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feeding & weaning

21 10:56:33

Question
can you tell me what ferrets feed on when they are been hand reared from young, whens the best time to wean & what food do they eat when older

Answer
Baby ferrets should be with their mothers until they are a minimum of six weeks old - that's when the pet stores separate them, but almost every breeder will tell you that is waaaay too young, and possibly the reason that ferrets develop bad habits such as suckling or eating fabrics and other items dangerous to ingest.

Ferrets are "obligate carnivores" which means their digestive systems are made to digest MEAT ONLY (or meat-based kibble) when weaned.  If you do feed kibbled food (store bought), it should be a *minimum* of 34% protein. Food also needs to have Taurine in it, or you can add Taurine if you feed raw or cooked meats. This will help your ferret stay healthier and live longer.

Many folks who breed and hand raise ferrets feed meat instead of kibbled ferret food. When they are first weaned, baby ferrets are usually fed ground chicken, turkey or even 'pinky' mice; or they start on wet kibble - a premium kibble such as Totally Ferret, Marshalls, Zupreem, Mazuri, Path Valley, etc. The very *least* diet a ferret can exist on is Iams KITTEN Chow (purple bag). NO other 'cat food' has a high enough protein level for ferrets.

Wet (softened with water) kibble or ground meat should be given from the beginning of weaning (as an adjunct to nursing) until 2 to 3 weeks after the ferrets are completely weaned, then they can go onto dry kibble and/or ground (raw OR cooked) chicken or turkey. When feeding wet kibble, be sure to clean the bowl completely after they eat, as it spoils quickly after wet....the same with meat - cooked or raw. Be sure to keep the bowl clean between feedings so food does not spoil.  

Feed four times a day (or every 4 hours max). If ferrets are not given raw meats when they are young, they will almost never take to it later.  Ferrets imprint on their food as babies and don't like to have their food changed; often will not even recognize  food they haven't been introduced to early in life, so variety is great for kits.  For this reason, many folks who feed dry kibbles feed 2 or 3 of the highest quality ferret foods - then, if some food manufacturer changes their formula, there is always *something* that ferrets will eat. Manufacturers do change their formulations occasionally, so it's a good idea to give kibble 'mixes' if possible.

Hopefully this answers your questions. If you need further help, don't hesitate to write again, or you can read more about ferret diets here:

* http://www.mdferretpaws.org/care/food_treats.html
 
* http://tinylink.com/?TlVyYKa6e0  (EXCEPT NO stuff in their water)

* http://www.ohioferret.org/INFO/nutri_prn.asp


Sincerely,

Jacquie Rodgers