What do ferrets eat? A true carnivore that eats little and often

Ferrets need to eat meat to stay healthy. According to the MSD Veterinary Manual, their diet should be high in animal protein, around 35 to 40%, with little carbohydrate and little fibre. They digest large amounts of fibre and starchy foods such as bread or cereals poorly.

The MSD manual recommends a complete food made for ferrets rather than cat or kitten food; according to the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), most dog and cat foods don’t provide what a ferret needs.

Ferrets turn their food into energy very quickly, and food passes through their gut fast. So they need to eat every few hours, not twice a day like a dog.

• Leave food available at all times, or weigh out the day’s ration and let your ferret graze from the bowl.
• A heavy or fixed bowl stops it being tipped over during play.
• Check your ferret is actually eating: a ferret that stops touching its food needs close watching.

Fresh water must be available at all times and changed every day. A bottle with a metal spout is often preferred, because ferrets play with bowls and tip them over; a heavy bowl that can’t be turned over works too. The RSPCA advises checking the water twice a day.

Sugar, fruit, honey, raisins

Ferrets are prone to a tumour of the pancreas (insulinoma); the MSD manual advises avoiding sugary, high-carbohydrate foods.

Milk and dairy products

Ferrets digest lactose poorly.

Bread, cereals, rice, potato

Starchy foods are poorly digested by this carnivore.

Only soft food, long term

According to the MSD manual, a diet of soft food alone over the long term encourages gum and dental disease; dry food helps limit plaque.

Treats should make up no more than about 5% of what your ferret eats in a day, according to the MSD manual: a small piece of meat or cooked egg is fine.

Ferret kibble

The simplest choice, recommended by the MSD manual and the RVC, as long as it is high in animal protein.

Raw diet

Possible according to the PDSA, in the form of whole prey; the RVC advises against it (risk of an unbalanced diet, salmonella and gut blockage). Decide with your vet.

To change food, mix the new one gradually into the old over several days.

With a pet that eats often, everyone takes a turn filling the bowl. In MyArk, the household logs meals and treats in a shared care log: everyone knows what has been given, and a ferret that is eating less is spotted sooner.

• Meals and treats logged by everyone in the household
• The shared care log, visible to everyone
• Weights on a chart, to follow your ferret’s weight
• Feeding instructions on the pet sitter sheet