Ferret Care : How to Feed Your Ferret

Feed ferrets commercial diets designed for ferrets only. Use treats that are approved for ferrets and other carnivores, and consider adding a syrup supplement to help break up hair balls. Check with a veterinary clinic to develop a healthy ferret diet with advice from a veterinarian in this free video on ferrets.

Expert: James Talbott
Bio: Dr. James R. Talbott is a staff veterinarian at Belle Forest Animal Hospital and Kennel in Nashville, Tenn.
Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge

[bella]

this person does not know what he is talking about please dont 'buy pet store ferret food

[gasr-notch]

Put them on a raw diet it's way healthier for ferrets don't buy the pet store stuff

[Henrika]

Insulinoma in a bag.... try switching to a grain free, low carb food, like Wysong Ferret Epigen or Orijen Cat & Kitten. Nature's Variety pre made raw is also a very easy way to introduce raw food to your ferrets diets. Just put some ferretone to get them interested in the food you are switching to, they will eat it eventually.

[porkchop]

This is not how to feed a ferret this is what a ferret EATS.

[greyed]

Cute ferret but I smiled when he refused the Ferro-vite.

"This is good for ferrets".

*BLEH!!!*

Hehe. Fortunately my fuzziebutts love the stuff.

[dogferret]

Years ago I stopped feeding my ferrets the dry crap and switched to whole animals like rabbit pigeon dove magpie and squirrel and their condition improved 100%. Im amazed when I hear anyone advising people to feed dry food its useless.

[therepresentative]

This guy is a vet?I knew he was going to say something crazy like that.

[TijiSan]

BS most pet store dont even know what ferrets can eat i went to the pet store they told me to feed my baby ferret this kibble that has gain in it 

[Clueblue]

you can just use canned pumpkin for a hairball sepliment because that cermarcial crap has lots of surgar which the obvisoisly dont need

[rubyrusso]

DONT GIVE IT THE FERRET VITE IT IS BAD FOR THEMM

[cumgullet]

@mcflaps You want to look at anything high protein. Because they can't digest sugars and carbs very well they need something that can supplement that in the form of proteins. So anything high protein and low carbohydrate and sugars will do. If you ask either the breeder you got him/her from or the pet shop they should be able to point you in the right direction as to what he/she's used too. Hope this helps!

[Grey-wpxu]

Yes I know this is an old video however it is still up and out there for people to see. Many vets will recommend a dry food for ferrets because they don't actually go and do the research themselves, not all vets are animal nutritionists. All of the foods marketed for ferrets out there are very very bad for them. They contain too many starch fillers and plant based ingredients for ferret consumption. Raw egg once a week is good for preventing hairballs, and nutritionally is amazing for them, don't overdo it however. The absolute best kibble diets for ferrets out there are actually marketed for cats and kittens. Cats are obligate carnivores, just like ferrets, meaning their bodies can only process meat. Often times people see things marketed for ferrets such as: Marshalls ferretone, Odor away spray, Leave in conditioner and much much more. These are toxic, and not appropriate for ferrets. The absolute best kibbles are the kibbles that have the least plant based matter, sugars, and carbohydrates. Many ferrets on a bad kibble diet for too long will develop insulinoma. Probably the best kibble diet I've seen for ferrets is **Ziwipeak Air Dried Raw CAT food**. It is important you pay attention to the animal the recipe is specified for, again, the cat food is the more biologically appropriate diet for ferrets because cats and ferrets are both obligate carnivores. Ferrets NEED any kibble they're on to be re-hydrated with water. Ferrets being obligate carnivores, get most of their water from the prey they hunt in the wild. However domesticated ferrets, even when provided water in a bowl, (NOT BOTTLE! BOTTLES CHIP TEETH!) do not get the necessary hydration from kibble. Even raw feeders add water to the bowl of food when feeding their ferrets.

Absolutely no kibble will ever replace a balanced raw diet. If a raw diet is done right, it is the absolute best diet out there for ferrets, dogs, and cats alike. However, if the raw diet is done wrong, you're better off with kibble. An imbalanced raw diet is very dangerous. I have two boys on raw, their fur is thicker and softer, they're more energetic than ever before, and I now don't have to worry about them developing insulinoma in the future. Many have the misconception that raw diets are extremely expensive, and the truth is that they're less expensive than the appropriate kibbles you can buy! It heavily depends on where you live. Some people can get anything any everything they need from a local store or butcher, asian market or supermarket, and some have to order from online raw feeding sites, which adds a third of the expense in shipping. I am one of those people who don't have access to many proteins on my own, so I spend around 60 dollars a month give or take buying their food. The amount of food you will need depends on the ferret. Do your research, and don't listen to just anyone you see online.

[cumgullet]

High protein diets are the best. Dry cat food is actually quite good as its now made with a high protein conetent which they get a lot of energy from. The grain stuff is the problem because its empty cardohydrates which they derive no use from.

[YesItsMeGuys]

all my ferrets over the years have refused eating ferret food and only liked Friskies dry cat food

[mcflaps]

@cumgullet88

what cat food do you feed it? im not sure what brand to get

[gmailaccount-]

Wait so cat food is good that has Raw meat in it? With real chicken in it?

[Bella-yvfu]

The second i heard the damm Marshalls supplements I’m like dam this guy don’t know anything about ferrets

[RobRoy]

I just bought a pair of 3 year old males. The previous owner explained to me that they refused to eat ferret food, and after several tries, they settled for purina kitten chow... Apparently they've been eating it all their lives! I'm not quite sure what to do, if theyve been eating it all their lives, it might give their bodies a health shock if I change their diet... What do you guys think? Im going to see a vet about it this Wednesday...

[Dancingtrolls]

I buy Zupreem (I think thats how u spell it) ferret food, and it's really good. Also for new ferret owners: stay away from ferret food that comes in the shape of a circle (unless its really really small) I bought a ferret food like that and my ferrets would get it stuck in their mouth and I would have to help them get it ou!!! I changed food after that and it never happened again..untill one of my ferrets found a piece of dog food lol but shes okay now =)

[totodileeater]

Hi, i bought a ferret today and when it comes to the time to eat, she refuses to eat her ferret food. It's dry ferret food made from chicken but she just doesn't seem to want it. How can i make her eat her food?