feeding

Question
I have what is likely a common question. I have a 2-3 year old ferret(im loosing track)named Zoe. She is well behaved and likes fruit, but I want her to eat healther foods such as meat. The problem is She won't eat anything else. Any ideas on how to encourage her to try something new?

Answer
Hello Robert,

You are correct, this is a common question! First of all, I just want to ask, are you feeding a kibble food or are you just feeding Zoe fruit? You really need to be feeding her something that she can get some substance from! Ferrets are obligate carnivores, which means they can only eat meat and they really shouldn't be eating fruits or vegetables. They aren't equipped to digest plant material and said plant material could cause blockages in her digestive system and that could be fatal. Fruit once in a while, in EXTREMELY SMALL pieces and only soft fruit could be okay but I wouldn't give that to my kids. I wouldn't take the chance, but that is just my own personal opinion. Like I said, if she likes it and it is in moderation and there hasn't been any trouble, then that should be okay. Stick to soft fruits; melon, apple (WITHOUT SKINS!!!), etc.

Ferrets need high quality food with around 36% protein, 20-22% fat and no more than 3% fiber. Also, the first three to five ingredients need to be meat or egg products, both high sources of protein. There shouldn't be corn or any other vegetable matter in the first three to five ingredients. Veggies are NEVER okay for ferrets. Here is a link to a chart that ranks food commonly fed to ferrets from one to ten, ten being the highest and the best. I wouldn't purchase anything below a nine.

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

If you need to switch food, you should do so gradually because if you just change her food abruptly, she won't recognize it as food which obviously means she won't eat which is not good! Also, if she does, by some miracle, eat it, her tummy will be upset by the change and you will see some messy poops! I would start out with a mixture of about 85% new food, 15% old food for a few days and then, the next few days, 75% old food, 25% new food and so on. That way, it won't upset her tummy as much. You may still see some loose stool and that is definitely expected, so don't worry! Just make sure she stays hydrated and still eats regularly.

Now, for your actual question, she isn't eating meat? Like I said before, ferrets imprint on their food at a young age and they don't recognize anything else as food which is probably why she isn't eating meat. You can try putting some Ferretone on it for her. That might entice her to eat it. You could also try chopping some up and mixing it in with her kibble. Unfortunately, that is all I really can tell you to do. You just have to keep trying and be patient. Eventually she might take to it. A few tips with meat, however,:

1) Always feed unseasoned meat,
2) If you feed her cooked meat, it needs to be absolutely de-boned because, during the cooking process the bones get hard and brittle and could cause a choking hazard and/or internal injuries,
3) and raw meat is okay to have little bones in it, because it is rubbery and chewy and should be easy to swallow for Zoe.

I hope this answers your questions, and if there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,
Emilee Andrews