I love the info!!!! your videos are awesome!!!!! I feed my dog raw food and my son who is in recovery from heroin and has Aspergers as well, has a ferret as a comfort service animal for his Aspergers and depression and is helping with the recovery process. I am sending him this link so he can help with the proper diet and maintain good health for his companion. Thank you so much..... Mishelle
Though thank you so much for the tips and you seem like a wonderful ferret-owner! This is the first time I've had a ferret in about a year or so because my old ferret died of pancreatic cancer.. he was only about two years old at the time 8( this time I'm going to make sure we give Dory the best of the best and make sure she lives a long time! I really love my new little girl, my heart just melted earlier when I was playing with her >3
I love it when I find a well-read ferrent outside of ferret forums. Your points are completely valid, but I'd interject with a little specifics. As far as bathing goes, it's only applicable to *soapy and lathered* baths, whereas just water to remove dirt is completely fine to do often (although less than necessary). As far as stimuli goes, squeaky toys tend to be effective - esp. with jills as long as they don't have Waardenburg's.
Also my ferrets are very happy and healthy and we do our best to make sure that their diets are junk food free. ^-^ It's just that every once in awhile they find a way to get there hands on foods that are not a part of their diets. x3 And I love your videos. =^-^= They have helped me out alot! Keep up the awesome work! And give your ferrets a cuddle for me. Hehe
So, in essence, in the end, the difference between feeding a ferret a rat or a strawberry is that one food is perfect for their diets and in many cases, owners say it increases their energy levels, their coat is shinier and they are far more engaged. The other is not only useless nutritionally, but also seems to be linked to the early onset of quite possibly unnecessary and avoidable diseases.
Egg whites ARE TOTALLY OKAY to feed your ferret as long as you feed it alongside the yolk. Properties in yolk cancel out the biotin deficiency problem and egg whites as PACKED FULL with proteins and nutrients that are amazing for your little ones!
My Ferret "Jinks" Use to lick my face ALL the time, day and night, to say hi and to check on me and of course to ask for treats. He passed to another world a week ago. I will miss Him very much ! :( ( 5 years old )
Because ferrets, as was mentioned, are specifically designed to digest meat. Their digestive tracts do not create or possess the enzymes necessary to gain any nutritional content from complex carbohydrates or sugars. That doesn't mean they won't love them for the taste, but they won't get anything from it. Ferrets receive almost all their nutrition from animal fat and meat based protein.
@Jasmine Le they usually go by scent, it make be gross but if you put a ferret poopy in the litter box it helps the ferret understand that's where you want it to go. Sometimes you just gave to let the ferret pick the litter box corner and then it's all good!
@marly coco ferrets are very social with other ferrets so if your cage is big enough I would get another. Keep in mind that you have to let your ferret have a say in picking out the new one to be sure they get along so when you go to get the new one take yours along and a rescue person should help you from there
4. I do not remember. 5. Often is bad. Too often = worse smell. Three to four times a year is actually just fine. 6. Cooking naturally removes some nutrients, but is definitely a step in quality above kibble. Raw would be optimal. 7. Doesn't seem to work. They come to stimuli such as food or their favorite toys though. Hope that helps, even though it's a half year overdue.
Additionally, even though they can't digest anything from fruits and vegetables, it does not mean that their pancreas won't try. In there are what are called beta cells, and in a healthy diet, they create and produce a near perfect amount of enzymes and acids to break the protein and fat down for immediate energy. Unfotunately, with complex foods, the pancreas will still try to digest it, but will be forced to increase their production rate.
Definitely. Raisins can cause kidney failure in ferrets. Also, ferrets are obligate carnivores and can only digest meat. Feeding items like raisins may cause blockages
I know it's late, but I'm in quite the question answering mood 1. As long as it isn't too hot, they'll be fine. They have fur coats to keep them warm, but cannot sweat, so overheating is a possibility. Water is key 2. Yes, but it must involve treat manipulation. Voice tones will not work like they do with dogs. 3. When he's awake, yes. They need at least a couple hours a day of play. This seems like quite a burden, which is why many people recommend multiple ferrets, cuz they'll play together.
The ironic thing is that ferrets are originally ancestral hybrids to polecats, who eat rats, mice and rabbits. So, actually, ferret food is rats and stuff, not the kibble.
I watched a fellow the other day(on RU-vid) feeding ground rabbit to ferret kits. It's the first time I'd seen anyone feed meat and not ferret pellets. Never thought of buying pinkys or baby chicks.
My ferrets love raw meat and their favourites are chicken hearts/necks/wings. I also give them egg yolk as a treat. They get different kinds of meat every day but just in case they also have good quality kibble available. I always try to think what they could eat in the wild so no pork or beef etc. for my ferrets. :)
My ferret is fed a raw diet already, so it wouldn't be much of a treat for him lol, but he does enjoy homemade chicken jerky (baked in the oven at very low temps), and I'm planning on buying some Primal lamb lung crisps (dehydrated lung as the only ingredient) that hopefully he'll love.
Continued exposure to these foods will cause the production to go into a hyperactive mode. This inevitably leads to one of two destinations. Either, the pancreas burns out and stops creating these beta cells and enzymes, which means ferret diabetes, or, one of their most common diseases, insulinoma, occurs, which is when the pancreas goes into overdrive and then goes further, into a state called neoplasm, or what we normal people call a tumor/pancreatic cancer.
Usually they are already fixed. in many places thats the law. ask the pet store people for their records on the ferrets vaccination and spay/neuter. a good pet store will be able to prove the ferrets got both of those things.
I've heard about the intestinal blockages from fruits, veggies, grains, etc. but for some reason, a big ferret/small animal brand has peanut butter and banana flavor treats! My ferrets are VERY picky. They only eat their food (Marshall chicken flavor, 3 lbs out of a 4 lbs bag is chicken). But any treats (chicken, bacon, duck, salmon, etc) are never appealing to my two ferrets. But if I'm eating potato chips or French fries or Mac n cheese, I literally have to fight them off! But if I'm eating some baked chicken, they don't even come near me. I don't let them eat anything but their kibble. They won't eat meats either, it's very difficult to feed them or treat them.
Stay 'n' Play my ferret hope i think died from this maybe i was the cause went to the vet he said she w old only live 2 weeks cause she had terminal cancer but i thought gave my ferrets a little greek yogurt they absolutely luved this beyony anything else. Only both of my 9yr old ferretsshowed any symptoms of this my boy ferret seemed on deaths door .but with a little antibiots and presdinole he made a full recovery over might Next day hope went down with same symptoms she was rail thin and she didnt recover. I bough every nutrional fo ok d i could even force fed her i stayed up 5 days not moving from her side. The only food she would take in wasgiving her ataste of yogurt and water to make her passing easier when i check her she was fine i dozed for 15 mints and her. Spirit had flown i felt like i wasnt their for her that she died alone!was devestated 2 days went bye and my grief was to my daughter Robin who died 2 days latterdec 23 2017 she told me i cared more about my ferrets than her! Which isnt true! But those were her last words to me!
she made a video about it, she gives them frozen mice. You have to defrost them of course. Buy the frozen ones, it's the same minus the suffering for the mice
At sunday I am possibly getting a ferret (the previous owner wants to give it away and I hope we make a good match to the little girl) from people who feed it vegetables often. I read it, squeezed my lips together and went "suuure, I'll pretend to be OK with it so I can take her and give her a better healthier home." When taking a ferret you should be nervous about if you give it a good enough home. You shouldn't be sure your home is way better from the get go.
My understanding is that rabbits shouldn't be a staple of a ferret's diet. It's incredibly lean, even less than chicken breast! - and is fairly deficient in taurine. It's absolutely fine in moderation and provides variety when feeding a franken-prey model though. PureSonority mentioned ground beef - I'm not sure if he/she realizes that muscle meats alone is actually a really bad diet...
Yep. I just buy frozen rats from a reliable pet shop and then defrost them properly before feeding it to the ferrets. They love them and it is the best type of food for them! :)
Okay I'm going to get the best quality stuff I possibly can for my little baby Dory in the next coming few weeks. But since we just got her yesterday she's going to have to deal with a temporary crappy cage >_
Your videos are brilliant... Can you maybe do one on dominance? I have 2 boys from the same litter and they play fight quite roughly. If i stop them theyll just find another area and carry on. Thetre both starting to get scabby on the backs of their necks... One more that the other.... Any advice? Theyre still best buds and havent fallen out or had a proper fight x
My oldest ferret Mitzy Moo LOVES to steal bags of beef jerky. As soon as she gets her mits on a bag when no one is looking she runs off with it. But the odd thing is she DOES NOT eat it. She rubs her face on a piece of jerky and then falls asleep with it. She has also done this with a bag of cheese puffs left out. I left the room for about 5 minutes and came back to a orange ferret. x3 I'm not sure why she does this and I was wondering if maybe you had any ideas on what this strange behavior is.
why not in oil? im a new ferret owner and cooked some meat and sprayed the pan but im guessing no harm done it was just one meal had my ferret for 3 days now i cook my meat but not all the way threw....pink middle
So if every human in your family is vegetarian, how do you recommend convincing them to get raw animal meat. I just want the ferret to be happy and healthy?
I just got my ferret and will start training for poop as soon I receive the big Ferret Nation 181 cage. I noticed that my ferret like the egg yellow part raw (good quality cage free eggs) but it is not very convenient to use as training. Is there a bag of good quality treats specially made for ferrets available at the pet store ? I really like the ferret, it's like a cat+dog combined. Thank you.
Stella and chewys freeze dried dinner morsels. Stella and chewys Chick chick chicken are my clans favorite. They come in salmon, rabbit and other healthy "flavors".
From what I know, and from what she mentioned, you should be able to just order rabbit meat from a butcher. Could just ask that it's pre-cut so it doesn't resemble the animal. Just remember, that when you take a pet in, it's your innate responsibility to provide them with the best. Your tastes and beliefs should never be passed onto them. That said, the natural meat diet is just as optimal as the prey based one, though a tad bit more expensive and time consuming.
I have a question actually- my friend has a treat that she feeds her ferrets, and its home made- she pops pop corn kernels (no butter just pops the seeds) then takes a knife and cuts the pop corn into tiny bites. then cooks syrup and sugar on the stove and puts a tiny tiny bit on the pop corn. Shes been doing this while training her ferret and her ferret seems to enjoy it. But is this a bad thing to use? though its not used daily?
No, no.. Ferrets are obligate carnivores, their bodies cannot digest other foods. Just bc they like it doesn't mean it's good 4 them. Try Stella and Chewys chick chick chicken dinner morsels.
Its the other way around. Where did you get this information from? I got mine from Dr.David Vella. He told me that there have been studies on egg white that prove that it can cause a biotin deficiency. Hope this helps :)
My ferrets love dead baby chick They love them My hob loves minced beef raw with icecream after . Allthough it's a chase of cat and mouse as my dog chases Ted all over the house when he has his steak
I already saw people giving mice (do you think it's better alive or frozen) but I was wondering , my ferret never ever ate that so is it safe, like with his instinct? or may he swallow bones or whatever ?
Just going to add some info here, ferrets **do not need any greens, or anything that isn't raw meat.** It's to no benefit, and if anything it can only hurt them. I know this is an old video and ferret information was still hard to find, but now we know for sure ferrets aren't able to digest anything that isn't raw meat protein. Make sure to do your own research and to not take things from just one source.
Im sorry ma'am but my heart couldn't take it! I'm just an all around-animal lover who has a hamster- I wouldn't be able to feed Dory mice. Frozen or live or whatever! Anyhow, back to my other question, do they have something like ground packaged rabbit like how they have packaged ground beef? They don't have like a full-sized dead rabbit that you have to prepare yourself do they? I'm just squeamish. I don't mind giving Dory the best of the best but I'm honestly squeamish!
Hey! So im a little confused. As a potential new ferret owner i was wondering if you're saying that you feed them a mix of packaged food and raw meat? If so whats the ratio? Thanks so much! Also for younger ferrets (4months) Is the diet different?
Kaitlyn Luxx canned meat usually is packed with salt, which can cause them crazy kidney issues and as long as grains are not listed as one of the first three ingredients in the cat food its okay to give to them as a treat
I have question, how are ferrets able to digest full grown rats, and not strawberry's? I don't have a ferret yet, but I just want to know what's best for them before hand. Thanks so much:)
what about raisin flavored treats? i bought one that says its made for ferrets but now that you've mentioned that it could cause kidney failure in ferrets i'm scared to feed my ferret it.
When preparing chicken, we like to cut off the fat and throw it out. Would it be good for the ferret to eat just straight raw chicken fat? Or would it be better to have it be 20% fat and 80% chicken that we give them as a treat?
There's no real advantage to live feeding a ferret. They have been domesticated for so long that the killer instinct isn't really too existent anymore. Reputable companies kill the mice and rats in a far more humane way than your ferret probably will, since he might just see it as a chew toy and won't know to go for the killing bite. As for the bones, a ferret's jaw possesses the strength to break you finger, so the bones of a mouse provide only the most miniscule threat to them.
Hey! You don't mention freeze dried chicken breast. Are those bad for ferrets? Thats what I feed my cat and its 100% chicken breast only. They are called pure bites. Is that okay?
Every ingredient you mentioned is not healthy, but then again, it's a treat, so it's not meant to be, at least in our minds. The mind craves sugar, because it gives it the best mental boost, but the rest of the body is not so appreciative at times. Again, it hasn't yet been proven, but there is a much higher rate of insulinoma (pancreatic cancer) found in ferrets that are not fed a healthy diet. So, that once a week, probably not too bad, but every other day? Not a wise decision.
Heavy, heavy moderation. Cheese contains a high dose of complex carbohydrates, which are both nutritionally void, but also potentially dangerous in the long run. Use moderation carefully. Even a little piece every day or two is way too much.
Mine loves Mt. Dew, and everytime he smells it, he darts for the glass.. D: I've been trying to get him to stop drinking it.... but I've just stopped drinking it all together around him.
Say you want two ferrets, because you dont want one to be lonely. If i wanted a girl and a boy, how would i stop them from mating? Do i need to nuder them or are they allready nudered? -PLEASE HELP!
Ok I didn't know so thanks for commenting because I really didn't know but I wouldn't have done that anyway because when I posted this I was so I really wasn't with it and I don't want to do because the ferret would kill the mouse and I don't want that
I don't have a Ferret. will they eat fish like the food fish you get at a pet store to feed yore pet fish or turtle. you can farm them in a tank and feed the Ferret live pray they probably get a kick out of flip flop fish fun.
Do we have to give ferrets treats? I mean, I've already owned many hamsters and rats, and I don't think I'll be able to give them those kinds of whole foods...
No.Treats help train your ferret and make it happy.You can get any treat as long as it does not have sugar, vegies like corn and things like molasses and honey. dont get bandits because they have corn in them
Cut it in really tiny pieces then drizzle it with some ferretvite which you can get at ferret.com for $4.00 and mix it around making sure all meat is covered
+Maggie Riojas Don't use ferretTone or FerretVite!! They both contain high levels of sugar (FerretVites first ingredient is malt syrup) which can lead to insulinoma. Use salmon oil instead (can be found in most petshops most likely in the dog aisle)
