Best ferret food: what to look for on the label

What should a ferret eat?

Ferrets eat meat. The RSPCA calls them strict carnivores that need a well-balanced, meat-based diet, and says plainly that they cannot be vegetarian. Their bodies cannot break down much fibre or starch, so bread and cereals are out. Food also moves through a ferret quickly: VCA says it takes about three to four hours from eating to the litter tray, which is why ferrets graze on many small meals rather than one or two big ones.

For a pet ferret, the simplest way to meet all of that is a complete dry food made for ferrets. Woodgreen recommends a good quality, complete dry ferret food as the main diet, and PDSA says commercially made ferret kibble contains all the nutrients a ferret needs. Everything else, such as cooked chicken or egg, is a treat on top. Our ferret diet guide covers the whole day's feeding, and what ferrets can eat lists foods one by one.

What to look for on the label

Turn the bag over and read two things: the analysis box and the ingredient list. The analysis box (called analytical constituents in the UK and guaranteed analysis in the US) gives the protein, fat and fibre. Compare it with these figures from welfare and vet sources.

Many complete ferret foods on sale show fat around 19 to 21%, above VCA's range, and our ferret diet page shows how other sources put the fat figure higher. Ferrets need plenty of fat for energy, so a food a little over 15% is not a reason to reject it. What matters more is that protein is high and fibre is low.

Then read the ingredients. Named meat, such as chicken, poultry meal or fish, should be near the top. PetMD says a healthy ferret food has no seeds, nuts or dried fruit pieces and no artificial colours or mixed coloured pieces. Supreme Petfoods says to avoid sugary syrups. Those are the ferret version of the bright muesli mixes sold for other small pets: they look fun and suit the owner, not the ferret.

1. Check it says complete, so it is meant to be the whole diet, not a treat or a topper.
2. Check protein is 32 to 40% or a little over.
3. Check fibre is no more than 4%.
4. Check named meat comes first or near the top of the ingredients.
5. Put it back if it has seeds, nuts, dried fruit, coloured pieces or syrup.

Types of ferret food compared

Here is how the main kinds of food stack up for everyday feeding, with what welfare bodies say about each.

How much to feed a ferret a day

UK Pet Food says an adult ferret eats 5 to 7% of its body weight a day, which is about 50 to 75 g for a 1 kg ferret. The real amount depends on the food, the ferret's age, size and activity, and whether it is breeding, so the RSPCA says to follow the feeding guide on the pack for the food you buy.

1. Weigh your ferret, and note it down so you can spot changes.
2. Read the pack guide for that weight and weigh out the day's food each morning. PDSA suggests this to stop ferrets overeating.
3. Put it in a heavy bowl or a food toy and leave it out all day. Ferrets eat little and often, and the RSPCA says food should be available at all times.
4. Check the bowl later in the day. PetMD says to take out any kibble that is wet, soiled or crushed.
5. Keep fresh water there all the time, in a heavy bowl or a bottle, and check it twice a day.

Expect the amount to change through the year. PDSA says ferrets can put on about 40% of their body weight in winter, and that you should not cut their food in autumn. Growing kits, pregnant jills and nursing mothers need more, says UK Pet Food, and older ferrets may need less.

How to switch your ferret to a new food

Ferrets can get fixed on one food. PetMD says they become attached to a particular taste and texture, and that recipes change, so a ferret raised on just one food can refuse a new one. The RSPCA and UK Pet Food both warn that sudden changes can upset a ferret's stomach. So go slowly.

1. Mix a small amount of the new food into the usual food, about a quarter.
2. Over the next few days, raise the share of new food a little at a time.
3. Keep going until it is all new food, usually over one to two weeks.
4. Watch the droppings and appetite. If either changes, slow down.
5. Once switched, keep a second food your ferret knows mixed in. PetMD suggests blending several foods in one container so future changes are easier.

How to store ferret food

No welfare body we read gives storage advice, so this is plain good practice and what the food makers put on their packs. Keep dry food in its bag, rolled shut, or in a clean airtight tub, somewhere cool and dry, out of sunlight and away from damp. Reseal it after every use. Buy a bag size you will finish while it is fresh rather than the biggest one, and finish the old bag before opening the next. Throw out any food that is damp, smells stale or has gone off, and wash the tub before you refill it. If you mix two foods for your ferret, mix only a few days' worth at a time.

Ferret foods we'd look at

Foods ferrets should never eat

VCA says to avoid sweets, dairy, raisins, fruit and vegetables, which can cause diarrhoea and blood sugar swings, and warns that chocolate can be fatal. UK Pet Food lists raisins, avocado and chocolate as poisonous to ferrets, and the RSPCA says to avoid bread and cereals. PDSA adds processed and cured meats such as bacon, sausages and salted meat. Our pages on chocolate, grapes and raisins and bones go into each one, and our ferret care guide covers the rest of looking after a ferret.