Ferret Treats
The Value Of Ferret Treats
There's much more to ferret treats than just giving a pet ferret a little something extra from time to time for being a good ferret. It's always a nice feeling to give a pet a treat, whether it’s a ferret, a dog, or a horse. The pet is almost always appreciative and almost always will be looking for more. Sometimes, if we're not careful, we begin to give our pets more and more treats. They become happier, fatter, and often sick, especially if the treats, while tasty, are not particularly healthy.
Treats Have Several Benefits - Treats should never be considered as a regular part of a ferret's diet, but as a supplement, something to be given occasionally, at special times, or as a training aid. As a general rule of thumb, ferret treats shouldn't make up more than about 10% of the pet's diet, as a maximum. Keeping this number in mind will help keep your pet ferret disease free and at a good weight. Feeding pet cats and dogs table scraps and other goodies they enjoy can bring about kidney problems among other things, which can affect the pet's quality of life, and at times even prove fatal. Ferrets are no exception.
The ferrets we have as pets have been completely domesticated for centuries, and have learned to eat a variety of foods in the process. Wild ferrets on the other hand, the Black-Footed ferret being an example, usually rely on a single source for food, which at times can make survival an issue, when that source runs low. Domestic ferrets don't usually have that problem, but if raised on a single food item, will tend to eat that food and nothing else. This can cause problems if your supply of regular ferret food suddenly runs out and cannot be quickly replenished. The ferret may simply refuse to eat, and small animals that refuse to eat can quickly become ill.
A very good reason for having ferret treats is it gets the pet ferret into the habit of eating and enjoying, a variety of different foods. If you suddenly find your container of commercial ferret pellets empty on a Sunday morning, you can rely on a handful of Cheerios, a teaspoon of ground hamburger meat, kitten food, or the contents of a jar of baby food, pureed turkey for example, to tide your pet over. Ferret treats aren't only rewards, but serve a very practical and useful purpose in this regard.
It's Mostly Protein And Fat - Ferret treats don't have to correspond exactly to regular ferret food as far as the balance of nutrients contained is concerned. After all, the treats are not a regular diet, and don't have to be as nutritious as regular ferret food. Ferret treats should not contain anything harmful of course. Sugar is a definite no-no, and too much fiber isn't good for the ferret either. A ferret's diet consists of mostly animal protein. The ferret is a carnivore, a meat eater, and in normal circumstances that is all it will eat. We can feed a ferret supplements, such as Ferretone, which is good for it, but basic ferret food consists primarily of protein and fat. Ferretone provides the ferret with omega fatty acids and is a widely used supplement. It also apparently tastes good, as it is often sprinkled on food to entice a ferret to eat something it hasn't tried before.
What Kind Of Treats? - Some fruits and vegetables, in small amounts can be used as treats, though a ferret will not eat vegetation naturally, as it is somewhat hard for it to digest. If you do feed a ferret fruits or vegetables, carrots and bananas are the best choice. By all means avoid anything from the onion family. Assuming a ferret would eat from an onion, it would be very harmful. Even small pieces of onion contained in a mixture of food items could make a ferret a very sick animal. Stick to turkey, chicken, ground meat, carrots, and a bit of banana on occasion and you won't go wrong.
Check Your Cushions - When you do give a ferret a treat, don't give it too much at once, and watch the ferret as it eats the treat. Ferrets like to hide things, and that will include food. The ferret may decide to store part of a treat for later consumption, and there is then the possibility that you could one day find a few days supply of ferret treats under a sofa cushion.