Your probably looking at the title of this blog post and thinking ‘what the hell is she on about?’.
Well, recently I have had a lot of questions on what ferrets should eat and whether they are allowed to have certain things that are OBVIOUSLY not part of a ferrets natural diet. I feel very strongly about feeding ferrets (or any animal for that matter) the right type of foods in order to keep them healthy.
As owners we have a responsibility to educate ourselves on our pets and how they function. Based on this knowledge (eg. knowing that ferrets are obligate carnivores) we should be able to make a logical decision on what we can and cannot feed our ferrets.
Sooo, when choosing foods to give to the ferrets we should encourage each other to ask the following questions (logical questions):
- Is this food what a ferret would normally eat?
- Is this food part of a ferrets natural diet?
- Am I giving my ferret too many of these things lately?
- Is this HEALTHY for my ferret?
- How will this food affect my ferret?
- Have I researched this food enough to know that it is good to give to the ferrets?
- (Do you now get what I mean?)
As humans we have all grown up with treats. We all love treats but these treats are not necessarily good for us! However, we have these treats consciously knowing exactly what these treats are doing to our bodies – we make a conscious and educated decision to have them.
Ferrets on the other hand will eat a certain food solely based on the fact that it tastes good (if there are any ferrets reading this blog who disagree with my observation then please leave a comment below). Ferrets would probably love to eat chocolate or other naughty things till their tummy’s explode. But we all know that chocolate and other naughty things are not healthy for them. Thus it is up to us to determine what they should and should not be having.
So please…next time you are thinking of feeding your ferret soy milk, carrots, raisins or any other food that is not part of their natural diet just stop and use your brain for a moment, think about it…do they really need this?
If you want to spoil your ferret then know that there are alternatives to food and naughty treats. You can buy them another toy, play with them for longer, take them somewhere they have never been before to explore, let them steal your smelly socks…in fact why don’t you play tug-a-war with them?!
Food is food. It is there to keep them alive and healthy. That is it. Just because us humans feel we need naughty treats does not necessarily mean ferrets need them too.
Don’t get me wrong…ferrets can have treats but make them healthy! Give them an egg yolk, a cricket, a worm or mince or a rat! There is plenty to choose from. I find that we all think of ferrets as our babies…and they are…but not literally…they are animals with different dietary needs. Please do not get confused with the two!
When feeding ferrets stop, think and be logical.
If you feel that you have learned something from this blog or if you would like to simply abuse me for being too patronizing then leave a comment below. If you are an experienced ferret owner who has noticed the same thing in regards to other owners then I would love to hear your wisdom and what you think about this – leave a comment below 🙂
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