Just like other pets, there are some foods that a ferret can't eat. In this article, we will list 9 of them.
Cooked chicken and rabbit bones
It is not recommended to give your pet cooked bones. When you cook bones, it changes their structure and nutritional value. In addition, the tips of the bones can hurt your ferret's digestive system.
Dairy products
This is because the ferret's stomach does not digest lactose. It could cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Pastries and cakes
This goes for all sugary foods in general. These snacks can deregulate a ferret's pancreas which will result in hypoglycemia.
Raw pork meat
This can be contaminated with bacteria and parasites, causing intestinal infections.
Raw egg whites
Egg whites contain a substance that destroys an important vitamin, vitamin B1.
Vegetables and fruits
Just like with pastries and cakes, fruits are sweet and therefore bad for ferrets. In addition, their body cannot digest the fiber and can cause serious intestinal problems. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that ferrets do not digest vegetable proteins.
Chocolate
Chocolate is dangerous for animals in general because it contains theobromine. When ingested in large quantities, it can be fatal.
Coffee
Coffee and tea are very harmful to the health of a ferret.
All foods high in salt
Salt is not good for ferrets or anyone else for that matter.
What food can I give my ferret?
Your ferret's diet should be mainly based on raw meat. For ferrets, this is called Raw Feeding. This is a mixture of meat, bones, and offal, or small whole prey. Their diet should be rich in animal protein and fat, but low in carbohydrates. It is important to know that ferrets have a relatively short digestion time (3 to 4 hours), which is why they must be fed food that is easily digestible.
If you would rather feed your ferret dry food, you can find kibble specially designed for ferrets in pet shops or on the internet. Do not give your ferret food intended for dogs or cats, because over time this can cause nutritional deficiencies.
You might also like this article: How to choose your ferret.
What do you feed your ferret?