Jive enjoying his whole prey pigeon
Just like cats; ferrets are obligate carnivores as well. They have slightly different needs in their amino acids, fatty acids, taurine and Vitamin A intake and requirements but alas, they are still obligate carnivores. let's take a look at what does this means...
Obligate means "by necessity." The dictionary definition is: 1. Restricted to one particularly characteristic mode of life. 2. Biologically essential for survival. Combining obligate with carnivore together is pretty clear; Ferrets must eat meat, it is a biological necessity for their survival.
Take a read of this article, it is a great way to explain how cats (and ferrets) require an only balanced raw meat diet http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-what-exactly-is-an-obligate-carnivore
I cannot stress it enough when I say "DO NOT FEED YOUR FERRET DRY OR WET DOG OR CAT FOOD!" Kibble (dry biscuits) is made up of moisture, fiber, wheat, grain, plant protein, vegetables, fillers, salt, supplements, artificial flavours and colours. After reading that, do you think that kibble is going to be beneficial for your obligate carnivorous ferret? NO, it is not. It will cause HUGE amounts of health issues and will be detrimental to their life.
So in saying the above... Where can you get your raw meat from? PETSTUCKER OF COURSE!
Obligate means "by necessity." The dictionary definition is: 1. Restricted to one particularly characteristic mode of life. 2. Biologically essential for survival. Combining obligate with carnivore together is pretty clear; Ferrets must eat meat, it is a biological necessity for their survival.
Take a read of this article, it is a great way to explain how cats (and ferrets) require an only balanced raw meat diet http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/answers-what-exactly-is-an-obligate-carnivore
I cannot stress it enough when I say "DO NOT FEED YOUR FERRET DRY OR WET DOG OR CAT FOOD!" Kibble (dry biscuits) is made up of moisture, fiber, wheat, grain, plant protein, vegetables, fillers, salt, supplements, artificial flavours and colours. After reading that, do you think that kibble is going to be beneficial for your obligate carnivorous ferret? NO, it is not. It will cause HUGE amounts of health issues and will be detrimental to their life.
So in saying the above... Where can you get your raw meat from? PETSTUCKER OF COURSE!
Well... Let's take a look at what a ferret requires in their diet first!
Ferrets are obligate carnivores, this means only get their nutrients and energy from a diet high in animal protein and fat. A ferrets diets MUST be a meat only diet and it MUST be balanced. Ferrets cannot digest and process the proteins in vegetables due to the lack of a cecum in the intestine. The natural diet of their wild ancestors consisted of whole small prey, i.e. meat, organs, bones, skin, feathers, and fur through rats, mice, birds, rabbits and more. Ferrets have short digestive systems and quick metabolism, so this indicates that they require meals twice daily (morning & night).
All of my ferrets (rescues and kits included) are fed on a Frankenprey Raw Model Diet and whole prey!
A Frankenprey Raw Model Diet is a prey model diet, where you are feeding the ratio of muscle meat, heart, bone in meat and organ that you would find in a whole prey animal. There are several basic ways of appropriately feeding our carnivorous ferrets and there are acceptable variations within each: Ground Whole Animals, Frankenprey Raw Model Diet A Whole Prey Diet.
When fed on the correct fully balanced raw diet your ferret will not only survive but thrive. The basics of a Frankenprey Raw Model Diet are as follows: (balancing over a week period is the best way to feed a balanced raw meat diet) These are approximate percentages:
7% liver
7% another secreting organ
14% hearts
28% bone in meat
42% muscle meat
From the above percentages you can split your meals into the following 14 meals:
1 x liver meal
1 x another secreting organ meal (brain, spleen, kidneys, pancreas, thymus as well as ovaries & testicles)
2 x heart meals (chicken, beef, turkey, lamb etc, heart is heart)
4 x bone in meat meals (chicken frames, necks, feet, drumsticks & wings, turkey necks, roo tails and necks)
6 x muscle meat meals (chicken thighs/breasts, lamb mince/chunks, kangaroo fillets, beef off cuts and turkey chunks are a few examples)
If you feed an UNbalanced raw diet this will be unhealthy and possibly have a negative effect on your ferrets health. Ensuring your raw diet is ALWAYS balanced is the key to a happy, healthy ferret that will not only survive but THRIVE!
Please remember that dry, wet cat or dog food is NOT food for ferrets and please do NOT feed it to them. I personally know many ferrets who have suffered kidney failure, liver failure, kidney stones, bladder stones, insulinoma, hair loss, weight loss, adrenal disease, severe dental problems requiring many teeth to be treated and or pulled and much more all because of incorrect diets. These diseases, illness and health problems will cost you a small fortune at the Vet to have treated on an ongoing basis and will also hugely lessen the quality of your ferrets life and lead them to an early grave.
Many ferrets I know whom have been fed on a full balanced raw diet have outlived 12 and done it very healthily and the reason for their passing was old age. There is much research into how much healthier raw fed ferrets are compared to that of kibble fed ferrets. Please also remember that American ferrets are VERY different to Australian ferrets. When preparing yourself for adopting ferret/s, ensuring you are getting your information from Australian based websites. 90% of the American information on Google will advise you to feed kibble but they neglect to advise that 90% of American ferrets end up with Adrenal Disease and Insulinoma before the age of 4 and most of them do not outlive 6 years of age.
If you would like a Nutritional Consultant who can mentor you on diet and how to feed your ferrets correctly please contact me for further information as I would be more than happy to help you transition your ferrets onto a better diet for a small fee.
Ferrets can eat a mixture of the following foods:
Chicken
Beef
Turkey
Lamb
Kangaroo
Pork (weekly)
Fish (weekly)
Goat
Chicken necks, wings, frames, wing tips
Turkey necks
Euthanised Whole Prey such as rats, mice, quails, rabbits, pigeons (ensuring all whole prey that has been fed has been frozen for a minimum of 3 weeks)
Ferrets are obligate carnivores, this means only get their nutrients and energy from a diet high in animal protein and fat. A ferrets diets MUST be a meat only diet and it MUST be balanced. Ferrets cannot digest and process the proteins in vegetables due to the lack of a cecum in the intestine. The natural diet of their wild ancestors consisted of whole small prey, i.e. meat, organs, bones, skin, feathers, and fur through rats, mice, birds, rabbits and more. Ferrets have short digestive systems and quick metabolism, so this indicates that they require meals twice daily (morning & night).
All of my ferrets (rescues and kits included) are fed on a Frankenprey Raw Model Diet and whole prey!
A Frankenprey Raw Model Diet is a prey model diet, where you are feeding the ratio of muscle meat, heart, bone in meat and organ that you would find in a whole prey animal. There are several basic ways of appropriately feeding our carnivorous ferrets and there are acceptable variations within each: Ground Whole Animals, Frankenprey Raw Model Diet A Whole Prey Diet.
When fed on the correct fully balanced raw diet your ferret will not only survive but thrive. The basics of a Frankenprey Raw Model Diet are as follows: (balancing over a week period is the best way to feed a balanced raw meat diet) These are approximate percentages:
7% liver
7% another secreting organ
14% hearts
28% bone in meat
42% muscle meat
From the above percentages you can split your meals into the following 14 meals:
1 x liver meal
1 x another secreting organ meal (brain, spleen, kidneys, pancreas, thymus as well as ovaries & testicles)
2 x heart meals (chicken, beef, turkey, lamb etc, heart is heart)
4 x bone in meat meals (chicken frames, necks, feet, drumsticks & wings, turkey necks, roo tails and necks)
6 x muscle meat meals (chicken thighs/breasts, lamb mince/chunks, kangaroo fillets, beef off cuts and turkey chunks are a few examples)
If you feed an UNbalanced raw diet this will be unhealthy and possibly have a negative effect on your ferrets health. Ensuring your raw diet is ALWAYS balanced is the key to a happy, healthy ferret that will not only survive but THRIVE!
Please remember that dry, wet cat or dog food is NOT food for ferrets and please do NOT feed it to them. I personally know many ferrets who have suffered kidney failure, liver failure, kidney stones, bladder stones, insulinoma, hair loss, weight loss, adrenal disease, severe dental problems requiring many teeth to be treated and or pulled and much more all because of incorrect diets. These diseases, illness and health problems will cost you a small fortune at the Vet to have treated on an ongoing basis and will also hugely lessen the quality of your ferrets life and lead them to an early grave.
Many ferrets I know whom have been fed on a full balanced raw diet have outlived 12 and done it very healthily and the reason for their passing was old age. There is much research into how much healthier raw fed ferrets are compared to that of kibble fed ferrets. Please also remember that American ferrets are VERY different to Australian ferrets. When preparing yourself for adopting ferret/s, ensuring you are getting your information from Australian based websites. 90% of the American information on Google will advise you to feed kibble but they neglect to advise that 90% of American ferrets end up with Adrenal Disease and Insulinoma before the age of 4 and most of them do not outlive 6 years of age.
If you would like a Nutritional Consultant who can mentor you on diet and how to feed your ferrets correctly please contact me for further information as I would be more than happy to help you transition your ferrets onto a better diet for a small fee.
Ferrets can eat a mixture of the following foods:
Chicken
Beef
Turkey
Lamb
Kangaroo
Pork (weekly)
Fish (weekly)
Goat
Chicken necks, wings, frames, wing tips
Turkey necks
Euthanised Whole Prey such as rats, mice, quails, rabbits, pigeons (ensuring all whole prey that has been fed has been frozen for a minimum of 3 weeks)
A fantastic website for bone ratios can be found here: https://therawfeedingcommunity.com/2017/03/14/bone-fat-content-percentages-in-raw-meaty-bones/
Chicken
Whole bird – 27-32% bone, 12-14% skin, 5-8% fat
Breast – 15-20% bone
Back – 44% bone, 10% skin, 17% fat
Thigh – 21-32% bone and cartilage, 24% skin and fat
Drumstick – 33-34% bone, 9% skin and fat
Wing – 46% bone, 21% skin, 1% fat
Leg quarter – 27-30% bone, 11% skin, 5% fat
Neck – 36% bone, 39% skin and fat
Cornish game hen – 39% bone, 13% skin, 5% fat
Foot – 60% bone
Head – 75% bone
Turkey
Whole bird – 21-29% bone, 11% skin and fat
Neck – 42% bone
Breast – 14% bone, 11% skin and fat
Back – 50% bone, 12% skin and fat
Thigh – 19-21% bone, 13% skin and fat
Wing – 44% bone, 16% skin and fat
Drumstick – 38% bone, 6% skin and fat
Quail
Whole – 10% bone, 14% skin
Duck
Whole, domestic – 28% bone, 38% skin and fat
Whole, wild game – 38% bone
Leg, domestic – 34% bone
Breast, wild game – 15% bone, 31% skin and fat
Wing – 39% bone
Foot – 60% bone
Head – 75% bone
Frame – 75% bone
Neck – 50% bone
Goose
Whole – 19% bone, 34% skin and fat
Pheasant
Whole – 14% bone, 10% skin
Dove / Squab / Pigeon
Whole – 23% bone, 12% skin
Guinea hen
Whole – 17% bone
Rabbit
Whole, unprocessed – 10% bone
Dressed (skinned and gutted) – 28% bone
Mouse / Rat
Whole – 5% bone
Lamb
Neck – 32% bone, 10% fat
Ribs – 24-27% bone, 11% fat
Shank – 28-36% bone, 9% fat
Shoulder – 21-25% bone, 17% fat
Chop – 15% bone, 12% fat
Goat
Whole – 33% bone
Veal
Ribs – 35% bone, 5% fat
Shoulder – 21% bone, 4% fat
Shank – 48% bone, 3% fat
Loin – 30% bone, 10% fat
Beef
Ribs – 52% bone, 32% fat
Ox tails – 45-65% bone
Pork
Shoulder – 16-25% bone, 10-14% fat
Ribs – 21-30% bone, 6-9% fat
Feet – 29% bone
Tail – 30% bone
Chicken
Whole bird – 27-32% bone, 12-14% skin, 5-8% fat
Breast – 15-20% bone
Back – 44% bone, 10% skin, 17% fat
Thigh – 21-32% bone and cartilage, 24% skin and fat
Drumstick – 33-34% bone, 9% skin and fat
Wing – 46% bone, 21% skin, 1% fat
Leg quarter – 27-30% bone, 11% skin, 5% fat
Neck – 36% bone, 39% skin and fat
Cornish game hen – 39% bone, 13% skin, 5% fat
Foot – 60% bone
Head – 75% bone
Turkey
Whole bird – 21-29% bone, 11% skin and fat
Neck – 42% bone
Breast – 14% bone, 11% skin and fat
Back – 50% bone, 12% skin and fat
Thigh – 19-21% bone, 13% skin and fat
Wing – 44% bone, 16% skin and fat
Drumstick – 38% bone, 6% skin and fat
Quail
Whole – 10% bone, 14% skin
Duck
Whole, domestic – 28% bone, 38% skin and fat
Whole, wild game – 38% bone
Leg, domestic – 34% bone
Breast, wild game – 15% bone, 31% skin and fat
Wing – 39% bone
Foot – 60% bone
Head – 75% bone
Frame – 75% bone
Neck – 50% bone
Goose
Whole – 19% bone, 34% skin and fat
Pheasant
Whole – 14% bone, 10% skin
Dove / Squab / Pigeon
Whole – 23% bone, 12% skin
Guinea hen
Whole – 17% bone
Rabbit
Whole, unprocessed – 10% bone
Dressed (skinned and gutted) – 28% bone
Mouse / Rat
Whole – 5% bone
Lamb
Neck – 32% bone, 10% fat
Ribs – 24-27% bone, 11% fat
Shank – 28-36% bone, 9% fat
Shoulder – 21-25% bone, 17% fat
Chop – 15% bone, 12% fat
Goat
Whole – 33% bone
Veal
Ribs – 35% bone, 5% fat
Shoulder – 21% bone, 4% fat
Shank – 48% bone, 3% fat
Loin – 30% bone, 10% fat
Beef
Ribs – 52% bone, 32% fat
Ox tails – 45-65% bone
Pork
Shoulder – 16-25% bone, 10-14% fat
Ribs – 21-30% bone, 6-9% fat
Feet – 29% bone
Tail – 30% bone
