Feeding your fuzzy

Everybody wants to feed their ferret a good diet, but the number of food choices at your local pet store are overwhelming; which food is best for your ferret? How do you decode the ingredients list to figure out the best food for your pets?

Luckily, you don't have to!

This website lists and rates hundreds of foods that are suitable for your fuzzy, with explanations about their rating system. The work is done, so you just have to click here and find your new food!

Great new 'ferret food'!!!

I normally don't do endorsements on my website, but I was recently at a pet food store searching for a high quality ferret or cat kibble, and I stumbled onto an amazing find.

Now I'm sure that many of you in the ferret world are already aware of this food, but for those that aren't, check it out! Orijin cat food can be checked out online at http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/about/ or at Total Pet, Quackers Canine Cuisine (they may only carry dog food) or Ospika pet and farm in Prince George.

This food is rather reasonably priced - less expensive than Totally Ferret, with a higher protein content... it is nothing short of impressive. The protein content of Orijin cat food hovers around a whopping 45%, with 20% fat, and .25% taurine (Totally ferret has roughly the same amount of fat and taurine, but only 36% protein) - full analysis of the food can be found at http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/products/CatAnalysis.aspx. The first three ingredients of this food are: chicken, chicken meal, turkey meal, making it a nice, meaty alternative to many other ferret and cat foods on the market.

The Great Pet Food Debate- Raw vs. Cooked

Following last summer’s pet food recalls, many pet owners have opted to make their own pet foods a home. If you are one of these people, or thinking of being one of these people, you’ll undoubtedly need to find a few pet food recipes and stock up on vitamin supplements for your home made food. Most importantly, however, you will need to decide whether to feed you pet a raw or cooked food diet. Those who advocate for raw food diets often claim that raw foods are richer in fats and proteins and better for your ferret’s teeth than cooked food. Raw food advocates will also claim that feeding your fuzzy raw food helps decrease his or her likelihood of developing concerns &other such illnesses and can improve not only the quality of life of your ferret, but its lifespan as well. Unfortunately, there is little evidence to support these claims. Though there may be potential benefits to feeding your pet raw food diets, there are risks too, to both your health and theirs. In fact, the Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association has gone so far to say that “the documented evidence of `health risks (of raw diets) outweigh the perceived benefits” (Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association – official position, 2006). The American Veterinarian Medical Association is also against raw food diets; their concerns, however, seem to be less centered on bacterial health risks to humans and animals and more focused on dietary inadequacies and imbalances in raw food diets (Freeman et al. Journal of American Veterinarian Association, 2001). Additionally, the Public Health Agency of Canada has raised red flags about raw food diets. They are concerned with potential health risks for pets from increased exposure to bacteria, parasites and protozoa found in raw foods and the risks that this poses to the humans, especially to children, pregnant women and elderly people as well as others with compromised immune functions who find themselves in contact with the pet. If you wish to feed your et raw food, by all means do so, but now you are at least aware of what established human and animal health organizations are saying about the subject, and you will be able to assess the risks and benefits for yourself.

The Great Pet Food Debate - Ferret vs Kitten Kibble

Should you decide to feed your ferret kibble, the first thing that you should think about is what type of kibble you will feed them. Some experts advocate for feeding ferrets high quality kitten food, others suggest that special ferret kibble is best. Experts which advocate feeding ferrets specific kibble for ferrets will often point to the fact that this food, designed specially FOR ferrets is tailored to the needs of ferrets, whereas kitten food is tailored to the needs of kittens, not ferrets. Proponents of high quality kitten food quickly point out that though, in theory, ferret kibble is designed for ferrets, in reality it is often poorly formulated and designed more to take money from unsuspecting pet owners rather than to nutritional requirements of ferrets. While both sides do have some excellent points, the best approach is simply to go to the pet store and read the ingredients of the foods yourself. Generally, a good kibble for a ferret - that is to say, one which meets many of its nutritional needs, has a minimum of 30% protein from animal sources, and at least 20% or more fat. A good ferret diet should not only be high in fats and protein, but should contain taurine as well. Ideally, the first two ingredients on the bag of kibble should be meat, and not grain. A food whose first ingredient is corn meal, for example, would not be suitable for a ferret. One whose first ingredient is chicken meal, on the other hand, is more suitable. Cat food should not be fed to ferrets as it is tends not to be as high in protein as kitten foods, and fish flavours should be avoided for two reasons - ferrets are generally not overly impressed by fishy-tasting food, and such food has a tendency to make the ferret's poop really stink. Personally, I opted for high quality kitten food for a few reasons: It was higher in protein and fats than much of the ferret food on the market at the time, it was less expensive and more readily available, and if I ran out of food in the middle of a trip, it was not a big deal - I would simply head to the nearest pet store and pick up my trusted brand. Both my ferrets had beautiful, healthy coats, clean eyes, and relatively long lives.

The Great Pet Food Debate - an introduction

Feeding Your Ferret
Yes, I know this sounds simple, but really, it is a topic that is rather debated in ferret, as well as other pet circles. What should you feed your ferret? Kitten food or Ferret food? Kibble or home made? Raw or cooked? Opinions regarding the correct feeding of your pet ferret are numerous and diverse. Though the final decision of what you feed your ferret is up to you, here is a brief overview of possible risks and benefits of feeding your ferret certain diets.