Meaty diet for ferret

Question
Hi, Lindsey.
I have a question about meaty diet for ferret.  Ferrets are obligate carnivores.  When I introduce meat, is there any "better" kind(s) of meat than others?  For example, chicken is better than pork, etc.  What about kangaroo meat in Australia?  A mouse or rabbit??  Fish meat or any insects?  Any specific part of the body?  For example, thigh rather than breast, etc.  The natural diet of their ancestors consisted of whole small prey including meat, organs, bones, skin, etc., so I am not sure if there is "specifically better" part than other part.  At last, which nutritions am I looking for in meaty diet?   Proteins and vitamins??  I appreciate your expert input.
Keiko

Answer
Hello Keiko!

Yay! This is exactly the kind of question I love to get.

You are absolutely correct. Ferrets are obligate carnivores and as such need a diet high in meat and a raw diet is the absolute best way to go if you can.

Now, there are three ways to go about feeding a raw diet that I know of.

1: The first diet best mimics their natural diet (but allows for variety and the human factor). It can consist of f/t (frozen/thawed)
Rats
Mice
Quail
Rabbit
Anoles
Pigeons
Pheasants
Ducks
Mullies
Guinea pigs
Hamsters
Gerbils.
Now, I personally wouldn't feed some of these and some might be harder to get. But I figured I would throw them all out there so you know about them

Incests that can also be fed (and should be fed) are:
Grasshoppers
Superworms
Silkworms
Mealworms
Nightcrawlers
Crickets
Earthworms.
Now, this diet works very nice and I personally think is the best. Remember though, variety is key. Now because you are feeding whole raw prey the ferrets are getting the perfect most natural ratio or organs, meat, blood, bones, fur/hair etc. It's very difficult to replicate this when not feeding a whole raw diet.

2: This diet consists of raw meaty bones such as:

Chicken wings
Chicken legs
Chicken thighs
Chicken backs
Chicken necks
Chicken feet
Turkey wings
Turkey legs
Turkey necks
Cornish hen cut into pieces
Small lamb chops
Rabbit cut into pieces
Chickens cut into pieces

Larger meat sources such as Venison, Bison, Buffalo, Kangaroo I would not feed as frequently. They can and should still be added in for variety and different tastes and nutrients but because they are so large they would very rarely if ever be consumed by a ferret in the wild and their bones are unlikely to be able to be consumed by the ferret. But that's where the human element comes in.

With raw meaty bones any bones that can not be ingested because of size or strength should not be given on a regular basis but are great treats.

If you plan on only feeding RMB's (I do not suggest that) then a multi vitamin OR (not both) kibble is needed also. This is only if you do not plan on feeding organ meat.

Organ meat
~Organ meat needs to be given sparingly but is an essential part of a ferrets diet. They are very rich in nutrients and vitamins (especially liver) so overdoses are possible. Organs need to be balanced with the rest of the diet along with meat and bones.

Chicken Liver
Chicken Gizzards
Chicken Hearts (note, hearts are actually considered muscle meats, but I just added them in with the organs)
Beef heart (small amounts, NOT the whole heart)
Green Tripe
Turkey Liver
Turkey Hearts.

If you can get it brains, intestines, kidney's etc are all great to add in also.

Good treats that can be supplemented in once a week or so are

Day old chicks (not a complete meal, ferrets can become deficient in certain nutrients if fed very old or very young animals all the time)
Pinkie mice (not a complete meal, ferrets can become deficient in certain nutrients if fed very old or very young animals all the time)
Sashimi
Beef Chunks
Mahi Mahi tuna steak
Anchovies (canned is fine as long as no oils, seasoning etc is added)
Sardines (canned is fine as long as no oils, seasoning etc is added)
Deer Pieces
Bison Pieces
Buffalo Pieces
Salmon chunks
Salmon roe
Egg yolk or white and crushed egg shell

3: The third diet is just a mix between these two with the majority being raw whole prey but with other pieces of meats such as the ones listed for diet 2 added in.

Onto your specific questions now that I have sufficiently rambled on :)

If you want to completely switch your ferrets over to a raw diet here are two suggestions on how to do it and what meat to start with.

You could try slowly dampening your ferrets kibble, allowing them to get used to the moisture. Once they will eat wet dry food slowly begin adding ground beef into their kibble. Increase the amount slowly but consistently, backtracking if they refuse to eat it.

This is will go slow but eventually your ferrets food will be all ground beef and no kibble, once that happens they will be used to the taste of raw meat and you can try converting them over to other meats. (keep in mind raw ground beef is very deficient and can not be a ferrets only food AFTER the switching over process is done, during that time it's fine)

Another option (and the one I used) was cold turkey. Take your ferrets food out for 12 hours or so and then place a chicken wing, neck f/t whole prey etc. in there with them. Leave it in their cage for another 12 hours. Typically they will eat it, though you might have to coax them a bit. I used a chicken wing and placed kibble under the skin or place ferrettone on it.

When first feeding a whole prey you might have to cut the animal in half (do it while frozen, much less messy and much easier) or try and get the ferret to play tug of war with you to rip the animal open.

I really don't think one meat is "better" than another one. Chicken is easy to digest and most likely the kibble being fed to them previously was chicken so the switch might be easier. Whole prey sometimes seems to call out to their instincts. I would personally stay away from pork for now, just because that could be a little more difficult for them. So really it's up to you what you want to start with and what is easily available to you.

Ground Kangaroo or Rabbit would be a good alternitive (rabbit than ground beef if you wanted to use that method for switching over.

There really is no best part of an animal to feed. It's all about balance over time when using RMB's and not whole prey. If you feed a very meaty meal to them with little to no bone give them a meal higher in bone content next time. This is honestly why it's more difficult to do it this way and not use whole prey.

If you are feeding a complete diet especially if it is a whole prey diet there aren't any nutrients or vitamins that you should add in. They are getting it all from their food. As I said before, if you are feeding a diet just in RMB's (not recommend) use either kibble or a multivitamin. But if you have organs in there do not use a multi vitamin.

I think/hope I answered all your questions. I'm really happy that first you know a good amount and are willing to learn about and try a raw diet. It's a mark of a great ferret owner and I wish more people were like you. Good luck and please, keep me updated and ask any more questions you might have!

Best of luck,
Lindsey