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What Do Ferrets Eat?

By Sandra C. Mitchell, DVM, DABVP

Dec. 5/2023

You’ve just brought home your first pet ferret, & you might be wondering, “what do ferrets eat?” Maintaining a proper ferret diet is a key factor in helping your furry friend live a long & happy life, & there are many ferret food options on the market today.

What Can Ferrets Eat?

Ferrets, like cats, are obligate carnivores, which means they get nutrients from meat-based protein. Many veterinarians feel that common problems such as inflammatory bowel disease & insulinoma are directly related to feeding ferrets the wrong foods.

Never feed your ferret cat food. While a ferret can technically eat cat food, ferrets require a higher amount of protein in their diet which most cat foods do not offer. Always feed your pet ferret a diet specifically formulated for ferrets.

Best Ferret Foods

Some of the best foods for ferrets include the following:

A healthy ferret food should have no seeds, nuts, or bits of dried-up fruit in the bag. Ferret food should all look the same, with no artificial colors or other variety to the formula.

Many foods designed for ferrets may change their formulas frequently. Ferrets are often extremely picky about their food & become bonded to the taste & feel of it. This can be a major problem when a manufacturer makes a change, so it’s recommended to purchase multiple different ferret food brands & blend them into a common container—mixing up the taste & making it easier to transition in the future, if needed.

Food should be available to your ferret 24/7 & should be checked daily. Remove any wet, soiled, or crunched-up kibbles that are no longer prime for eating.

Ferret Treats

Ferrets are tiny animals, so treat portions need to be kept small to maintain good nutrition. Choose healthy treats that complement their diet—not ruin it.

Puréed meat baby food with no additional ingredients is often a yummy snack for your ferret, & it’s an especially helpful treat to combine with medicine, if necessary. Do not feed baby foods that contain rice, vegetables, or chunks.

Another good treat for ferrets is Bob Church’s Chicken Gravy (also known as duck soup). A staple for the sick ferret, it’s a healthy addition to a ferret’s diet.

You can also offer your ferret small pieces of cooked lean chicken, turkey, beef, or fish. Be sure to remove the bones & skin, & ensure that it’s thoroughly cooked & diced relatively small.

What Can Ferrets Not Eat?

The list of what a ferret should not eat is much longer than the list of what they should eat. As a general rule, if a food isn’t meat-based, your ferret shouldn’t eat it.

Things that ferrets should not eat include:

Cat food

Dog food

Raisins & other fruits

Human foods (except small pieces of cooked meat)

Vegetables

Bones

Fish heads or skin

How To Feed a Ferret

The actual process of feeding a ferret is simple: simply set out approximately ¼ cup of a healthy kibble blend into a heavy crock feeder once per day. Be aware that ferrets love to play in their food & water, so using heavy crocks & separating the food & water by a few feet helps prevent messes & contamination.

Food & water should be checked approximately 12 hours later & changed, if needed. Ferrets often don’t like to eat crumbs, so if the bowl is heavy on the crumbs, dump it & start fresh. Water should also be provided in heavy crocks & checked & changed frequently. Some ferrets will drink from water bottles, but the vast majority prefer & drink better from crocks.

Ferret Food FAQs

What do ferrets eat in the wild?

Ferrets, as we know them, do not exist in the wild. It is thought that they were domesticated from the European polecat, which eats primarily small rodents, amphibians, & birds.

What do domestic ferrets eat?

Domestic ferrets eat a blend of high-quality, high-protein kibble designed for ferrets. A ferret’s diet is often supplemented with some softer high-protein treats, such as puréed baby food & meats.

Can ferrets eat cat food?

No. There are a few expensive high-protein, low-carbohydrate foods designed for cats that are also suitable for ferrets, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Also, the kibble size tends to be different, which makes it hard for ferrets to chew & can even damage their teeth.

Can ferrets eat dog food?

No, ferrets should never be fed dog food. It’s too high in carbohydrates for them to properly digest, does not contain the nutrients in the correct balance for a ferret’s metabolism, & is too large to fit properly in their mouth without possibly causing some damage.

What Do Ferrets Eat? | PetMD

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Jan. 25/2023

11 Ferret Facts: What to Know About Ferrets as Pets

Petmd.com

If you want an active, playful, mischievous pet that will bring endless fun, then a ferret may be the right

pet for you.

But before you bring one of these rambunctious little creatures into your home, here are 11 things to know about ferrets & proper ferret care.

1. Ferrets are illegal in some areas of the United States.

Before you adopt or purchase a ferret, you should check out your local laws. Pet ferrets are prohibited in California, Hawaii, & New York City.

While veterinarians in these locations will still treat sick ferrets, the adoption or purchase of new ferrets is not allowed. If you live in one of these areas, it’s best to consider getting another type of pet.

2. Ferrets have a strong, musky odor, even when they’re de-scented.

Ferrets have scent glands near the base of their tails that produce a potent, musky-smelling oil.

For many pet ferrets, these glands are surgically removed during the process of “de-scenting” when the animals are very young—before they are sold. Ferrets that retain these glands smell so musky that most people would never want them as pets.

However, even after they are de-scented, ferrets will still retain a milder musky odor that some people find unpleasant.

So, if you are sensitive to odor, & you’re considering a ferret as a pet, you might want to spend some time around one to be sure you can tolerate the smell before you bring a ferret home.

3. Ferrets love company.

Ferrets are social creatures that typically live in groups or colonies in the wild. Because they love company, pet ferrets generally look for human family members or other ferrets to hang out with.

It’s much more fun to play when you have friends to play with. Consequently, many ferret owners end up owning more than one ferret.

On rare occasions, 2 ferrets might not get along. So, if you get more than one ferret, you’ll need to supervise their interactions for several days to ensure they get along before you can safely leave them alone together.

To minimize competition between ferrets, each one should have equal access to food, toys, hiding spots, & sleeping areas so that they’re less likely to fight over resources.

4. Ferrets need to run!

Ferrets love to curl up & sleep, particularly if they can find a warm place to nap, but when they’re not napping, they also love to run, jump, climb, & hide. Ferrets also love toys.

Young ferrets, in particular, enjoying skittering across the floor & chasing toys. Exercise for ferrets is key, or they will overeat from boredom & become obese.

So, if you’re going to own a ferret, plan on lots of out-of-cage time for them to run around.

5. Ferrets chew EVERYTHING.

Ferrets are called ferrets because they literally “ferret out” everything. They chew on, dig up, & pull out nearly every object they encounter—especially when they’re young & very curious.

Objects made of foam, rubber, or cloth, including furniture & shoes, are special favorites. Ferrets notoriously steal everything they can get their mouths on & store their treasures in closets, under beds, or anywhere they can hide them.

This mischievous behavior can lead to significant health problems, since foreign objects they inadvertently swallow can get stuck in their gastrointestinal (GI) tracts & cause life-threatening obstructions that require surgical treatment.

So, if you decide to get a pet ferret, you’ll need to commit to ferret-proofing your home. That means picking up everything from the floor, creating a ferret-proofed area that’s free of tempting things to chew on, & supervising your new pet whenever he or she is out of the cage.

6. Ferrets eat meat.

Wild ferrets are carnivores that hunt for & consume rodents & rabbits. Their GI tracts have evolved to digest animal protein & not vegetable matter.

While a pet ferret should also be eating meat, their intestinal tract is not adapted to consuming raw meat in the same way as their wild counterparts. In fact, pet ferrets can develop severe intestinal infection with toxic bacteria such as Salmonella.

Pet ferrets should be fed commercially formulated, high-protein/moderate-fat/low-carbohydrate diets that contain all the nutrients that ferrets require. These diets have also been prepared to eliminate potentially harmful bacteria.

Several kibble diets are available for pet ferrets, & they generally love them.

Before diets were developed specifically for ferrets, many people fed their pet ferrets cat food. In general, it’s preferable to use commercially available ferret food over cat food because ferret-specific diets meet the nutritional needs of ferrets more closely.

7. Ferrets need annual veterinary checkups.

Ferrets can live to be 6-9 years old or more, so it’s important to provide consistent, preventative veterinary care. They should see their veterinarian annually & then semi-annually as they age.

By examining ferrets every year, veterinarians may diagnose & treat conditions earlier & may help ferrets live longer, happier lives.

After 3 years of age, ferrets also should have annual blood tests to help ensure that their blood sugar levels & kidney & liver functions are normal.

After 5 years of age, ferrets should be checked every 6 months, since by this age, they have often developed more than one of the conditions they commonly encounter as they age. 

8. Ferrets often develop certain diseases as they age.

Ferrets sold in pet stores in the United States are typically from one of 2 very large breeding facilities, & consequently, they are extremely inbred.

Inbreeding, unfortunately, increases the chances for developing certain diseases, including adrenal gland tumors & pancreatic tumors called insulinomas.

These illnesses can occur in ferrets as young as a year of age. Older ferrets commonly develop heart disease & other types of cancer.

If you’re planning on getting a ferret, you should expect that at some point, your ferret will develop one or more of these conditions & will require veterinary treatment.

9. Ferrets need shots.

Ferrets can contract & pass on rabies. Therefore, in many of the states in which they are legal as pets, ferrets are required by law to be vaccinated for rabies at 4-5 months of age & then annually after that.

Ferrets are also very susceptible to the deadly canine distemper virus that commonly affects dogs, but it’s preventable through vaccination. There is a ferret-specific distemper virus vaccine that should be administered initially in a series of 3 shots (3 weeks apart), starting at 2 months of age, & then annually after that.

Very rarely, ferrets can develop diarrhea, vomiting, or collapse after receiving either the rabies or distemper vaccine. For this reason, ferrets that receive vaccines should wait at the veterinary hospital for 15 minutes after receiving their shots to ensure they’re not having a reaction.

Ferrets that suffer from vaccine reactions should not be revaccinated in the future if their reaction is severe.

Even if pet ferrets are kept indoors, they should receive annual booster vaccines against both rabies & distemper viruses for life. This is because their owners can track distemper virus inside their homes on their shoes, & pet ferrets might also have contact with wildlife, like bats, which can carry the deadly rabies virus.

10. Ferrets need flea & heartworm disease preventative.

Just like cats & dogs, ferrets are susceptible to flea infestation & deadly heartworm infection. This is true even for ferrets kept indoors, as fleas can come in from outside, especially if there are dogs & cats in the home. Mosquitos can also make their way indoors & transmit heartworm disease to indoor ferrets.

Ferret-savvy veterinarians can prescribe flea & heartworm preventatives that are safe for use in ferrets, as not all flea & heartworm products are appropriate for ferrets.

11. Ferrets get hairballs.

Ferrets shed a lot of hair, particularly when the weather gets warm, & like cats, they may ingest this hair as they lick & groom themselves. This means that—like cats—ferrets can produce hairballs too.

If they ingest a large amount of hair, it can stick together in their intestines & cause a potentially life-threatening obstruction.

Ferrets with adrenal gland tumors commonly lose lots of hair as a result of hormones secreted by their tumors, & this often predisposes them to hairball development.

To help prevent hairballs from forming, ferrets should be brushed at least once a week with a narrow-toothed hair comb meant for brushing either a ferret or a cat.

If a ferret is shedding excessively, hairball laxatives made for either ferrets or cats can help hair pass through the GI tract more easily. These can be given by mouth once or twice a week.

Talk with your veterinarian to find out more if you are worried about hairballs in your ferret.

How to Find a Pet Ferret

If you decide that a ferret is right for you, you can rescue a ferret from one of several shelters across the United States, purchase one from reputable pet stores, or adopt one from a private breeder.

If you are rescuing a ferret from a shelter, be sure to quarantine them from other pets, as animals from rescue facilities can carry illness (e.g., GI parasites, mild upper respiratory tract infections, etc.) that they could potentially transmit to other ferrets or to cats or dogs.

Try to find out as much about the ferret’s history (i.e., why they were given up to the shelter) as you can, so that you can make the transition to your home as easy as possible.

If you adopt a ferret from a breeder, be sure to ask the breeder these questions:

Has the ferret been vaccinated?

What diet has the ferret been eating?

Does the ferret get along with other animals?

What is the ferret’s health history? Do they have veterinary records?

What is your policy regarding a guarantee if the ferret is sick?

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