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Tip Three

Tip 3: Feeding your ferret

It is best to feed a food specifically intended for ferrets. We currently feed a 50/50 blend of Totally Ferret and ZuPreem Ferret Food. Our ferrets seem to do great on that and all that we have taken in seem to adapt to it quickly.  ferretstore.com has a great page for comparing brands. We strongly encourage feeding the best food you can possibly afford. If you compare the cost per month you will find it is not much more than feeding a cat.

Sometimes ferret food is not locally available, in that case high quality kitten food is an acceptable alternative. The quality is determined by the amounts and source of protein and fat. There should be at least thirty-two percent protein and twenty to thirty percent fat. Ferrets are carnivores so the majority of the protein should be animal protein. Some brands of dry kitten kibble that you can feed your ferret are IAMS and Science Diet.

You should serve your ferret's food in a bowl that is fastened to a side of your wire cage or one made of heavy ceramic. If the dish is not fastened to the cage, your ferret will likely flip it over to see what is under the dish. Since ferrets have an insatiable curiosity expect this to be a recurring event. (We tried a hopper type feeder once and every time we filled it one or another of our ferrets would empty it out and crawl inside as far as they could just to be sure it was empty.  We now use a deep dish securely fastened to the side of the cage)

When choosing a food keep in mind that Ferrets digest food incredibly fast 3-4 hours tops. So you should always make sure the food is low in crude fiber, less than 5%, and moisture, less than 12%. I am not aware of any moist food that is suitable for ferrets. Dry foods also help keep their little teeth clean and healthy.

Finally when you find a food you like stick with it. If you change foods mix the old and the new together for at lease the first week with the ratio of new to old increasing gradually.  Finally make sure your ferret is happy with the new food and remains healthy, not all ferrets like all foods even if it is high quality.

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