Ferret Food suggestions

[Oxylepy]

I looked into this and wrote it up a long time ago, however one thing I didnt know about was Mazuri Ferret Diet, which seems to meet all of my criteria except that the fiber content is a bit high. Anyway here goes.

Alright my list is based on this:

http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html

I put the minimum Protein as 35%, Fat 19% (would go 20 but that would leave me with a list of 4 foods XD), No Corn, none of the three things next to the corn, No more than 3% Fiber, No fruits in the first 6, and at least 4 of the top 6 ingredients are animal based.

So here is how the list ended up panning out:

1. Wysong Ferret Archetypal I- All animal, 50% protein, 28% fat
2. Zupreem (Ferret)- 4/6 animal, 40% protein, 20% fat
3. Innova Feline- 4/6 animal, 36% protein, 20% fat
4. The Ferret Store Superior Choice Original- 5/6 animal, second ingredient is plant, 38% protein, 20% fat
4. The Ferret Store Superior Choice Natural- 4/6 animal, 38% protein, 19% fat
5. James Wellbeloved Ferret Food- 4/6 animal, 36% protein, 19% fat
6. Frankie Ferret Food- 4/6 animal, second ingredient is plant, 36% protein, 19% fat

1-3 are by far the best, the second ingredient is not plant based for any of them, they have the 20% recommended fat and over 35% protein.

As a side note this is definitely a GREAT ferret food I found would looking into the Innova http://www.craftycreatures.com/forfe...et_innova.html And when I say great i mean freaking splendid, like probably number 2 on the list material right there. In fact for bulk purchased Ferret food, that is probably what you should go for.

Also the polecat, which is what ferrets supposedly come from, eats mice and rats, so I would always recommend throwing it some of it's natural source of food from time to time. Although as forewarning you will have to clean it's cage soon after feeding it an actual animal, and I would always suggest frozen over live if you are going to try this.

[Oxylepy]

I just noticed all the censored signs ~_~ I hadn't realized my language had been so foul... and I've been sending this to ferret owners for ages... Stupid me.

[Brunoheart]

If interested, I could send some info on an all natural Raw diet for ferrets. Both of my dogs have been on a Raw diet for three years and I'll never go back to kibble! Best move I've ever made with them! Ferrets, like cats and dogs, are carnivorous, so a diet of Raw meat and bones would be superior to most kibbles. I have nothing against people feeding to kibble (to each his own) and am glad to see that you have researched kibbles to find the best available, but am always willing to help someone that is interested in switching to Raw. Though I do not own any ferrets, I know of people that do own them and have them on a Raw diet and would be more than willing to share info.

[Oxylepy]

Well I dont actually own a ferret, and dont intend to until I have somewhere that would allow me to keep it and my snakes far, FAR appart.

The topic is more for anyone with a ferret to see some of the best food options availible, and personally I'd suggest kibbles because of the cleanthliness of them and not having to worry about disease.

Ferrets eat roughly every 4 hours (as thats how long their GI tracts are) and will need access to food as often as possible, thus the kibbles would be, in my mind, superior for them. However I did throw a tag in there about feeding them rodents, which would be a more natural diet for them, however that leaves all kinds of problems with decaying meat, especially with an animal that likes to hide its food in various places for later.

But by all means post info on a Raw diet for them, its definitely the most natural and quite possibly the healthiest option, if you can keep it clean enough for them. But this is why I made the topic, to help ferret owners or future owners to see the options they have in food, especially since I have known many people who feed corn heavy foods and end up with ferrets with cancer after a short 3 years. Its terrible to see people taking their ferrets to the vet only to find out that they're probably not going to make it, and probably not be told that its the diet that killed them.

[Jay_Bunny]

Well I dont actually own a ferret, and dont intend to until I have somewhere that would allow me to keep it and my snakes far, FAR appart.

The topic is more for anyone with a ferret to see some of the best food options availible, and personally I'd suggest kibbles because of the cleanthliness of them and not having to worry about disease.

Ferrets eat roughly every 4 hours (as thats how long their GI tracts are) and will need access to food as often as possible, thus the kibbles would be, in my mind, superior for them. However I did throw a tag in there about feeding them rodents, which would be a more natural diet for them, however that leaves all kinds of problems with decaying meat, especially with an animal that likes to hide its food in various places for later.

But by all means post info on a Raw diet for them, its definitely the most natural and quite possibly the healthiest option, if you can keep it clean enough for them. But this is why I made the topic, to help ferret owners or future owners to see the options they have in food, especially since I have known many people who feed corn heavy foods and end up with ferrets with cancer after a short 3 years. Its terrible to see people taking their ferrets to the vet only to find out that they're probably not going to make it, and probably not be told that its the diet that killed them.

This is simply not true. While the ferret's digestive system is fast, they do not need to eat every four hours. They probably eat kibble so often because it does not give them the nutrition they need with normal feeding (2x a day) and their body is telling them "Hey! Eat more! You need more nutrients!"

As long as you are attentive when they eat, you should not have a problem with decaying meat. I do a spot check of their cage a few hours after every meal. Anything they have not eaten, gets thrown away. They do fine with this and the cage stays clean. And as long as you handle the meat with care, you don't have to worry about disease. Keep your hands and work surfaces clean and thaw the meat appropriately, and you shouldn't have any problems. Keep their cage and feeding plates/bowls clean after every use. The ferret's digestive system is built to handle raw meat. Because it is so fast, bacteria doesn't have a chance to set up camp before its flushed out. While we have domesticated the ferret, cat, and dog, their digestive systems remain the same, built for digesting meat and nothing else.

Raw diets are far superior to any kibble out there. Ferrets are obligate carnivores, like cats. They can't digest plant matter, which is what all kibbles are made of. You will NOT find a kibble that is considered a good diet for a ferret. Acceptable, maybe, but not good. I would love to write up an care guide for ferrets and might do so next week. I'll include pictures and everything and post it up here.

And as far as giving them mice and rats, mine LOVE when a snake does not take a meal because that means they get it and they go absolutely nuts over it. Twitch, my smallest ferret actually hunts her own mice from time to time. I had some mice loose in the house about a year ago and I let her run around my room and sure enough, she found each mouse and killed it for me. When I move into a house (it has a shed I hope to use as a rodent shed) I'm hoping to breed several different kinds of animals for use as ferret food: mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, rabbits, and asfs.

[PigsnPythons]

I've been feeding my ferrets the Zupreem food since I've had them (about 2.5 years). I like it a lot and its reasonably priced. I looked into the raw diet because I love my fuzz-butts and I do think that the raw diet makes the most sense for ferrets. However, I still haven't given it a try.

EVO recently put out a new ferret food that I think sounds fantastic, but its pretty expensive. I bought a bag and talked to my vet about it. She said that because the food is so new she wouldn't switch them over to it completely. She said that such a high protein content may be bad for their kidneys. So I feed them about 20% EVO and 80% Zupreem. I've gotten such good results! Both of their coats are looking amazing, and my little girl has put on a little weight. Their poo does smell a bit worse though...lol

Here's the label info:

Ingredients:
Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Herring Meal, Potatoes, Chicken Fat, Egg, Turkey Meal, Natural Flavors, Apples, Carrots, Alfalfa Sprouts, Cranberries, Tomatoes, Cottage Cheese, Root Extract, Dried Chicory Root Extract, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Vitamins/Minerals

Calorie Content:
3985 kcal/kg (136 g = 1 cup)
542 kcal/cup (4.80 oz = 1 cup)

Crude Analysis:
Crude Protein (min) 50%
Crude Fat (min) 21%
Crude Fiber (max) 1.5%
Moisture (max) 10%
Linoleic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid) (min) 4%
Carbohydrates NFE (max) 8%
Vitamin E (min) 300 IU/kg
Vitamin C (min) 500 mg/kg
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) 0.4%
Docosahexaenoic Acid (min) 0.1%
Total Microorganisms (min) 90,000,000CFU/lb

[Jay_Bunny]

I've been feeding my ferrets the Zupreem food since I've had them (about 2.5 years). I like it a lot and its reasonably priced. I looked into the raw diet because I love my fuzz-butts and I do think that the raw diet makes the most sense for ferrets. However, I still haven't given it a try.

EVO recently put out a new ferret food that I think sounds fantastic, but its pretty expensive. I bought a bag and talked to my vet about it. She said that because the food is so new she wouldn't switch them over to it completely. She said that such a high protein content may be bad for their kidneys. So I feed them about 20% EVO and 80% Zupreem. I've gotten such good results! Both of their coats are looking amazing, and my little girl has put on a little weight. Their poo does smell a bit worse though...lol

Here's the label info:

Ingredients:
Turkey, Chicken Meal, Chicken, Herring Meal, Potatoes, Chicken Fat, Egg, Turkey Meal, Natural Flavors, Apples, Carrots, Alfalfa Sprouts, Cranberries, Tomatoes, Cottage Cheese, Root Extract, Dried Chicory Root Extract, DL-Methionine, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, Vitamins/Minerals

Calorie Content:
3985 kcal/kg (136 g = 1 cup)
542 kcal/cup (4.80 oz = 1 cup)

Crude Analysis:
Crude Protein (min) 50%
Crude Fat (min) 21%
Crude Fiber (max) 1.5%
Moisture (max) 10%
Linoleic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid) (min) 4%
Carbohydrates NFE (max) 8%
Vitamin E (min) 300 IU/kg
Vitamin C (min) 500 mg/kg
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (min) 0.4%
Docosahexaenoic Acid (min) 0.1%
Total Microorganisms (min) 90,000,000CFU/lb

All completely unneeded ingredients. I'm sorry, but kibble is such a horrible diet. I've posted a lot of good info on why its not a suitable diet in my other ferret threads and I will be working on a ferret care guide very very soon. Evo makes an acceptable ferret food, but its still a kibble.

Of course their poo smells. When my ferrets eat kibble their poop looks and smells horrible. Give this a read about food and poop http://holisticferret.proboards.com/...lay&thread=695.
The weight gain is due to more carbs in the diet, not necessarily that the ferret is getting enough nutrition.

You really should give raw a try. I'd be happy to help you and answer any questions you have.

[GoingPostal]

I feed mine a mix of Ferret Store (I think original) and Evo dog food, I switch between red meat and regular, they don't like the cat brand and the ferret Evo seems like rebranded cat food at a higher price. I also breed mice for them, I'd love to feed mine raw but food costs where I live are too ridiculous to feed 6 of them. I may start breeding rats next year as well for a larger prey item.

[Jay_Bunny]

I feed mine a mix of Ferret Store (I think original) and Evo dog food, I switch between red meat and regular, they don't like the cat brand and the ferret Evo seems like rebranded cat food at a higher price. I also breed mice for them, I'd love to feed mine raw but food costs where I live are too ridiculous to feed 6 of them. I may start breeding rats next year as well for a larger prey item.

DO NOT feed them dog food. I don't care if they don't like the cat kibble or not. Dog kibble is not suitable for ferrets in the slightest. Dog kibble does not have proper nutrient levels like protein. Its kind of like feeding them cardboard. Feeding raw doesn't have to be expensive. 6 ferrets eat around 7-8lbs of food per week. And if you throw in mice and rats, you lower your feeding costs even more.

http://holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi

^ This is a great forum for naturally keeping ferrets. These ferret parents have a wealth of knowledge to share and they can help you make the switch. I did and I couldn't be happier. I just did the math and I spend about $15 a week on food for the ferrets. So about $60 a month for 4 ferrets. That's actually cheaper than I'd get an acceptable quality kibble for. And if I start breeding rodents, I could lower that even more.

[starrlamia]

DO NOT feed them dog food. I don't care if they don't like the cat kibble or not. Dog kibble is not suitable for ferrets in the slightest. Dog kibble does not have proper nutrient levels like protein. Its kind of like feeding them cardboard. Feeding raw doesn't have to be expensive. 6 ferrets eat around 7-8lbs of food per week. And if you throw in mice and rats, you lower your feeding costs even more.

http://holisticferret.proboards.com/index.cgi

^ This is a great forum for naturally keeping ferrets. These ferret parents have a wealth of knowledge to share and they can help you make the switch. I did and I couldn't be happier. I just did the math and I spend about $15 a week on food for the ferrets. So about $60 a month for 4 ferrets. That's actually cheaper than I'd get an acceptable quality kibble for. And if I start breeding rodents, I could lower that even more.

Innova Evo dog is the exact same as the cat and ferret formulas, and as long as you mix it with another food they should be fine.
Holistic ferret forum is awesome, but not everyone wants/can to feed raw.
High quality High protein grain free kibble either ferret or cat is the way to go if you choose the kibble path. Evo, Wysong, Wellness Core, Orijen are great foods.

15 bucks a week for food is expensive. A bag of orijen lasts my cat and 3 ferrets 2 months so.. 30 bucks a month.