What is a good raw food diet for a ferret, and how do I introduce a ferret to it?

I've been considering getting a pair of ferrets next year, and have been doing some research and have heard that they are obligate carnivores, and the ferret dry kibbly can cause them cancer.



Do any of you experienced ferret owners have any raw diet recipes you'd care to share?



Additionally, I have also heard they have some difficulty adjusting to new foods. How do I go about feeding them a varied raw diet, and ensure they won't become picky and eat only one type of meat?



Thanks in advance!What is a good raw food diet for a ferret, and how do I introduce a ferret to it?
I agree with the others - Kibbles are good. And yes, they do need only meat.



I learned quite a bit about ferrets through http://www.ferretcarehelp.com/



Their video mini-course was really helpful. They will also tell you about their product to buy -but you still get good info in the free course.



However, I ended up buying it later and I'm glad I did. It's a good deal.



Hope this helps you on your new ferret adventure!What is a good raw food diet for a ferret, and how do I introduce a ferret to it?
Dry food does not cause cancer. Yes, ferrets are obligate carnivores, but that doesn't mean that their diet should be 100% meat. That means they need to have meat in their diet. This is what I feed my ferrets:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr鈥?/a>

This is what I use to feed, but my ferrets do better on the new food:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr鈥?/a>What is a good raw food diet for a ferret, and how do I introduce a ferret to it?
I agree with the other poster dry kibble does not cause cancer...but i have read that giving a ferret raw meat puts them more at risk of intestinal parasites. If you find a good ferret food to suit your ferret then they will be fine.What is a good raw food diet for a ferret, and how do I introduce a ferret to it?
Usually I just lurk on these areas, but the answers you gotten frustrated me.

First off, obligate carnivores DO need a diet of 100% meat product. Please don't pretend to know about something without actually looking into it. A two second search will provide you hundreds of results which define and state so:

obligate carnivore
noun (Plural: )
Also known as a true carnivore, an obligate carnivore is an animal that subsists on a diet consisting only of meat. They do not possess the physiology to digest vegetable matter.

So flesh, tendons, bones- all of this is required in your ferret's diet. This is why dry foods are HORRIBLE for your ferrets, because they fill in the food with vegetable matter such as rice, corn, and other crap. It doesn't mean it will necessarily cause cancer- but it does increase the likelihood "insulinoma" which IS harmful in the long run as it is a tumor in the pancreas. Here's a link about it if you're curious.(http://www.lbah.com/ferrets/insulinoma.htm)

And as long as you get your raw meats from a good source, and take your ferret to a vet regularly, parasites aren't an issue.


Here's what I feed my fuzzies, many of them live to their 15-20's.

1. Raw meaty bones such as chicken wings, legs, cornish hens.
2. Organ meats such as livers, gizzards, hearts, tripe, etc. etc.
3. Whole prey such as frozen-thawed mice, rats, chicks, or even lizards.
-I don't reccomend live prey as they could get injured from bites.
4.) Bugs such as crickets, mealworms, or superworms.
5.) Misc. things such as eggs, beef chunks, or sardines.

**Note however that they should only eat the yolk of the egg, and too much of it can cause vitamin B deficiency. And don't overfeed your ferrets fish as they will get very stinky.

**Also note that you should do your best to never feed them vegetable products. Their digestive systems are very short, and since they cannot digest vegetation as they are OBLIGATE CARNIVORES, it can become lodged into the intestines and block their digestive tract.

This diet incorporates:
75%- Meat (flesh, tendons, fat, skin)
15%- Edible bone (RAW chicken bones, mouse bones, SOME rabbit bones)
10%- Organ meat (livers, gizzards, Hearts, etc)

Yes, it is expensive and it is tedious- but you will immediately see a big difference in their coat, weight, and energy levels.

Try training them young, and vary their diet daily and they shouldn't grow picky. In their older age you can supplement bone meal instead of bones if they have trouble chewing hard stuff. It's highly unlikely as the bone chewing will strengthen and clean their teeth throughout their life, but it's an alternative. Good luck!

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