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One of the most important considerations for your ferret is providing a proper diet. Ferrets are obligatory carnivores and a improper diet lacking enough meat can cause real problems for your pet. Not only does their diet need to be high in protein, it needs to be low in fiber and must contain certain essential fatty acids.

Cat food has been replaced by specially developed ferret foods as a preferred diet for our ferret friends. These foods are blended to have the proper mix of protein, high quality fat, and low carbohydrates which is exactly the diet your ferret needs to thrive and live a very long time.

35% to 40% high quality protein along with 18% to 30% fat are the first things you should look for on the label of your ferret food. Then look to ensure that there is no more than 2% fiber and less than 7% ash level. And finally make sure the source of the carbohydrates are good quality like rice flower or brewer’s yeast.

Also beware that some ferret foods are made of low quality frozen fish and chances are your ferret will just stick up its nose and want nothing to do with it. It’s not unheard of to have a ferret be so finicky and stubborn that they will go to the point of starving themselves to death before they will eat food they don’t like.

Quality food is going to cost more but if you use lower quality food you will most likely need to give your ferret vitamin supplements to keep him or her healthy. So its kind of a pay now or pay later scenario. That’s why I recommend just getting high quality food to begin with .

You should feed your ferret at least two times a day to provide your pet the calories it needs to sustain a healthy life. But keep the portions small so you don’t end up wasting food. Moist ferret foods are only good for about 45 minutes once you put it out. And you might want to alternate with dry pellet ferret food. The dry pellets help clean your ferret’s teeth and can be left out in their cage all day without worrying about spoilage. Also, make sure you always have fresh water available for your ferret. The water should be placed in a dish vs. a water bottle. Ferrets prefer to drink out of a dish. Just make sure you change the water in the dish at least twice a day to ensure its clean and fresh.

There is no real need to give your ferret treats or snacks from a nutritional standpoint. But many of you will want to use treats as part of your ferret’s training. If that is the case, use cooked eggs and meat as a healthy snack for your pet. And don’t feed your ferret fruits, candy or any dairy products. Nuts and nut products are off limits too. These food items can all cause serious health issues like diarrhea, hypoglycemia and obesity, even tooth decay.

So if you want your pet ferret to have a long, happy and healthy life just obey these tips to make sure your ferret gets a nutritious and proper ferret diet. A ferret diet fit for a King (or Queen).

Learn more about a proper ferret diet. Stop by Pat Jessup’s site where you can find out all about Pat’s ideas on ferret care and what it can do for your pet.

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