A balanced raw diet is nature's diet plan for ferrets. We know this by observing the ferret's oral structure and functions, gastric system, stomach pH, and more. Sadly, this diet is pretty frowned upon by the majority of conventional veterinarians, so the average pet owner may not realize that it's an option! Certainly not for ferrets. Myth #1- Salmonella
It's normal for pet owners to be wary of raw at first due to risks of Salmonella. Let's look at the facts. The natural diet of the polecat is whole prey raw. Even though ferrets are domesticated, they're still incredibly biologically similar to their wild counterparts (even the domesticated dog is only 0.02% different than the wolf!) they're obligate carnivores and can only eat meat and fish. They have extremely acidic stomach acid that kills off pathogenic bacteria, and a short digestive tract so anything that isn't killed off is passed through in a timely manner. It simply wouldn't be in the system long enough to cause an issue. For Salmonella, the minimum incubation period is 6 hours, and for E.Coli it's 12 hours. In most cases, the food has already long passed through the system before the bacteria had a chance to incubate and multiply to appreciable levels (ferrets have a digestion period of 3-4 hours.) Often when a ferret has a bacterial infection it's from the naturally occurring bacteria found in the bodies of every ferret. If their immune system is compromised, the bacteria reproduce more than normal, causing a problem. You and your family will not get sick with Salmonella if you follow basic safe handling. It should be no different from preparing and cleaning up after the raw meat you cook and eat. Keep in mind- Kibble can still be infected with Salmonella and other bacteria regardless of how it's manufactured. More pounds of kibble are recalled due to Salmonella than raw foods. Kibble fed animals are at a higher risk of bacterial related issues due to the alkaline levels of the stomach. Raw fed ferrets have very acidic stomachs, so issues are extremely rare. Myth #2- Feeding raw makes pets aggressive I'm unsure where this myth comes from. There is absolutely zero evidence that supports this theory. The opposite effect actually makes more sense. Chewing raw bones stimulates the dopamine receptors in the brain, calming your ferrets and settling heart rate. Feeding raw does make ferrets more lively, by giving them high quality fats and proteins used for energy functions among many other things. Raw fed ferrets can play for longer, and tire less easily. Myth #3- Ferrets imprint on dry food, so switching is impossible Absolute bogus! While ferrets do imprint on their food, switching them can be a piece of cake. Especially through my mentoring program. I have successfully switched ferrets from 8 weeks old to 8 years old. Some only requiring a few days to switch. Most ferrets need a bit more time than that, which makes the mentoring program so great. Everyone goes at their own pace, while receiving my coaching and guidance every step of the way. Extensive knowledge of ferret preference and behavior is key to an uncomplicated switch. Myth #4- Veterinarians are against feeding raw Both a myth and a fact! There are many holistic veterinarians that are pro raw and advocate for feeding it! There's actually a whole group, Raw Feeding Veterinary Society dedicated to those that do promote raw feeding. There are a few reasons conventional veterinarians may be against raw. The first being their lack of education on the subject (sounds harsh, but it's really just the truth) veterinarians will tell you themselves the amount of nutritional courses they take in their degrees are slim to none. Veterinarians are doctors, not nutritionists. If I wanted nutritional advice I wouldn't see my general doctor, I'd see a nutritionist. Conventional veterinarians are actually sponsored by kibble companies like Hills, Purina, and Royal Canin. These companies sponsor their educations, and hold seminars where vets learn about nutrition. Secondly, personal experience. There are many pet owners out there that feed inappropriate raw diets. Veterinarians will not promote the diet because of this. Myth #5- Feeding raw is unsanitary Any diet can be unsanitary. Many pet owners don't wash their pet's bowls of dry food after every meal like they should. Uneaten meat should be removed regularly, bowls and dishes cleaned after every use. Wear gloves or wash hands when handling meat. Don't let raw meat sit in the fridge for too long either. Myth #6- Ferrets can't eat pork. This originates from the risk in certain areas of Trichinella, a freeze-resistant bacteria. In the U.S. and Canada, our pork is heavily inspected. You should still freeze for a few weeks prior to feeding as a precaution. In other countries, pork may be a higher risk protein. Do your research! Pork makes for a great inexpensive red meat source. Myth #7- Ferrets can't eat egg whites. Ferrets shouldn't eat just the egg whites. But the whites themselves mixed with the yolk is no issue. Even if you don't whisk it together, if the ferret eats all the egg that's fine. When feeding only egg whites over a long period of time they can develop biotin deficiency. Raw Feeding FAQ How much raw do I need to feed my ferrets? Ferrets rarely overeat on raw, so feel free to offer as much food as they will eat. Ferrets should eat a minimum of 5-7% of their total body weight. To determine this, take their body weight in grams and divide it by 10. That's 10% of their total body weight, divide that number by 2, and you get 5% of their total body weight. Females usually eat 1-3oz per day and males 2-4oz per day. This is just a generalization, all ferrets are different. I like to offer ferrets under 1 year old 4-5oz+ of meat per day. I split this into two meals a day, but some raw feeders feed one big meal a day.Females generally eat up to 3oz and males 4oz, but kits and active ferrets may eat 5-6oz each. I feed 10oz twice a day for my 5 ferrets (4 males, 1 female) So, total 20oz= 1.24lbs of food per day. Ferrets will also eat different amounts during the year. In spring / summer, they may eat less and they may eat more in the fall / winter. What makes kibble so bad? This is a loaded question. I recommend surfing through my Raw Playlist on YouTube. Kibble diets have many issues. -Not naturally beneficial. Kibble needs synthetic nutrition added to make it "complete". -Destroys teeth. Sugars in the kibble irritate the gum lining and promote dental disease. -Large, smelly poop due to indigestible ingredients. -Promotes poor immune system health by not providing a healthy barrier in the gut from pathogenic disease and bacteria. -High risks of glyphosate contamination, mycotoxin and acrylamide exposure. -Risk of diet related disease like Insulinoma, bladder stones, dental disease. -Pet food companies are fueled by profit, many will do whatever they can to keep costs low. -Kibble is cooked and processed multiple times, denaturing the meat products to a point that makes them more like empty filler ingredients. -Stoic, lazy ferrets due to lower energy production. -Promotes slow metabolisms due to unhealthy fat and carbs. -Carbs are linked to obesity. -Contains carcinogenic ingredients and toxins from grain ingredients. -Higher chance of protein intolerance being fed the same chicken food all the time. -Can include 4D meat. Can I feed a mix of raw and kibble? In my personal opinion, this cannot be done healthily for ferrets. Ferrets are more sensitive than dogs and cats. As discussed above, kibble fed pets have a more alkaline stomach, and raw fed pets more acidic. Kibble also requires more time to digest than raw due to the indigestible fibers and starch added to the food. Ferrets fed a mix of both long term have developed bacterial overload. Ferrets will also have a hard time properly digesting bone, creating a higher risk of obstruction because the digestive tract isn't acidic enough to make the bones soft. Feeding kibble in the morning and raw at night also cannot be done healthily in my opinion. Again, ferrets are not like dogs or cats. They require constant access to kibble throughout the day. If you're withholding kibble from ferrets so that you can feed raw at night it can worsen conditions such as Insulinoma. I also believe that any risks you're trying to avoid by adding raw into the diet will be canceled out by the kibble. While adding some fresh food sounds better than none at all, it's not going to make a worth while difference. Ferrets fed kibble along with raw will still be at risk of... -Dental disease -Insulinoma -Bladder stones -G.I issues -Allergies -Poor coat health Along with the other risks associated with feeding kibble. I tried giving my ferrets raw, but they wouldn't touch it. What do I do? Ferrets imprint on their kibble at a young age, making switching difficult for some. In my program all students begin with a balanced soup recipe and work their way up from there. This method has a practically 100% success rate. The students who begin my program wanting to switch, always finish. Check it out! How much does raw feeding cost? Is it expensive? Giving exact amounts is tough, everyone has different ways of sourcing, and some proteins are pricier than others. I spend maybe $150 or so a month on raw for 5 active ferrets. I feed a mix of cheap and expensive proteins, and I do feed loads of variety, so their diet is more expensive than normal. The form of raw you do greatly influences price. Freeze dried/ air dried diets are very expensive. Commercial grinds and whole prey can also be super expensive. Most raw feeders follow Frankenprey, and maybe add some meals of whole prey. Unless you get discounts, feeding a fresh raw diet will almost always be more expensive than an average kibble. You're paying for quality ingredients. With humans, eating fresh whole foods is always more expensive than eating fast food. However, when feeding raw you lower the risk of diet related disease, which can be very expensive to treat and maintain. Some requiring medication for life. Do I have to feed live animals? Absolutely not. This isn't really recommended as it's very stressful for the prey and unfair to them. They don't have the ability to run away like they would in the wild. The prey may also injure your ferret trying to escape. Your ferret may not feel like hunting that moment, and you might become stuck with a pet mouse. Dead animals are preferred. Feeding live is also illegal in some areas. Do I have to feed whole prey? While it's the best diet plan for them, you certainly don't need to feed whole prey to provide a healthy and balanced diet. It's important we supplement frankenprey or grinds so that it best mimics whole prey. -Green lipped mussels provide manganese. Ferrets not fed whole prey will be deficient in this. Feed 1 mussel per ferret once a week. Chop and add to organ soup or boneless meat. -Fish provide iodine. Ferrets not fed whole prey will be deficient in this. I feed fish once or twice a week. Mackerel, smelt, salmon, sardines. More on fish here! I'm super busy. I don't think I'll have time to feed a raw diet. What do you think? The beginning transition can require some time on your part. Once they finish, there are many ways you can make the diet easier to feed. 1. Feed balanced commercial raw grinds. These are balanced for you, just thaw and feed. 2. Follow an organized schedule. I like to plan out meals for the entire week and write them down if I know I'll be busy. 3. Make sure you remember to take out appropriate meals or items to thaw before meal time. Can they choke on bones? A ferret can choke on just about anything. It's always a possibility in any animal. Monitor your ferrets and don't leave them with bones unsupervised. Can they really eat whole bones? Bone-in meat should have appropriate amounts of meat attached to help the bone slide through the body easily. The stomach of the ferret is very acidic, it breaks down the bones and smooths the edges, making them easy to pass. You may find bone shards in stools. Some bones not safe for ferret consumption are recreational bones, marrow bones, weight bearing bones, mammal bones (aside from rabbit) read more on appropriate bone here. I really don't feel comfortable feeding rabbit (insert any animal here) do I have to feed it? Absolutely not. A healthy diet plan can be created without that particular animal. My ferret has allergies. Can I still feed raw? Yes yes yes!! Raw diets are perfect for ferrets with allergies. You have complete control of the diet, so avoidance of certain proteins is simple. I have diet plans in my program for ferrets with chicken sensitivities and more. My ferret has Insulinoma. Can I still feed raw? Raw diets are excellent for Insulinoma management. More on Insulinoma here. They can also be great for ferrets with adrenal disease, liver disease, cancers, pretty much anything else. My ferret stopped drinking as much water on raw. Why is that? Totally normal. Prey is 70% water. Ferrets are not natural water drinkers, they get most of what they need from prey. If prey is scarce, they may find some water to drink. Kibble has a total moisture content of 9-10% so they need to drink more to compensate. Help! My ferret threw up it's food after eating some bone. This is fairly normal. Ferrets may regurgitate a bone if it wasn't chewed properly the first time, they usually re-chew and swallow again. If this is happening frequently, there may be a problem. Try cutting bones smaller. If this is paired with other odd symptoms, your ferret may be ill. Help! My ferret just had loose poop after eating. This is normal after organ meals or muscle meat meals. You may need to increase the amount of bone-in meat in the week, and / or add some human grade bone meal powder to the organs or muscle meat. Why can't my ferret eat raw pet food for dogs? Dogs and ferrets are totally different species. For one, dogs can naturally manufacture taurine, when ferrets can't. A diet without taurine will make a ferret go blind. Along with possibly lacking taurine, raw dog food may include vegetables and fruits, both inappropriate for ferret consumption. Can I feed meat from the grocery store? You sure can. Pasture raised, grass fed and finished animals are best. Make sure the meat isn't seasoned, injected with saline, or preserved with rosemary extract. My raw fed ferret seems skinny. How do I fatten them up? Due to social media we have become conditioned into thinking fat ferrets are the norm. If your ferret is eating the proper amount they should be, I wouldn't be concerned. Paired with other odd symptoms = may be a health issue. Raw fed ferrets are more muscle, being on the thinner side is much better than being slightly fat. What supplements can I feed my ferrets? Ferrets that don't eat whole prey should be fed mussels and fish weekly. Raw whole egg is also a great addition once per week. I like to feed 1/2 cup of organic bone broth (you can also make your own) a week for added digestive enzymes and joint health. Green tripe is also great to add to a muscle meat meal weekly for the probiotic benefits.
1 Comment
Ava
7/26/2020 12:57:02 pm
Hi Bryn! Your channel is very helpful but I have a question my little ferret bandit has been on kibble for a long time untill I started to do research I found out there diets I have tried everything nothing was working out. I am currently looking to get a new ferret! A female everywhere I looked nothing said anything about a meal plan/feeding schedule for one ferret if you could help me out that would be great!
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