Feeding a ferret: how, what and when to feed your pet?

0

1988

Article rating

Kira Stoletova

The ferret is a medium-sized animal, up to 50 cm in length. It is perfect for people with small apartments and small children. The pet will become a good friend and even a family member. Like any living creature, a ferret requires care and attention. First of all, we are, of course, talking about nutrition and proper drinking regimen. Any breeder or farmer needs to know what the animal eats and how to properly feed domestic ferrets. To keep your pet energetic and healthy, he needs to eat properly. The most common food is minced meat for ferrets.

What to feed your ferret at home

It must be kept in mind that a ferret is not a cat or a parrot. He is a full-fledged resident of the wild, moreover, he is a predator, so feeding must be appropriate. Your pet will not eat greens, vegetables and fruits in large quantities. These products are more likely to harm and undermine the health of the ferret. The ferret gets vitamins and minerals from other foods, for example, from cereals. The main diet for a predator is meat and products such as milk, cottage cheese, cheese, eggs.

Diet for domestic ferrets

At home, ferrets must be fed food whose composition is as close as possible to the diet in their natural habitat. The owner can choose to feed natural products or ready-made food containing a complex of vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal growth and development of the pet.

Recommended daily diet for a domestic ferret:

• animal protein – 30-35%;
• fats – 20-22%;
• carbohydrates – no more than 20%;
• vegetable fiber – 2-3%.

List of recommended products

Now you need to figure out which products contain the above components and what you can give your ferret at home.

What can you feed your pet ferret:

• poultry meat;
• boiled lamb;
• lean beef;
• rabbit meat;
• horsemeat;
• poultry by-products;
• sea ​​and red fish;
• seafood (shrimp, squid);
• eggs (quail, chicken);
• multi-grain porridge.

What not to feed ferrets

It is not advisable to give ferrets vegetables, especially raw and hard pieces. Their body is not adapted to digest plant foods. In addition, this product has no nutritional value for these animals.

What else should not be given to ferrets:

• baked goods;
• nuts;
• citrus;
• chocolate, ice cream and sweet desserts containing sugar;
• salty foods;
• smoked meats;
• fried and fatty meat;
• hot seasonings and spices;
• garlic;
• soy products;
• I eat from my table;
• Food for dogs and cats.

Treats and vitamins

You can pamper your furry friend with raisins, dates, pieces of cheese, banana, and low-fat cottage cheese. Such products are served no more than 1-2 times a week in small quantities.

What is dangerous to feed?

Not only plant foods in large quantities are harmful to these pets. Many components we are familiar with pose a danger to ferrets.

Diet based on natural products

Domestic ferrets should not be fed food from your table. Food for them is prepared separately, without salt and spices.

Main menu:

1. 2/3 of the daily diet is meat.
2. 1/3 of the diet is cereal porridge. You can prepare a dish by combining oatmeal, buckwheat, wheat and rice.

It is very convenient and healthy to feed domestic ferrets with “minced meat”, which involves mixing cereals with parts of minced meat and offal in a ratio of 1:3. It can be prepared in advance, divided into portions and placed in the freezer. Before feeding, food is defrosted to room temperature.

If desired, the owner can add small quantities of vegetables to the cereal porridge (no more than 10% of the total portion).

Boiled eggs are served to your pet no more than 2-3 times a week.

How many grams of natural food do ferrets eat per day?

Habitat

Despite the variety, they are all found throughout the Eurasian continent, North America, and also in northwest Africa. The steppe ferret prefers to live in open areas, and it is almost impossible to find it in crowded places, in forests, in the mountains, etc., but this animal is found in the steppes or semi-deserts of Mongolia, Kazakhstan, China, as well as in some regions of Asia and Europe.

Interesting fact! The fourth variety, bred artificially, cannot be found in the natural environment, since the animal has a fairly peaceful character. In addition, the ferret lacks hunting skills, which does not allow the animal to survive in the wild.

Black ferrets prefer to settle in forests, ravines, near bodies of water, as well as in populated areas, close to people. At the same time, they do not try to go far into the thicket, sticking to open forests, as well as the edges of the forest. The main habitat of the black ferret extends to Europe and part of Africa. The black-footed variety of ferrets prefers forested areas, as well as the prairies of North America, for their livelihoods. At the same time, the black-footed ferret can easily be found in the mountains, at an altitude of more than a thousand meters above sea level.

Dry food diet

A simplified method of feeding ferrets at home involves the use of dry food created specifically for these animals. It contains all the necessary substances in the correct ratio.

Dry food is divided into three segments:

• budget category - economy;
• premium;
• super premium.

The food is selected individually. After the first days of feeding, the owner needs to monitor the condition of the animal. If the chosen food is suitable, the ferret will be active, stool will normalize, coat color will improve, and there will be no dandruff or other negative signs.

If any adverse symptoms are detected, the food should be changed. The assortment includes a large selection of products from different manufacturers, so there will be no problems with the choice.

The only advice from veterinarians is not to buy cheap food of questionable quality for your pet ferrets. This product contains a meager composition of useful elements. Poor quality food can cause disturbances in the functioning of the digestive system and provoke the development of intractable diseases.

Our website offers a large selection of healthy food for ferrets from the world's best manufacturers. Premium and Super Premium dry food with vitamin and mineral complexes for healthy growth and development of domestic ferrets is always available.

Features of nutrition during pregnancy, growth and molting

During the period of growth, molting and pregnancy, animals need to be fed more often and more. This is due to the natural need of the body, which requires an increased amount of nutrients. Priority is given to foods high in calcium, iron, phosphorus and B vitamins.

In addition to increasing daily portions, your ferret can be fed fish oil, which is especially beneficial for growing ferrets and females.

Consequences of improper feeding

Ill-thought-out organization of ferret nutrition can turn into a disaster for the owner and the furo itself. Signs that the selected food is not suitable include:

• stomach upset;
• changes in the color and consistency of feces and urine;
• hair loss;
• lethargy of the pet.

If you notice at least one of the above signs, you should immediately seek help from a veterinarian, otherwise the consequences will not be long in coming. If improper feeding continues, the animal will develop diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases and other pathologies.

Natural enemies

Many of their natural enemies live in the same territory as ferrets, such as:

• Foxes and wolves that are capable of hunting ferrets, especially in winter, when they do not particularly have to choose victims for food.
• Birds of prey, in the form of night owls and golden eagles.
• Wild cats, for whom catching a ferret is not a problem at all.
• Large snakes, although they are not always able to cope with such a mobile animal.

An equally dangerous enemy of the ferret is humans, who cause serious harm to the population of these useful animals, not only exterminating them, but also surviving from their natural habitats.

Interesting fact! To protect itself from natural enemies, the ferret emits an unpleasant odor, which is generated by special glands located at the base of the tail.

As a result of human economic activity, populations of small animals that are part of the diet of these predators are declining, which threatens the existence of ferrets no less than other problems.

Choice of animal

As pets, ferrets are very unusual. Therefore, you need to approach the choice of a pet responsibly, paying attention to any little details:

1. You should buy it from a nursery to be sure of its good heredity and that you were not sold a wild specimen. Take contact information from the breeder so you can contact him after purchasing the pet.
2. The age at the time of purchase must be no younger than 1.5 and no older than 4.5 months. In determining the age, you will have to rely on the honesty of the breeder.
3. Health is the main selection criterion. The eyes, nose, and fur should be clean, movements should be smooth, and the ferret itself should not be aggressive. By the way, if an animal gets scared and behaves viciously, this may be a sign that it is wild and not domestic.

Population and species status

• The black-footed ferret is now classified as an endangered species. These animals suffered especially in the last century, when prairie dogs began to be exterminated en masse in order to preserve pastures. Therefore, by 1987, there were only 18 black-footed ferrets. In this regard, it was decided to remove the remaining individuals from the natural environment and place them in zoos in order to breed them artificially. By 2013, the number of this ferret species in nature exceeded 1,200 individuals and the number is constantly increasing even today. Despite this fact, the species has not lost the threat of extinction, and is therefore protected by law.
• Steppe ferret . Populations of this species of animals are practically stable throughout their entire habitat, although there are some fluctuations, which depend on various factors of natural origin. And yet, some subspecies are listed in the Red Book, as they are on the verge of extinction, so scientists are busy artificially breeding them.
• Black ferret . Despite the fact that this animal is found throughout its natural habitat, its numbers are constantly declining. The black ferret belongs to the category of valuable furry animals. More recently, it was hunted en masse, but hunting is currently prohibited.

We can safely say that the number of ferrets around the world is gradually declining, which puts them on the brink of extinction and all thanks to human activity, although he is taking a lot of steps to finally stop this process. Despite such efforts, there are few of them, since not only ferrets, but also many other animals, deprived of natural habitats and food supply, are on the verge of extinction. To stop this negative process, a person will have to invest a lot of money, which today he so thoughtlessly invests in weapons capable of destroying all life on the planet.

In addition to the fact that humans cause irreparable damage to nature, natural disasters are no less dangerous and destructive. Just look at the fires and floods that claim the lives of not only people, but also the lives of a huge number of animals. Of course, if people did not interfere with their natural habitat, the number of animals would be able to recover naturally, although it would take a lot of time.

Ferrets are quite interesting and beautiful creatures that are a real decoration of the wildlife world. Therefore, man’s task should not be to destroy this beauty and uniqueness, but to preserve it, and in our days, to restore it. If this is not done, then our children and our grandchildren will have to live in conditions where such beauty will remain a thing of the past for them. If animals disappear from the face of the earth, then man will also disappear, although he still does not realize it.

Ferret: what kind of animal and what to eat it with

Store-bought treats: are they worth buying?

So what kind of treats can you give your ferret? In the store, a variety of ferret treats (including cat food) immediately catch your eye. However, you should not immediately buy the first product you come across, as it can be dangerous for the animal, especially if it is abused.

First of all, you need to consult with a veterinarian what he thinks about this or that manufacturer, and also look at the packaging and read the ingredients. If the composition does not contain any meat components, and they are replaced by all kinds of sweeteners, fruits and grains, such treats will certainly not benefit the ferret.