Ferrets &
Dog Treats
Dear FerretLady:
Hi! This is to tell you I think you have a great web site. I'm from
South Carolina and have acquired a ferret -- never had one before. He's
great and I love him. He was given to me by my son's friend who no longer wanted
him.
I know nothing about ferrets -- trying to do the best I can by reading web
sites. I have had him for about six months now. His name is Al. We also have a
dog (Callie). She's a pitbull and Al's best friend. They took to each other the
first day.
As I read, I find lots of conflicting information on the feeding of
ferrets. Al likes to eat cat food. I mix it with ferret food and also make sure
to give him his vitamins. He likes to eat the dog treats (liver snacks). Do you
think this is OK? Any info you can give me would be of great help as I want this
little guy to have the best.
Thank you for your time and web page. I
have enclosed photos of my babies, Callie and Al.
Thanks once again,
Lois
Dear Lois:
Ferrets are carnivores, but their digestive systems are more like cats than
dogs. Never feed a ferret dog food. Ferrets need the mineral
taurine -- this is in cat food but not in dog food. I doubt that a dog
liver treat now and then would hurt the ferret, but as a general rule, it's
better to stick to cat-oriented or ferret-oriented treats and foods. I
know people who feed their ferrets cat treats and it seems to be fine.
There are numerous ferret treats on the market also -- just make sure they are
not too high in fat.
There are some ferret owners who are adamant that you
should not feed a ferret cat food, however, I have seen ferrets do well on
kitten food (not cat food). Most high quality ferret foods (Totally
Ferret, Marshalls, 8 in 1, etc.) are engineered specifically for ferrets and are
usually a little more reliable as far as getting the ferret its proper
nutrition. Your current
method of mixing ferret food with cat food is fine -- however, switch to mixing
it with kitten food. And I would recommend a meat or fowl flavor
kitten food (turkey flavor, beef flavor, etc.) over a fish flavor. Ferrets
in the wild eat meat, not fish.
One note about Callie and Al. It's a good idea to
supervise their playtime together to make sure Callie doesn't get too rough with
Al. A dog's "play bite" might really hurt the ferret. But if they've
played together frequently and Callie is gentle with Al, it should be fine.
Sounds like you are a great mom! Keep up the good
work!
The FerretLady
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FerretLady@FerretCity.com.
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