What to feed the ferret?

In recent years, it has become increasingly popular to start pet cats, not ordinary cats or dogs, but some more unusual animals. And an increasing number of people prefer to have a ferret as a pet, or, as it is also called, a frette. And, despite his somewhat wild appearance, he becomes a real pet, hand and affectionate. This is a very active animal, a real acrobat, playing with him or watching his games is a pleasure. With a ferret, you can even walk on a leash, like with a cat or a small dog.

But the growing popularity of frits does not always benefit the latter - in fact many people, seeing on television, somewhere on a walk or visiting this wonder-animal, immediately become fired by the desire to get themselves the same. The small size of the animal and the seeming deceptive ease in its content, many novice owners adjust to a not very serious mode, which ultimately leads to sad consequences for the animal. And the most common mistake that new owners make is when they decide that feeding a fridge is not any more difficult than feeding other "domesticated predators" - cats and dogs. And acquiring a new animal, do not care at all by the question what to feed the ferret, what products necessarily enter its diet, and what to give it categorically it is impossible. And this mistake, unfortunately, is often fatal for their pet, since the needs of the organism of the fridge are radically different from the needs of the cat or dog.

What do ferrets eat in nature?

A ferret is a predator. In the wild he eats almost everyone he can hunt. Most often, these are small rodents - mice and rats, less often - small birds and chicks, even frogs and lizards find themselves in his stomach. He will not scoff and carrion. Also, the ferret, if possible, will ruin a bird's nest and eat eggs.

Based on knowledge of what ferrets eat in nature, and their diet should be made in captivity. This animal is an absolute predator, its gastrointestinal tract is adapted exclusively to meat. No vegetable food is not completely absorbed by them. This is how he differs radically from dogs who, being predators, have nevertheless partially adapted to the assimilation of protein from plant foods. That's why, you can never use dog food in the diet of fritters! Almost all dog fodder meat protein is mostly replaced by vegetable protein. The constant feeding of the ferret will lead to illness, and eventually to the death of the animal.

The nutritional needs of cats are closer to those of ferrets, but still they have a number of significant differences. And, despite the fact that sometimes it is possible to hear advice that a fret can be fed with cat food, this is strongly discouraged, since in time it will lead to serious problems in the work of the digestive tract and liver.

What to feed?

Fortunately, the question of how to feed the ferret at home is solved quite easily - you can simply purchase a special full-feed for the fritters in the pet store. These feeds are developed by professionals and time-tested, fully meet the needs of the animal throughout his life. In addition, ready-made food makes life much easier for the ferret owner, especially the beginner, because all that is required is to pour it into the feeder and replenish its stocks in time. Ready-made rations for ferrets are dry and moist (canned). On the palatability of dry food yields to preserves, but it has its advantages. First, open, it does not spoil a long time even in the heat, while open canned food can not be left on the air for more than a couple of hours, everything that the ferret does not eat immediately will have to be thrown away. Secondly, it is much more economical. And, thirdly, it forms the right chair and prevents gastrointestinal disorders. On each package of food there is necessarily a table with recommended daily portions. Do not overfeed your pet, as this, in turn, will lead to health problems. The composition of finished feeds already includes all the necessary vitamins, minerals and trace elements, so you do not need to add any additives to your diet.

What to feed the ferret, if you decide not to buy ready-made food? Like any predator - with meat. The basis of its diet should be poultry (chicken or turkey) and low-fat veal. Pork and beef are better not to be added, since they are digested much worse. Meat can be given both in raw and boiled form. Two or three times a week, you can diversify the diet of a marine fish, for example, cod, trout, mackerel or herring, and also meat by-products. Frets with pleasure eat boiled chicken ventricles, chicken and beef liver, kidneys. You can add a light, but only pre-boiled.

In nature, the ferret eats its prey almost entirely, that's why it should be taken into account in the home feeding - do not treat the pet with exceptionally soft meat, as a part of the feed, there must be bones and cartilages. Ferrets gladly eat chicken heads and necks. But the chicken paws should be discarded, since they contain tubular bones, the fragments of which can seriously damage the digestive tract.

When using natural products, additional vitamin-mineral top dressings should be introduced into the ferret's diet, especially during the period of active growth of young animals, pregnancy, during moulting or after illness. Do not mix ready-made food with natural products, as this can lead to serious imbalances in the body and provoke gastrointestinal disorders.

Feed the fritters in small portions, three to four times a day. The ferret should always have access to clean drinking water. They drink very often and a lot, and even a small lack of water can have serious consequences for their body. And it should be noted that in the case of ferret feeding with a dry diet, this need is further increased.

In addition, the owner should remember what to feed the ferret is strictly not recommended. As already mentioned above, frets can never be given food for dogs and cats, and any food from the "human table" is strictly contraindicated, especially for various smoked, fried, fatty and excessively sweet. You can not feed the ferret with porridge, since the excess of plant fiber, to which the gastrointestinal tract is not adapted, can cause intestinal obstruction. Do not give the dog chocolate and sweets, because the chemicals that make up their composition can cause him a real poisoning. Fresh milk can cause diarrhea, but it can be replaced with fermented milk products - kefir, fermented milk or unsweetened yoghurt.

But if you really want to pamper your pet, then you can offer him a fresh quail egg, low-fat cottage cheese, a piece of banana, pear or watermelon, a slice of rye bread, previously soaked in kefir. In pet stores, you can find a variety of different meat delicacies for ferrets, usually dried meat pieces, which your pet will crunch with pleasure! Of course, in everything you need to observe the measure, including with delicacies, and do not overfeed them with a ferret, as this will spoil him, and he will give up his usual diet in favor of "desserts."

And remember, the right balanced diet is the guarantee of a long and happy life for your pet!