Feeding Food Other Than Kibble

Question
what are some "people foods" that our ferret Merlin can eat.  If one is out of food.  Say, chicken??  What will ferrets eat??

Answer
Hi Angela:

Ferrets are 'obligate carnivores', which means their digestive system is made to digest only meat and meat byproducts.  The only problem with "running out of food" is that ferrets imprint on the food they eat, so they probably won't eat meat in other forms unless they are introduced to it and accept it (some ferrets will eat real meat; my ferrets gag when I offer it to them).

Other foods, table scraps, sweets, and junk food really aren't good for your ferret, although they sometimes like them and will beg for them; it's really best not to give them sweets or junk food period.

The best idea is NOT to run out of food and also whenever you want to introduce a new food, do it slowly, possibly offering it as a treat to see if they will eat it.  Yes, chicken is a great food for ferrets, as is turkey, duck, eggs, rabbit and some folks feed what they call 'pinky mice', which are just born mice babies that have been killed and sometimes kept frozen until use. Most people keep a few jars of chicken or turkey baby food on hand to feed their ferrets when they get sick. It's a really good idea to *treat* your ferret with these, warmed in the microwave) regularly so they will accept them when they are sick.  When a ferret is sick is not a good time to introduce a new food - most people take either turkey or chicken babyfood (or both), add some ground up kibble, an egg or so, warm it and serve it to their ferrets and call it "Duck Soup" - nearly everyone has their own recipe they swear by....it's really a *must* that your ferret eat *some* form of Duck Soup or babyfood before they are ill and have to eat it.  BTW, "Duck" soup is named after a ferret who was named "Duck" and his owner made this 'soup' mixture that became famous for helping save lives of ferrets who stop eating when they are sick......it doesn't mean there is any duck in the soup itself :-)   Again, tho, go slowly and make sure Merlin has some of his "regular" food available because it will take a while for him to get used to and accept real meat......and some ferrets never will.

Sincerely,
Jacquie Rodgers