QUESTION:
I have had my male ferrets for almost a year now. I just adopted a new baby who is a girl and they all get along so well. I love them to death and I want the best for them. I was at a pet store today to buy them some more food and shampoo just to have and a lady came up to me and asked me why I feed my ferrets that food. She proceeded to tell me that she feeds her 8 ferrets' feeder mice, raw chicken and beef. I asked her if this makes your ferret aggressive and she said no. She said it is SOOO much better for them and this is what I should do. She also said that the water bottles aren't good for them either because of it could break their teeth. She suggested a bowl. I am really confused on this matter. I want the best for my ferrets. Can you help me on what to feed my ferrets?

ANSWER:
Whilst feeding 'raw' is a good idea it is not totally nutritionally balanced for ferrets. When in the wild, the ferret would eat, feathers, fur, bones, organs, along with the meat and therefore just meat on its own would not be complete. Please read the articles on DIET in the FERRET SCHOOL and then make your own decision as to what to feed your ferrets.

Using a water bottle is actually more sanitary than a dish, as food and saliva fall into the water contaminating it. If you decide to use a water dish, make sure it can be locked onto the cage and the ferrets are not able to tip up the dish and end up without water at all.

In all 25 years of having ferrets I have never had one break a tooth on the water bottle, or never heard of such a thing! You can put both dish and bottle in the cage if you like, just make sure you wash the dish twice a day with soap and water.

You might want to examine the foods that I have listed on the site, as they are NATURAL and will work well with any raw diet you choose to feed. Do consider adding FERRETZYME to any food, to help with digestion.

QUESTION:
I have four ferrets and I love them to death. However, I was wondering if feeding them live mice would harm them since they have been brought up on commercial food. I have a snake and I breed mice to feed her and I just wanted to know if I could feed some of the mice to the ferret. Also, should I feed my ferrets raw or cooked meat as treat or as a daily food?

ANSWER:
In the wild 'live' animals would be prey for the ferrets, however you will have to see if the 'wild' instincts still exist and your ferrets will know what to do! I personally could not feed mine live anything. You will need to make sure the mice do not suffer if the ferrets only think of them as playthings! Mice as a whole diet would not be nutritionally balanced so other foods would be necessary.

Please go to the FERRET SCHOOL and read the articles on DIET in ferrets to help with your choice of feeding.

QUESTION:
I have a one year old ferret...I'm still learning every day what's good and what's not good for him...one thing that's been bothering me ever since I got my ferret is ferret nutrition and diet.

Consulting with my vet and the pet store, I put him on Totally Ferret kibble, and I give him homemade Duck Soup for a treat. He's extremely picky and not really open to trying new things.

I've never thought about giving him raw meat, as I can't get my head around it being good for them but bad for humans..can they eat raw chicken???....I understand this way of my thinking needs to change,
and I'm working on it.

I ventured out for a hopper mouse (frozen) last week, and after thawing it and warming it up a bit, he was thrilled. Only ate half of it, and I threw the other half out because of the strange way I felt accepting it. I know however, that if this is the best diet for him, I'll get over it.

I just have some silly questions for you though...how many mice a day would a normal three pound year old ferret require? if he's given a mouse a day, then will he still require kibble supplementation? I can't stand the thought of him grabbing a mouse and disappearing behind my couch to eat it, I'd rather he eat it in a closed environment - is that okay?? Is it necessary to watch a ferret eat a mouse in case he swallows too much?? if he's eating mice, is that good enough, or should he be given chicks as well (sorry - no can do a rat - no WAY - hahaha).

Any light you can shed on this would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much for your time.

ANSWER:
Totally Ferret is an excellent Kibble! However there is much controversy about 'raw diets' alone and the amount.

In some countries ferrets are fed only a raw diet but it would consist of the whole animal and most likely a variety, plus most are kept outdoors which would make cleanup a cinch.

You could continue with your regimen and it will provide your ferret with the nourishment he needs, however I would not give 'pieces of raw meat' they will not provide him with a well rounded diet, however whole mice will.

Have you read the article in my SCHOOL section by Dr. Susan Brown on DIET, she also recommends ARCHETYPE, which is a lot simpler/cleaner to feed than the 'real thing' and the ferret's love it. I am waiting for some articles by Dr. Tom Willard the founder/creator of Totally Ferret, so I can put them on my website, that way people can draw there own conclusions.

My ferrets get a mix of the foods I sell on my website, they are all natural and I also cook whole chickens with neck, gizzards, hearts and liver for them. I grind in a blender, with most of the smaller bones and then put through a sieve, I add FERRETZYME to replace the enzymes lost in cooking, all my ferrets get this twice a day and live on average 9 1/2 years.

A perfect diet would be difficult to obtain as in the wild a ferret lives an entirely different life style to that of a domestic ferret.