Proper Diet is Essential to Having a Happy and Health Ferret
A ferret’s diet is crucial for longevity, without a proper diet ferrets are at risk for serious health problems. Ferrets are meat eaters; therefore they cannot survive without a lower fiber high protein diet. Around the mid 1980's, manufactures started producing ferret food, previosly cat food had to be used. When looking for food for your Ferret, look for foods with higher-quality fat, as well as lower content of carbohydrates, which ideal for Ferrets. Ferrets need this combination of fat and lower carbohydrates in order to achieve a maximum life span. Baby ferrets will benefit greatly from this ind of diet. When purchasing look for products that have at least 35- 40% protein and 18-30% fat, 2% fiber, need to contain 21 amino acids, less than 7.0 % ash level, and good carbohydrate ingratiates such as rice flower or brewer’s yeast. Also, take into consideration some ferret foods are made with poorly processed frozen fish, and your ferret will not eat it. Some ferrets are so finicky they will refuse to the point of starvation. High quality ferret food is usually more expensive than higher quality cat food, but ferrets eat small amounts of food, which helps the overall cost. If you feed your Ferret a well balanced diet, he should not need any supplements.
A ferret has to eat at least twice a day in order to gain the calories needed to sustain a healthy life. As small animals, ferret need only small portions to thrive. If a ferret is fed a moist diet the food is only good for about forty five minutes, soon after the food should be removed. A dry pellet diet offers several advantages, and should be considered. Dry pellets will hold up longer than organic food if left in the cage all day. Ferret's teeth could also benefit from a dry pellet diet. Ferrets on dry diets must have fresh water all the time. Ferrets would rather drink from a dish than from a water bottle. If you do use the dish, ensure water purity by changing throughout the day.
Giving your ferret treats in not a necessity, but can be useful with housebreaking your ferret. As a snack idea, meats and cooked eggs are among the Ferrets favorite. Avoid fruits they are high in sugar, candy, dairy products such as ice cream and milk, nuts and nut products; these products will cause nutritional problems. Some health problems include malnutrition, obesity, tooth decay, diarrhea, intestinal blockage, insulinoma, and hypoglycemia. Treats may also cause your ferret to refuse its normal daily diet, so use treats sparingly. Due to lack of digestion it is recommended that you avoid vegetables or grains in your ferrets diet. Avoid feeding onions to ferret as they are poisonous to them.
Providing a ferret with the proper nutrition is essential for a healthy life. This will help ensure your ferret is comfortable and happy; it also reduces the risk for serious life-threatening illnesses. Ferret owners have a reputation of showing an ample amount of love and affection towards these funny and frisky pets but, the best way to show love to your ferret is to reward them with a good diet.
