QUESTION:
My ferret ate a gummy worm yesterday and now is throwing up. She's still really active and eating. should i be worried? Also, is sugar free lemonade bad as an occasional treat, my ferret really loves it, but I'm not so sure its good for her.

ANSWER:

Ferrets are Obligate Carnivores (meat eaters), it would be best Not to give fruits/sugars/cereals etc.. as they do not posses the ability to process these and you are doing the ferret harm by giving them. She needs lots of fluids to flush out all the sugar from the gummy worm from the kidneys. Go out and buy her some Gerber's Chicken/Turkey baby food (blue label) and give her that with a little water added, it is high in meat protein and has the fluid she needs. You can give her this every day as a supplement to her regular food.

People love treats, ferrets love attention, therefore the baby food will be a way for you to share time with your ferret if you let her lick it from your finger. It is a HEALTHY SNACK and in times of iilness you will be feeding her baby food. Lemonade of any kind is a carbohydrate and is processed into sugar by the body, so stick with MEAT as a snack.

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QUESTION:
Is it safe for a ferret to eat carrots?

ANSWER:
NO, DEFINITELY NOT! Many a ferret has had to have surgery for a blockage from CARROTS and some have died! RAW CARROTS cannot be digested by ferrets and therefore cause blockages.

QUESTION:
I have a ferret that is three years old I read in a ferret book that it is ok to give your ferret milk with whip cream on top for a treat. I do this very rarely and he loves it, but I had also read to keep ferrets away from milk. Is this ok to do or should I stop?

ANSWER:
Ferrets are not milk drinkers and will get diarrhea. When you say 'treat', how often? Sometimes people advocate 'whipped cream' for ferrets that need to put on weight, but I personally would not give my ferrets any kind of dairy products.

For a healthy snack you might want to start your ferret on BABYFOOD CHICKEN/TURKEY, about a tablespoon, once a day. He will get used to it very quickly and will look forward to getting each day. The advantage to this is, if he should get sick, this is what you will have to feed him and when he does, he will be used to the baby food and there will be no struggle to feed it.

QUESTION:
I gave my ferret three small pieces of lettuce yesterday (about the size of a dime) and now today she has had diarrhea.The vet told me that he would like to see her have some vegetables in her diet and to give her raisins as a treat. I know that ferrets are carnivores but so are people and we eat vegetables so I figured he knew what he was talking about, after all he's the vet. Her earlier bowel movements were normal but this last one was not. Could it be from the lettuce? She also had her distemper shot yesterday. She is eating and drinking fine and was also playing like her usual self earlier this afternoon (prior to the diarrhea). If it is from the lettuce or anytime she has diarrhea, how long should it be allowed before contacting a vet to avoid dehydration? She is only 11 weeks old. It is normal for them to experience some slight diarrhea when giving them something new like dogs sometimes do?

ANSWER:
Why would you want to give your ferret lettuce? Ferrets are carnivores (meateaters), they should be fed a HIGH MEAT PROTEIN FERRET FOOD OR KITTEN FOOD, what are you feeding her?

If you are feeding a good quality ferret food then she does not need any other 'treats'. Treats are a human thing, animals do not need treats, the companies that are producing them are making a lot of money from pet owners! Now if you want to give her a healthy snack, then go buy her some GERBER'S BABYFOOD(blue label) CHICKEN OR TURKEY and feed her some from your finger, once she likes it, then you can offer her a teaspoonful as a healthy snack each day. Plus if she ever gets sick this is the food she will eat.

Always provide her with fresh ferret food every day and fresh water and make sure it is available at ALL times. Fruits and vegetables are not digested by ferrets so do NOT feed her those. It could have been the lettuce that caused the diarrhia but it most likely was a reaction to her shot.

One thing to remember is ferrets have a delicate digestive system and therefore introducing any new food can cause gastro intestinal upsets, such as diarrhia, therefore if you ever switch foods, PLEASE make sure you introduce the food slowly and always make sure it is a good quality food.

QUESTION:
We have two large dogs, that get along well with Peek-A-Boo. Is it okay for her to play with their pig ears treats when she is out, she is always finding one and dragging it away to chew on. I always take them and put them up as I am not sure if this is okay. They are large, about 6-8 inches long and very hard, so I do not think it is anything she could choke on.

ANSWER:
I do know that many dogs have died from those 'rawhide' products, because they chew them and leave them laying around and then they grow bacteria. I personally do not give any of my animals pork products as it is a very rich meat and causes diarrhea. As far as the ears are concerned I think it better that you NOT let the ferret have them!