About Raisins - CAUTION

Question
Hi Jacquie! you probabley hear from me more than you  want to, so i will keep this short! You didn't quite answer my question last time (but you are still rated the best!) can ferrets eat raisins? thank you so much! ☺

Answer
Hi Jessica!

I'm sorry I let that question slide by somehow. I'm glad you wrote again and gave me the opportunity to clarify the raisin issue.

Ferrets LOVE raisins.  Raisins are basically sugar and they are dried fruit (ferrets are obligate carnivores, meat eaters), two things against them already. But that's not even the worst of the news.

Dr Kawasaki has done research on ferrets and raisins and has found that over a period of time, if ferrets are given raisins regularly, they often develop kidney disease or kidney failure.  

Since elderly ferrets don't need anything else going against them, I don't personally feel raisins are a good idea - my kids don't get them.  HOWEVER, IF you do decide to give raisins, I would strongly recommend cutting a raisin into 1/4ths and it makes FOUR treats out of one...the ferret doesn't know the difference (in fact, the cut raisins will be tastier than the whole raisin) and then not giving more than 2 raisins a week.

It's really important that we always keep in mind that ferrets are carnivores; they eat meat. Almost everything other than meat and meat products is not good for ferrets. Sugar, and/or a food that can cause an intestinal blockage (dried fruits frequently cause blockages because a ferrets digestive system is just too short to digest dried foods, so they pass thru the intestines in the same state they entered the body)  

IMPORTANT NOTE & CAUTION...and pass the word. I have a list of folks whose ferrets have died of blockages after eating KAYTEE FIESTA FERRET FOOD and I led a movement to have it removed from the shelves several years ago.  I was promised it would be discontinued, yet I see it is still available so many places!  I hope what is there is old and it's there because the word got out in time to save some ferrets.

Hopefully that puts the raisin question to rest :-)  Ferrets do love them...there are several kibbled treats that have "raisin juice" in them as a flavoring. Again, we're talking another form of sugar here, but if your ferret LOVES raisins and you reaaaally need to feed raisins, consider feeding a raisin flavored kibble treat.

Thanks, Jessica - don't ever hesitate to write. You bring up good topics that I'm sure will help others also.

Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers