Ferret Nutrition, an Overview in Eight Parts (Part VII)

The general rule for feeding ferrets - whatever you feed - is to feed them as much as they want.

If you're feeding kibble, have plenty of fresh water available. Kibble is much dryer than raw food, so the ferret needs to drink a lot of water. I like to offer water in a dish
and in a water bottle. They drink more out of the dish, but since ferrets often enjoy "snorkeling" in their water dish, having the bottle available is a good idea.

For kibble, choose a high-quality food (preferably grain-free, made with high quality protein sources) and keep a dish available all the time. You'll need to empty out the crumbs every so often, but most kibble is fine if you just "top it off" every day. I usually empty the dishes and scrub them out once a week.

Baby ferrets need huge amounts of food. When they were born, they were only about ½" thick and 2" long. They double in size each week for the first few weeks, and don't slow down much until they're 3 or 4 months old. When you get an 8-week old baby ferret, it is still growing like crazy. Poor nutrition at this point can set the stage for many health problems later. Buy the absolute best food you can find and keep food and fresh water available at all times. It is penny-wise and pound-foolish to scrimp on food (i.e., you will spend a lot more in vet bills later if you buy cheap food now).

Also, a hungry baby ferret will try to eat anything, including you. The worst biters I have ever seen were starving baby ferrets. If your baby is excessively nippy, make sure the food is high-quality and they are able to eat it. Most pet stores are savvy enough to know to feed moistened food to baby ferrets (dry food too soon can cause a prolapsed rectum), and sometimes you need to continue that after you bring them home. I recommend moistened food (you will need to keep it LOOSE in the dish so they can eat it) until about 10 weeks, then offer both wet and dry food until they refuse to eat the wet.

Next: How Much to Feed&mash;Raw/whole prey