Ferret Diet | What You Need To Know Before Getting A Ferret Kit

Before getting a ferret, it's important to understand their nutritional requirements. Ferrets are obligate carnivores and cannot thrive on carb heavy kibble! So, what should their diet look like?

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[@elyeliza8287]

I don't actually own a ferret, i don't even know how i got here, but this video is so well-done and informative!! Love it!

[@allaboutferrets]

Lol 😂

[@Adoptimuscribble]

i dont know how you did it but now you're, and it seems that you may be happy with it

[@avaferret9822]

Could you imagine a vegetarian wanting a ferret and watching this?

[@yaretzivallin]

that’d suck

[@babybonesxd4810]

I feel this way about any carnivorous animal. But then more herbivores will eat meat given the chance. Food is food.

[@dinahwetzel]

@@babybonesxd4810 Herbivores don't eat meat given the chance.

[@lauramendoza2567]

I'm vegan and I have a raw-fed ferret... life's hard haha

[@dinahwetzel]

@@lauramendoza2567 haha

[@flyingpigs2012]

It's hard to think these goofy ass animals are actually carnivores

[@PawsofPrey]

LOL

[@sleepisveryfun]

My little sister calls them cat snakes 😂 And now when my friends say the word ferret I tell them the cat snake story!

[@babybonesxd4810]

Obligate carnivores specifically which means their systems absolutely cannot properly process any fruit or vegetables. Just cause their small doesn't mean they can't be predators.

[@tishasobhax]

True😂 Hi!

[@flyingpigs2012]

@AUBREY BROWN it's the internet people are gonna curse get over it if you don't like it then go on KZbin Kids 😂

[@bianca8691]

I was actually going to feed my ferrets raw next month! I will be feeding whole prey grinds and a mix of frankenprey!

[@PawsofPrey]

Perfect!! I hope they love it!

[@bianca8691]

Mariah Hnat-Hippely the meat won’t go bad in the freezer, the only thing that I have to watch out for is freezer burn but it only really affects the taste. But it also depends how long you keep your meat in the freezer for, I only keep mine in for 4 months

[@bianca8691]

Mariah Hnat-Hippely I used to feed whole animal grinds, but I am now feeding frankenprey, if you want to learn more about this I’d recommend obviously primalpack and pazuandfriends as well! There is also a website called holistic ferret forum where I got a burn of info from

[@bianca8691]

But I feed duck legs and carcass, chicken heart, liver, wing, and back, pork loin, trout, and lamb kidney. (All balanced throughout a week)

[@bianca8691]

Mariah Hnat-Hippely I’m not sure about course ground grinds, but I would like to mention that you would need 3-4 proteins minimum per week and at least 1 should be a red meat. Some good bone options are any bones from duck and chicken, soft rabbit bones, and quail. Don’t use weight bearing bones such as beef and pork bones and I would recommend not using turkey for ferrets that aren’t experienced

[@izzy9913]

This is such a great video! Just the information I needed since I'm looking into getting a ferret.

[@PawsofPrey]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@ruuka4350]

Same here :D

[@izzy-vw3xu]

I have the same name as you. Just wanted to say that😏

[@nijinokanata111]

Yup!! They sold me the same brand of kibble and said to feed it to my ferret kits for an entire year. Glad I found out about the raw diet. Thanks for this informative video.

[@PawsofPrey]

Yay I'm glad you did too!

[@compueguy]

Even though technically raw is natural I have read that most vets don't recommend raw due to risk of salmonella and other food borne illness.

[@LittlePaws18120]

Great video! My ferrets have been on raw for about 6 months now. I recently brought home a new rescued ferret and got him on raw within a couple days, he is very young so it was a simple switch.😁

[@PawsofPrey]

Aw I'm glad it was an easy transition!

[@jen3933]

Do u feed them raw everyday and dry food the next??

[@energydrink8709]

@@jen3933 no you would feed them raw every single day for every meal if you were feeding a fully raw diet. some people will feed a combo of kibble and raw but there are specific rules so its usually easier to feed fully raw.

[@simplyghosted1926]

If you can’t afford to feed your very raw, you can feed wet kitten food. It’s a great substitute, just look into the ingredients before getting just any kitten food. Don’t get adult cat food though, kitten food has higher protein and fat and is usually just better overall

[@georgieburke4353]

kitten food can lead too problems due to the sugar levels and salt levels

[@tcraft2009]

Kitten food is not okay to feed your ferret.

[@mediniranasinghe9024]

Ziwi peak CAT food is best because they only contain meat and no plant stuff.Only con is very expensive.

[@GhostBae]

Very educational! Well done ☺

[@PawsofPrey]

teenkz grl~

[@megmorgan21411]

As someone who works at a pet store, I always urge people not to buy most of the ferret foods we have. I wouldn’t buy them for my boys, and I wouldn’t recommend something I don’t believe in.

[@lynax6980]

i was looking at websites for good ferret foods, and i noticed a LOT of red flags from them, such as referring to them as rodents and recommending marshall products, im glad i found this video

[@Adoptimuscribble]

now i know what to eat next time

[@narissatownsend971]

This is so helpful because I was thinking of feeding raw but I couldn’t find anything until I knew what to feed them know what I’m going to take my kits home I’m going to introduce them to raw feeding and raw feeding is actually cheaper than Kibble Diet thank you so much 😊

[@PawsofPrey]

I'm so glad our video helped you out ^__^

[@shayemartins212]

So glad my breeder starts out with raw

[@PawsofPrey]

That's great! Mine does as well 😁

[@dinahwetzel]

Yeah, great video. I know Emzotics ferret Niffler won't eat raw so she gives him a good qualtiy kibble (and probably soaks it) I know she gave Dobby and Niffler Wysong to transition them she might still be giving that to Niffler. But yeah very informational video.

[@joshuapowers5590]

I'm getting 2 ferrets today that are brothers over 2 years of age. They have been eating commercial food and banana flavored treats 🤦‍♂️ How should I transfer them over?

[@PawsofPrey]

I'm in the process of making a ferret transition video, but in the mean time Pazu and Friends has great info on this! kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4itgJ-ce5uEmKc

[@Jeitoo]

After seeing how awful most storebrand petfoods are, I decided that no matter what pet I get next, I will only feed it proper food that I'd be willing to eat myself.

[@Mxrvl3lite]

This is why I'm trying to train my polecat to catch mice and possibly small rats as they're a problem around horses, also don't forget some people can't afford to get raw meat from the butcher practically every month because of how much ferrets eat

[@elsamoore8245]

Do the ferrets live at your yard? :)

[@Yurovishna]

I'm gonna get a ferret when I move out but--- Where am I gonna get like meat I mean Hmmm

[@Khan12345692]

Your local butchers might have them

[@JrFFoo]

Thanks for the information 👏

[@whitechihuahua4956]

Can you make a video about what items to have when getting a ferret and the type of cage you would recommend for them. Also, the free roaming time suggested for ferrets. I actually don’t have a ferret nor do I want one but I’m curious. Thank you.

[@whitechihuahua4956]

@@ashtr4yy Thank you 🥺💅🏻

[@destyyy8348]

I was actually looking at what other dry food I could give to my ferret after I found out they were bad, she gets most of her diet made up of raw meat and eggs but she’s outdoors so at night and when she’s not being hand fed we like to give her dry food since cleaning meat residue outside is hellish and there’s rats and mice which could want to get to it. I found this one cat food that was 85% chicken and then just had some added fruit for the remaining 15%, I know they’re not supposed to eat anything other then meat but the content had much more meat then the ferret food I can buy in the uk, I’m really thinking of changing the extra ferret feed she gets to some high quality cat food but I can’t find anything on the internet about which one would be the best and I’m worked to buy something that might have harmful ingredients, she does eat over half her meals in meat and eggs and 100%meat dog and cat treats, but if anyone has any advice on what other food I could give her I’d really appreciate it

[@ghaliya7347]

Hi! Is it okay to get these meats from stores, for example, like pick n save or target? Or is there a special place to get there meats?

[@jennystoll2033]

This helps me very much I get my ferrets in 5 week when they are 8 weeks old and this lists are perfekt.... Thank u ^^

[@ChristianGonzalezxo]

I just bought my first ferret and immediately I was told that Marshalls food was good to feed them but I completely ignored that and started my 5 month old on little pieces of chicken breast!

[@yukiiasakii9758]

I would never be able to own a ferret. Not because of the stuff they eat, but simply because raw feeding is extremely expensive. I have a cat and I occasionally boil left over meat that we've cut off of our chicken (Aka the extra fat we dont like, or small pieces we just wanna cut up for her), along with her cat food. Thank you for making this video and letting new ferret owners know that just the store bought stuff won't always do it for small pets like ferrets.

[@TheeAbrahamLincoln]

I go to my local Asian grocery store and get two whole chickens (bones), for 2.99. It has neck, back and another parts. All other organ meat is under 3.99

[@thephilosopher5799]

@@TheeAbrahamLincolnthis is a great tip I’m looking at inexpensive ways to feed a ferret as a don’t have lots of money

[@I_LoveHorses55]

Sadly, the pet store in my town doesn't really know much about animals beyond cats and dogs. One time, I was shopping for my ferret when I saw a bag of ferret food that contained peas (which are one of the worst things you could feed a ferret).

[@itsonlydanteluv]

convincing my parents on getting ferrets on my 18th as its the only thing i want im researching so much i want them to have a good life

[@CheeseInLove6]

I'm very new to the ferret feeding and i want to feed them raw! I have some stuff picked out but I have no idea how to portion it or prepare it for them :( If you could shoot me a message on her or point me in the direction of someone who could help that would be great!

[@lalamitchell7785]

I can’t find very much information on a whole prey diet and I would like to know if I need to provide some frankenprey or just the whole prey

[@PawsofPrey]

Whole prey is a completely balanced meal! You can provide frankenprey as well, but whole prey is just fine as long as you are able to provide a variety (mice, rats, quail, chicks, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil) at least 3 in rotation is ideal!

[@lalamitchell7785]

@@PawsofPrey thank you very much

[@type0lin]

could you do a video on additives for kibble/good kibbles for people who cannot do raw?

[@sussybaka551]

You can do raw.... it doesn't have to be to this degree. Everyone has to start somewhere. She has other videos including more specific details like nutritional needs, how and what to substitute, plus sources to give you options so you can decide how to best accommodate your pets needs within your ability financially or otherwise. Raw feeding can seem intimidating at first but it's truly not as expensive as it seems. I started with my first rescue (pitbull) and now I have 2 cats I rescued Jan. of this year (2022) that are all on raw. An easy start for you.... go to your local feed store, NOT pet store (Hollywood Feed is my preferred store) and go to the raw section. They should have, what looks like tubes of ground beef at the grocery store, but it'll be a variety of raw foods for puppy/dog/kitten/cat that cover 90% of what you'll need. Each tube is 2Ibs and cost anywhere from $5 to $11 depending on what it is. The company is called Blue Ridge Beef which you can also find online but oddly its cheaper in store. Just thaw and serve. Also, local Asian markets are truly a hidden gem for raw feeding. They carry what most grocery stores don't and its affordable. (Edit: worst case scenario, use wet cat food if you aren't the deciding factor in your pets diet. I'm assuming you have a ferret so everything i said applies to a ferret)

[@tc_dubz]

What if you have to go to school or work. I have heard that you need to feed them lots of time a day. PLEASE ANSWER

[@PawsofPrey]

Raw food can be left in their cage for a few hours. They know when to stop eating it. Just leave the amount you know they will eat so that there wont be a huge amount wasted. It may take some trial and error before knowing how much that might be, but you will get there!

[@dahyunwoo2586]

I don’t even have a ferret. Why am I watching this

[@justherexsisting2585]

I would like a question how would you be able to purchase these materials? Like from a turkey it’s quite expensive or do you order them separately?

[@SuperJacobe]

I give my working ferret complete dried food pellets,cat food,raw rabbit from the Field,raw chicken livers,bit of tripe, raw chicken,sardines in sunflower oil,hole pigeon raw they love that,Goose fat with there food in the winter months so they gets a good diet.but now won’t be feeding dry food.

[@olivermadsen6405]

unfortunatly have to feed the marshals as a main diet as I can't afford full raw but plan to use raw dehydrated treats!

[@losttime51]

I think it's very annoying having a ferret where i live cause even vets tend to say that raw food is bad for ferrets and that dry ferret food is better though it contains a lot of stuff ferrets can't digest and stuff and my dad tends to not listen to me so he just buys the first thing he sees

[@Bub-20]

My ferret jus turned 9months and I'm bout to start converting him to Raw Meats..

[@sharkmaster7741]

I have 2 ferrets and they have bin getting a little skinny with wysong turkey food this is a great vid

[@heavencanwaitxx]

i wanted to turn my ferret's diet into raw diet but meat is very expensive where i live.

[@carlalay6133]

I tried to give my ferret cooked egg and a piece of chicken he refused to eat it :(

[@babybonesxd4810]

Here for more ferret videos!

[@PawsofPrey]

More coming soon :p

[@M7ofATC]

How do you switch adult ferrets over to a raw diet?

[@emogarage7864]

how do i transition my 1 year old ferret to a fraken diet?

[@PawsofPrey]

You have to start with a raw soup and work your way up to chunks/other proteins/organ/bone. I plan on making a guide soon, but in the mean time @pazuandfriends has a few great videos to go off of.

[@ACockatielsSong]

I'm confused why you're saying by-products are not good. The organs are full of nutrients.

[@honk2041]

my mom has said no to a ferret for years, so i was up till 5 last night making a begging letter to get one, and watched all about ferrets, and made a fun fact board i hope she says yes-

[@barnsleyfieldsports616]

I feed mine off mince,chicken,pigeon anything raw I’ll give them eggs sometimes and sometimes give em kibble

[@thePhoenix42]

My breeder transitioned my ferret to raw, but can ferrets swallow bones?

[@karlpotter5456]

Chicken byproduct is fine if it is organs only, you should point that out.

[@PawsofPrey]

I did in my recent video!

[@nai5201]

Guys if your ferrets don't eat this (is something comoun in ferrets that have eat feed all their life) i recommend ferretastic feed,is a little expensive but is one of the best feeds you can give to your ferret,(by the way sorry for my english i'm from spain xd)

[@edwardmcchrystal9962]

I've been wanting to get my ferrest on a raw diet for a long time now. But I fear its too late, they are at least 2years old at the moment. Any tips on how to do that and also where do you source the food from?

[@PawsofPrey]

It's NEVER too late :) seniors switch to raw often! Pazu and Friends has some great videos on transitioning your ferret, and she also does a mentor program. Search her on youtube

[@edwardmcchrystal9962]

@@PawsofPrey okay I will thank you for your help really appreciate

[@Aleyse]

Now. I have a question … I don’t have a ferret but I always wanted one … I have a raw dog food shop that sells ground muscle (pork/lamb/beef/chicken) meat Pattie’s , ground organ (hearts /liver/lungs) Pattie’s ….100% meat /organs no fillers could that be acceptable to feed a ferret ?

[@YinAotsuki]

Yeah...Feeding raw made my ferrets sick. So I have to try & see if I can get raw freeze dried or go back to kibble witch I really don't want to do.

[@x_hance3071]

Is blue wilderness with red meat an okay cat food for ferrets I heard it wasn’t bad and just wanted some other opinions

[@DogMom4_Life]

So you're saying i can go to pet stores and get chicks and mice and feed em? Go to stores and get raw foods, like i feed my dog? Now can i get single ingredient freeze dryed cat treats? And cat food?

[@brkstf70]

I don’t have the money to like buy stuff like that, meat, etc. i just want to feed my ferret more like affordable stuff. Any recommendations?

[@sleepisveryfun]

This is an amazing video since I'm looking into getting a ferret its informative and great! (Edit:I now have a ferret! Any name ideas? :D)

[@PawsofPrey]

Glad you liked it! ^__^ congrats on your baby! I would have to see what it looks like I guess to get an idea!

[@meghanwolfe7583]

olive or oliver idk but they fit with them and i plan on naming my ferrets that

[@Kn7bns]

I’m freaking out, I got my ferret and have been feeding my ferret all the bad stuff I’m so so so scared it’s gonna hurt her or kill her

[@tall.as.the_trees]

I feed my adult (4-5 years?) male ferret Oxbow kibble with raw beef bone broth. (the best kibble diet i was able to get) I know its not the best thing to feed him but sometimes i add an egg in there. I’d say I pay about $30 a month on his food. How would I switch his diet from kibble to raw, saying he has only ate kibble his whole life. About how much is the meat per month and where do I buy this? Do i buy it at a butcher?

[@dyland3tv997]

Where can I buy this?

[@zoeemata9853]

Can you source good sites to read more. I’ve had a hard time finding more on ferret raw diets aside from KZbin.

[@lkalu.6]

Since they are fed twice a day, can one meal be meat and the other meal granulated food

[@lafondrawright9677]

What is ferret's favorite color

[@ThePaintedFerret]

I was looking for advice and found this. My question is, is it normal for a ferret to lose a whisker randomly

[@lowellbentley]

The ferrets will not eat anything but kibble. How do we get them to eat different?

[@aminatio8147]

what if your a child whos parents is getting a ferret, but mentally your parents cant get other animals for an animal to eat? then what should the ferret eat

[@scottscott2500]

Can a ferret have a raw diet mixed with kibble raw is way too expensive for us to get everyday ( the kibble we are getting to feed him is wysong)

[@PawsofPrey]

If your ferret does well eating kibble and raw, sure! Just be sure to balance accordingly if raw makes up more than 20% of the diet.

[@hankgrossman7390]

Just a question, so adults eat less than kits and it should be spread around 2 meals for male, then 4 for kits?

[@eRIN.666]

Where do I even buy the food from

[@emmamadison8538]

I couldn't do the raw so I give them wysong ferret food mixed with ziwi peak cat food since it's 96 percent chicken and organs. Then they get freeze dried raw duck duck goose from Stella and Chewy's.

[@PawsofPrey]

Better than something like Marshalls for sure

[@baileyshay4588]

Could I get one of the baby mice for a ferret and where could I get the ferret the food

[@kimberlainodriscoll4781]

Ferrets imprint on food and sometimes refuse to eat anything else. Marshall's starts them on their own product. Often times, they refuse to eat anything else...dubious motive by Marshall's, yes I think so. I tried and cannot get mine to eat meat. I tried chicken, fish and beef, raw, par cooked and fully cooked. With our without meat drippings. They simply don't recognize meat as food. If I rub it on their mouth, they go crazy trying to rub it off. It took forever, but I did get them to eat raw egg that is zapped 15 seconds to reduce bacteria. I'll take my small victory. So they get Marshall's mixed with other high quality, high protein, no grain kibble that's made for cats but appropriate for these guys, with eggs every other day.

[@River_wylde]

:( they told us we had to keep it on marshalls food

[@nyvire7127]

Im a bit late to this video, but is feeding a ferret cat kibble bad for them? I do it quite a lot as I have both a cat and a ferret.. I usually give him meat as a snack often. Is this bad for him?

[@timeca1325]

With the diet Time table in the video where would fish and eggs fit in?

[@llamarobber]

How often can they eat salmon?

[@chittumboy88]

Could I just grind all of the proper Portions together in a meat grinder?

[@zachmclemore1204]

Ty

[@xitlalicdominguez7525]

my ferrets have been eating ferret food, they are not too old 6 months and a year old. I want to transition them to this type of diet. would they get sick since they are not use to raw meat???

[@bobabubbles4009]

I buy my ferrets cat food! Is that ok? Because they seem to enjoy it and the one I buy has very good nutrition and I also feed them some meats

[@PawsofPrey]

A high quality cat food is better than commercial ferret food, but it's still not the greatest. That's great you offer some raw though!

[@bobabubbles4009]

@@PawsofPrey ok thank you!

[@emmamadison8538]

Ziwi peak cat food had 96 percent meat.

[@bradd2k2]

Can you feed your ferrets whole raw rabbit or rats or mice that you shoot ?

[@cambellsmith4024]

I am wanting to get 2 ferrets so should I use 2 bowls with 5-10 oz of food? Or combine both of the food together in 1 bowl?

[@mariacolaluca281]

So just wondering if it’s ok to give them a raw meal let’s say once a week? Will that throw off their tummies at all?

[@מיקהפיירשטיןאדלשטין]

Can I buy cat food for a ferret? (I will give him different foods too not only cat food)

[@kartkeys]

I dont own a ferret but I am probably getting a kitten next month. I just wanted to ask, can i feed raw grinds that are made for cats and not kittens(well doesnt state that its not suitable for them).I am also very interested in feeding whole prey for the majority of meals.Are there any nutritional gaps that I have to worry about that are found in raw grinds for adult cats? Thanks in advance.

[@Bigbrattt]

My ferret is 9months n i've been feeding her the marshall ferret diet she since she was 3months😳 how can i transition to raw ????

[@vaughan3273]

I use high quality kibble and occasionally raw chicken maybe one or twice a weak she's pregnant and absolutely fine and all the kits are healthy as well i wouldn't recommend only kibble but also you don't need to feed it only raw food as its quite expensive

[@vaughan3273]

Although for now we're feeding the kits raw chicken mixed with other stuff

[@seniviax6878]

Feeding raw is cheaper than kibble. Any good quality kibble will be around €10 per kg. If you are spending less than that on kibble then it is more than likely a bad kibble.

[@magsik3009]

So I'm gonna get a ferret soon, and I want to ask if it's a good idea to mix raw eggs in with his kibble? And is cooked ground beef chunks good treats??? I NEED HELP, GOOGLE ISN'T HELPING!!! 😂😂😂

[@isaiahcuevas3763]

I’m also getting one an just seen cooked food is not good at all for ferrets unless its chicken but not all the time a raw based diet is best

[@andrea4000]

@victoria kirylow Ferrets cannot eat a lot of raw meat as it can contain bacteria that can harm your ferret's life.

[@duwlvwfn6214]

is there any diet for ferrets that isn’t raw? i could definitely do raw eggs occasionally though.

[@PawsofPrey]

Are you comfortable feeding commercial raw or freeze dried raw, where all you have to do is rehydrate it? If not Ziwi Peak is a great brand with awesome ingredients, but is bagged and doesn't have to be frozen.

[@emmamadison8538]

Ziwi peak cat food free range chicken is really good. And stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw duck duck goose. I feed my 2 ferrets these and also wysong ferret epigen 90 gets mixed in with the ziwi peak since it's cheaper then the 1st 2 brands.

[@ACrosley55]

If you change their diet with meat after 8 weeks old ,will they change or be safe around the children after eating raw meat?

[@dia1478]

Where do you buy your meat for the ferrets?

[@rand0m_dud3]

Can you make lil meal tubs that you can pre prep and put in the fridge for later for ur ferret? I dont want a ferret and im not getting one im just a bit curiouse.

[@theodore1099]

nicE😇

[@justininsley9307]

What bout raw chicken

[@andrea4000]

Hi! 💕 I hope you are having a good time. I have a 2 month baby ferret (male) He eats Marshall diet ferret since he is little. Do I still have time to change his food? What ferret feed can I give him? I read that you can't change the feed abruptly because it damage their intestines or something like that. What can I do?

[@alexsanderdiaz2456]

is there any pellet or like bagged food that isent raw meat cuz i cant get raw meat but I'm trying to find a brand of food that can still give my ferret good nutrients

[@sarajoygraham6150]

Could I follow Gus’s meal plan ? For my ferrets

[@PawsofPrey]

If your ferret does well on it, sure! But every ferret is different and may need their diet altered slightly from one another.

[@homosapien1383]

Can I just feed my ferret just frankenpray diet

[@nonoobscan4102]

Is there one ferret food that's actually okay for them or no?