrated with FAT as the main source of calories (energy) and highly digestible MEAT-BASED PROTEIN. This would match the basic composition of a prey animal not excluding the essential vitamins and minerals it also contains. Ferrets should never be fed carbohydrates (such as vegetable, fruit or grains) as the main source of energy in the diet. Ferrets cannot digest fiber, as is found in some vegetable and fruit sources. If there is a significant amount of fiber in the diet it serves to lower the nutritional value of the food. As mentioned, ferrets need a highly digestible meat-based protein in the diet. Vegetable protein is poorly utilized. In the presence of excess vegetable protein the ferret can suffer from such diseases as bladder stones, poor coat and skin quality, eosinophilic gastroenteritis (wasting, diarrhea, and ulcerations of the skin) poor growth of kits and decreased reproduction. Dog food and vegetarian-type pet foods are completely inappropriate for use in ferrets because of the high level of vegetable protein and fiber. The bottom line is that ferrets use fat for energy not carbohydrates and they need a highly digestible meat-based protein not vegetable protein.

The next best choice to feeding a whole prey diet is to feed a balanced raw carnivore diet.There are more and more of these diets available in either freeze-dried or frozen form as pet food companies realize that heat processing the food and making little baked kibbles may not be the answer. Several of the fresh, frozen or freeze-dried carnivore diets have been successfully used in ferrets. Our current recommendation is the Archetype Diet by Wysong. It is cold-processed, contains beef, lamb and chicken meat products, is well accepted and comes in small chunks so it is easy to feed. In general, you should look for diets that they are made from meat suitable for human consumption (preferably organic) containing all the parts of the animal (organ meat, muscle, fat and bone), a high level of fat and containing no grain or grain products, sweeteners or chemical preservatives. Do not use diets designed for dogs that contain vegetables and grains.

Now we come to dry, processed ferret diets, the very diet most veterinarians, ourselves included, have used for years. Although there have been tremendous strides made in the quality of dry ferret diets in the last 25 years, we have yet to see one that we believe is completely appropriate for ferrets. Let's take a look at the composition of these diets and compare that to what we know of ferret nutrition. We have discussed that ferrets are carnivores and need a high protein, high fat diet with minimal carbohydrates. To use numbers, a dry ferret diet should contain at least 30% to 40% crude protein and 15% to 20% fat. The protein should be of animal origin and highly digestible. Unfortunately, pet food labels do not indicate digestibility of the components and the protein percent you read may contain both animal and plant sources of protein. In addition, grains, such as corn, wheat or rice, are used not only to increase protein but as a filler and as a means of binding the final product together. Ingredients on a pet food label are given in order of their amount in the diet, starting with the largest. For ferrets, the first three ingredients should be meat-based. Processed dry foods are heated during production and in the process nutrients can be destroyed or altered and then have to be replaced artificially. In addition, other additives may be used to keep the food from spoiling. To add insult to injury, several of the diets have dried fruits and vegetables in them. Ferrets do not need these items and in addition the dried form can make it nearly impossible for the ferret to process. We have already had one case of a ferret that needed emergency surgery to remove a piece of dried carrot blocking his intestine that he consumed in a “ferret diet.” Clearly, these diets are packaged to appeal to human consumers and may have little to do with appropriate ferret nutrition.  

SUPPLEMENTS

Ferrets do not need supplements of any kind if they being fed a balanced raw, freeze-dried or whole prey diet. If the ferret is being fed a high quality dry ferret diet, it is unlikely he/she will need routine supplements. 

ENVIRONMENT

• Caging and Exercise – Ferrets should not be caged 24 hours a day. Like all animals they need exercise to develop strong bones and muscles as well as for healthy mental activity. Ferrets have the physiology of a predatory hunter and will play intensely for an hour or so and then sleep deeply for several hours. Although ferrets are nocturnal by nature, they will adjust their activity schedule to yours without much fuss. The home cage should be a minimum size of 24”x24”x18” high for up to two ferrets. The cage can be multilevel, but avoid steep ramps because ferrets are not natural climbers and could fall and injure themselves. Aquariums are not suitable cages for ferrets because of inadequate air circulation. Make sure the cage is made of a material that will be easy to clean and deodorize and is indestructible to the ferret digging in the corners. The cage floor can be solid, but should waterproof and easy to clean or made of wire mesh with squares no larger than 1/4” to prevent foot injuries.

Ferrets should be allowed in a supervised, ferret-proofed exercise area a minimum of two hours a day. This exercise period can be all at once or divided up into two or three play periods. Ferrets in the wild would spend a good deal of time in burrows underground, eating, sleeping and hunting. Think like a ferret, get down on your hands and knees and protect your pet from areas that might be attractive to him/her to dig or burrow into. Make sure you block off all escape routes and remove toxic substances such as plants, household cleaners, insecticides and rodenticides. Protect the carpeting from digging with heavy plastic carpet protectors. Keep your pet from burrowing into the bottom of your furniture or mattresses by covering these areas with a solid piece of thin plywood or Plexiglas. The burrowing is not only damaging to the furniture, but the ferret can eat the foam rubber inside and develop a fatal intestinal obstruction. Recliner chairs should be removed because ferrets like to climb into the chairs to sleep and then when the chair is moved, the ferret can be crushed.
 

• Sleeping Area – In the wild, ferrets would sleep in a dark, warm, dry nest underground. We need to simulate this same environment by providing sleeping material in which a ferret can feel safe. A sleeping area can be as simple as a soft towel, old shirt or cut off trouser leg or blouse sleeve. There are now a wide variety of sleeping paraphernalia for ferrets sold at pet stores such as cloth tubes, tents and hammocks. Occasionally a ferret will chew on cloth, but this is usually baby behavior and most ferrets grow out of it. If your pet does chew on cloth, remove the item from the cage and use a small cardboard or wooden box with clean straw or hay for a sleeping area. After the ferret matures try the cloth sleeping materials again.
   
• Litter Box – Ferrets can be litter box trained about 85% of the time. A small, low-sided box should be placed in the toilet area your pet has already used in the cage or exercise area. Do not use clay or clumping kitty litter in the box because ferrets like to burrow and play in the clean litter and the dust from the clay is damaging to the fur. Use a thin layer of pelleted litter, which is not only cleaner but also more absorbent. It is also non-toxic if swallowed and compostable in the garden. Ferrets back up to a vertical surface to defecate and urinate, so make sure the litter material does not come to the top of the box or all the waste material will drop over the side! Ferrets do not cover up their waste so it will be necessary to change the litter material several times a week to minimize stool odor. If the ferret is allowed to exercise over a large area of the house it will be necessary to place litter boxes in several locations. When ferrets need to go, they will not travel far to take care of the situation!
   
• Toys – Never give your pet ferret any latex or foam rubber toys!!! Ferrets like to chew on and then swallow these products and the result can be a fatal intestinal obstruction. Make sure to remove any access to foam or latex rubber items in your home such as stereo speakers, headphones, rubber soled shoes, pipe insulation, rubber bands and rubber dog, cat or baby toys. As mentioned under Cages and Exercise, prevent access to the underside of furniture and mattresses because these are also sources of foam rubber.