Ferrets are common household pets and in order to meet their dietary requirements many pet food manufacturers are now producing food supplements. Ferrets are carnivorous animals and they are able to digest their food very quickly. A ferret diet needs to be high in fats, fiber and protein. Though earlier most pet owners fed their ferret with kitten food this is now being considered harmful to these pets. A natural diet is given more preference as opposed to commercial food.
If you have a ferret as a pet you must be aware of the fact that you have plenty of natural food options. Natural raw diets are preferred by the animal and hence they are slowly gaining popularity.
Look for distributors that will supply your animal with pre kill. This will include mice and chicks that are frozen. You can thaw the prey and feed them to your animals. This natural diet will help your pet to get the basic nutrients that their body demands.
A ferret diet needs to be rich in protein and fiber and hence you need to offer them raw foods. This includes raw meats that can be prepared at home. You can also offer the animals raw and fresh vegetables and grains. Ferrets need to maintain a high fat diet. Omega 3 and omega 6 fats are considered to be healthy for ferrets and thus they must be offered huge amounts of this fat. They can acquire these fats from poultry meats.
Ferrets also enjoy a high protein diet. Eggs and salmon are great sources of protein and hence they must be included in the diet of a ferret. Avoid giving the animal too much fish though as it leads to a smelly litter box.
Treats are appealing to any human being and animals enjoy them too. A treat for a ferret includes hard boiled or scrambled eggs, bacon bits, frozen meats or liver pieces. Though ferrets have a sweet tooth one must avoid offering the animal any treat that is sugar based as it shortens the animals life.
Feed the ferret every 3 to 4 hours as they digest food fast and have a good metabolic system. Ferrets are also very active animals and hence they burn the foods fast and therefore must be offered nourishment frequently.