Feeding a ferret good quality food can go a long way in keeping him healthy and happy as well as extending his life expectancy.
Ferrets are carnivores and need to get the balance of their diet from protein. While some advocate feeding ferrets meats such as turkey and even day old chicks (yech!), I think it is more practical simply to use a food formulated specially for ferrets. Before they came out with specialty feed for ferrets, I used to feed mine Iams kitten food which is high in protein and fats and she lived to be 8 years old with no health issues to speak of!
These days, however, there is many kinds of foods you can feed ferrets. Keep in mind that they need a diet high in protein and fats and low in fiber. They cannot digest fiber in vegetables or grains so feeding a ferret any of these foods can be quite harmful to their health.
Try to pick a food that has no more than 3% fiber and at least 30% protein with more than 18% fat.
A dry food is most practical and can help keep their teeth clean as well!
Ferret Feeding Frequency
Ferrets metabolize very quickly so feeding a ferret every few hours is ideal. That’s why dry food is recommended since it can sit out in a dish all day and your pet can pick at it as he chooses. You should leave his food out all day, but make sure to put fresh food in daily and wash his bowl out. Food for ferrets is high in fat which can become rancid so you need to make sure that food does not sit out too long and the residue is washed from his bowls.
Switching Food
Feeding ferrets different foods should be kept to a minimum, but if you do decide to switch foods, you should do so gradually. Mix in a tiny bit of the new food with the old and gradually increase over a span of 2 weeks until you are feeding all the new ferret foods. This will keep digestive problems to a minimum.