Treats!
Remarks:
Ferrets are carnivorous:
Give starchy and vegetable or fruit treats in small quantity. C. Almaraz advises that treats should amount to no more than 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per day.
To prevent blockages: Chop vegetables, mash soft fruits or cooked vegetables, cut dried or fresh fruits in small pieces. Even cut raisins in 2 or 4 pieces, according to their size.
To prevent intestinal upset:
Give dry treats, very small amounts and when you offer a treat for the first time, check if they like it or not (my ferrets just hide small raw beef pieces soaked in Ferretone). "If your ferret takes the food and runs to hide it, make sure it is actually being consumed. Food with mold can lead to intestinal upset." writes C. Almaraz.
Following my FML post in May 1996 pointing that, according to a study, raisins and bananas are sticky foods that can cause cavities, I compiled and posted this list of treats that ferrets enjoy to eat in order to supply information to ferret owners who wish to reduce the banana and raisin intake of their ferrets. I updated it in 1997. Some of the treats are good for them and some of them are junk food.
Lorraine Tremblay and her treats addicts: Boum Boum, Mukluk, Pépée La Pew, Piccolo, Presto, Qannik, Sanka and Snoreau.
Grain and Starchy Treats
Bread:
unbuttered multigrain toasts; pieces of raisin or banana or orange / cranberry toasts.
Cereals:
Cheerios.
Crackers:
puffed rice cake, sesame stick, sesame rye cracker, wheat cracker.
Cookies (in very small quantity - most of them contain lots of sugar):
graham cracker, granola bar, Nutri-Grain Bar.
Pasta:
cooked (cut in pieces).
Pet treats:
most ferret treats, cat treats and dog biscuits or treats.
Miscellaneous
Broth:
chicken.
Protein or Fat Rich Treats
Freeze dried animal by-products:
heart, kidney, liver or lung (sold as cat or dog treats).
Baby food:
turkey or chicken.
Egg:
cooked (Salmonella bacteria may be present in raw egg. You might even let your ferret play with an hard boiled egg in its shell, then peal it and give him some to eat.)
Fish:
canned tuna, cooked fish, unsalted dried fish.
Meat: beef, raw or cooked; cooked chicken (Salmonella bacteria may be present in raw chicken).
Milk products:
cream, goat's milk, lactose reduced cow's milk (avoid regular milk), sour cream.
Nuts and seeds:
peanut butter, chopped hazelnuts or sunflower seeds.
Oil:
flax seed (keep refrigerated).
Pet treats:
Cheweasel (ferret treats), wet sausage type dog treats.
Tofu.
Vegetables Cucumber, bell pepper, broccoli, cucumber, green beans, green peas, mushroom, snow peas, soybean, tomato.
Vitamin Supplements, Remedies or Food for Sick Ferrets
Brewer's yeast (for vitamin B).
Hairball remedy: Kittymalt, Laxatone, Petromalt.
Liquid food:
Duck soup recipes. Liquid vitamin supplements: Linatone, Ferret Coat, Ferretone (C. Almaraz writes "not to exceed 5 drops daily. Do not put on their food since this can cause the food to spoil quicker". I dilute the supplements with oil too avoid giving my ferrets too much vitamin A by mistake).
Meal replacements or supplements for humans:
Ensure, Nutrical, Sustical.
Treats to Avoid
Alcoholic beverages:
(I know that some ferrets like beer but I feel it is safer to not let them drink it).
Beverages with caffeine
Chocolate
(it contains Theobromine and is toxic, some people give very small amounts of milk chocolate to their ferrets but I would not recommend you to do so: better be safe than sorry!).
Candies.
Craisins (when I check the label, sugar was the first ingredient). Corn
(high fiber can cause a prolapsed rectum).
Some dairy products:
(they can cause diarrhea).
Junk food:
black licorice, french fries, ice cream, sweets.
Licorice:
black (it elevates the blood pressure in humans: I therefore assume it might have an adverse effect on ferrets).
Pet treats with large amounts of sugar, salt or sodium.
Is your ferret addicted to something not listed above? Do you feel I missed something? Please drop me a note
Lorraine
Anedotes
Ferret Weirdness by Barbara Dashnea
At one time, I had a large dish for water, it was just next to the food dish. I kept finding food in the water. I thought they were too close, so I kept moving the food farther way from the water. Finaly, the food was across the room... water still had food in it. Then I saw Snorky grab a mouth full of food, run like mad across the room and drop it into the water! He stood waiting for a little while, Then went bobbing for kibble! He put his head, right up to his ears, under the water, grabbed a piece of food, and chomped away. He never got all the food,
| <- BACK | HOME | NEXT -> |
