It’s a great idea to offer your ferret new treats every week so it doesn’t get too used to only one type of food and refuse to eat something else. Older ferrets tend to be pickier as they prefer the food they’ve always been fed. An acceptable treat is a shrimp and in this article, we’ll talk about what your ferret’s diet should include and what to stay away from.
Can Ferrets Eat Raw Shrimp? How much?
Ferrets are obligate carnivores, which means they absolutely need to eat meat and they prefer raw food. There are various types of ferret food available on the market and when you’re in a crisis you can improvise. They love raw chicken, lamb, beef, turkey, rabbit, etc.
If you would love to treat your adorable furry friend with shrimp, it’s not a bad idea at all. But you need to make sure you’re not overfeeding it as fish should never be the core of a ferret’s diet. You should also make sure it doesn’t hoard it away and eat it after it went bad. This could cause health issues.
When you’re getting shrimp for your ferret buy it like it’s for yourself. This means making sure it’s from a good farmer and not wild-caught. If it’s from the wild, make sure it’s not from an area known for chemical spills.
After you get the shrimp home, you’ll need to wash it very well. But you won’t have to cut its tail, as it’s soft enough for your ferret to eat. The shrimp can be raw but you should never attempt to put any condiments on it.
Some ferrets might eat it right away, while others will even get offended by the smell. There are also ferrets that love dried shrimp. This means you’ll have to leave it out of the freezer overnight so it gets slightly dried up. Try all the possibilities before deciding your ferret doesn’t like shrimp.
Is seafood OK for ferrets?
When you’re spoiling yourself with seafood, you might be tempted to offer some to your ferret as well. And some ferrets might be very delighted by various types of seafood, including shrimp. But you should expect them to start smelling a lot weirder because of it.
It’s very important to get the seafood from a safe place and wash it thoroughly when you get home. What’s way too hard for your ferret to eat you can cut away, but parts like the tail of a shrimp are fragile enough for your ferret to eat.
If it’s the first time trying any seafood on your ferret you should ask the vet if it’s OK or not, especially if you have a more sensitive ferret that gets sick very easily. You should never do any changes to its diet without the knowledge of your vet.
Seafood should only be offered to your ferret as a monthly treat and never attempt to make it a regular thing. Ferrets aren’t built to digest seafood too well so they will end up with health problems from overfeeding them.
The seafood should be prepared very carefully but it doesn’t have to be cooked. Ferrets love raw foods. All you have to do is make sure it’s 100% safe for your little furry friend.
Can ferrets eat fish?
Ferrets very rarely eat fish in their natural habitat. This is why their bodies aren’t capable of taking advantage of all the nutrients fish has to offer. Eating fish won’t kill them but it will mess up their digestive system a little bit.
If you’re looking for a new type of treat and you’re bent on getting your ferret on fish, it’s not the worst idea. All you need to do is avoid feeding him fish or fish-based foods more than once a week. Their main diet has to remain based on various types of raw meat and raw whole prey.
Feeding your ferret a boneless chunk of raw fish is OK from time to time. But if your fish is full of bones you’ll have to cook it without any condiments them remove all the tiny bones. Otherwise, these bones might get stuck in your ferret’s throat, intestine, or stomach and create a very serious health problem.
You should also always keep in mind that feeding your ferret fish will make them smell very funky. You might not even be able to play with them because of the smell.
The Ferret Diet – What Should It Include?
A ferret’s diet should always consist of 32-38% protein and 15-20% fat. Their food should also be raw as they’re obligate carnivores and raw meat makes them healthier than boiled or cooked meat. Despite their picky nature, there are still a lot of foods you can offer your ferret.
You should always have around chicken, lamb, beef, turkey, and rabbit. You can feed them raw chunks at every meal but make sure they’re not saving anything for later. The hidden food might go bad until your ferret eats it and that could harm your little friend.
It’s also recommended to have other types of raw food around as well. This includes chicken wings and stripped carcasses, turkey necks, pigeons, offal, lambs heart, and raw animal bones for calcium and for cleaning your ferret’s teeth.
You should stay away from feeding your ferret wet food as this could cause various teeth problems. But you also have the option of whole prey such as mice, rats, and chicks. These small creatures should always be bought from a trusted retailer.
Don’t ever attempt to catch wild mice and rats by yourself or feed the mouse you found in your attic to your ferret. Wild mice and rats could be full of parasites that should never go near your pet.
What do ferrets eat in the wild
Ferrets are pretty good hunters and they always eat whole prey animals. This includes rats, possum, hedgehogs, small birds, and rabbits. They always eat every single part of the animal, including the meat, organs, bones, skin, feathers, and fur.
Eating bones is very important for a ferret and they should only eat raw bones. If you’re against feeding your pet raw meat, small animals, and bones, you should stick to having a dog as a pet. A responsible owner doesn’t cook the bones for their ferret as they need to get all the nutrients to stay healthy.
You should keep your ferret very far away from fruits, vegetables, nuts, chocolate, salty products, human snacks, dairy products, rice, raisins, peanut butter, etc.
