Can Ferrets Eat Human Food?
Despite popular misconception, ferrets do not instinctively know what food is good for them and what is bad. They will eat anything they can get a hold of. Fortunately, there are many fine commercially made ferret food and treats available. But some human foods can be used as treats or as part of a balanced ferret diet.
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Good
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Good human foods are easy for the ferret to digest. These include raw or cooked refrigerated poultry, lamb, fish, beef and cooked eggs. Chicken, pork and beef organs are also good. Some ferrets do not like the taste the taste of fish. Only give raw meat if it is sure to be unspoiled. If not, be sure to boil, broil or bake it to kill any bacteria. Chicken baby food is also good for ferrets.
Bad
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Ferrets love sweets and sugary foods, but it can get them very sick and hurt their teeth. Particularly dangerous to ferrets are chocolate, syrup, alcoholic beverages and anything with caffeine or coffee. Dairy products and raw eggs can also get a ferret sick. Raw hard fruits like apples can cause intestinal blockages. Ferrets will eat seeds and nuts, but they lack the ability to digest them. Potato chips or other salty snacks are also harmful to ferrets, even though ferrets will eat them.
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Treats
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Ferrets have short digestive tracts and can only tolerate a very small amount of fruits and vegetables as a treat. Good fruits include raisins, melon, apple and papaya. Vegetables need to be cooked until they are soft or mashed. According to Everything Ferret.com, hard pieces of raw vegetables or hard fruits can cause an intestinal obstruction. Ferrets like green pepper, broccoli and carrots. Low sugar cereals like Kix or Cheerios also make a nice treat.
Considerations
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Since ferrets have such a high metabolism, they need to eat about every three hours. Human food alone is not healthy for a ferret. They need hard food to help with their teeth and ferret chow can provide this. Young ferrets or ferrets with tooth trouble may need to have their chow watered down. The ferret also needs constant access to clean water.
Introduction
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According to "Ferrets For Dummies" (Kim Schilling, 2000), eating a lot of a new food can give a ferret digestive troubles such as diarrhea. When introducing a new human food, only give a little bit at first so the ferret's digestive system can get used to it. Mixing the new food in with the old food can help a picky ferret eat a new food.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Wikimedia Commons
Comments
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Can I just say.....it is very unlikely indeed that raw egg yolk (do not give them egg white) will make your ferret ill...their digestive tract is too short for the usual bacteria to take hold as they would in humans. Ansl, raisins are NOT a good food for them....as with cats, raisins can cause kidney damage, not to mentionsicking to their teeth and causing tooth decay. Since they don't get any nutrition from them, it's really not worth it. The same goes for fruits and vegetables...apat from maybe one or two tiny pieces (like 1cm cube) about twice a week, they need every calorie they can get from their food since their metabolism is so high. More than atiny amount of anything non-meat based can be detrimental to their health.
