High-Protein Diet for Ferrets

Ferrets have digestive tracts that are too short to digest or even soften vegetable material. Ferrets can get perforated bowels from eating raw vegetables or even hard fruits, such as apples. Therefore, they need a mostly meat diet. EverythingFerret.com defines a high-protein diet as one that includes 34 percent protein.

  1. Misconception

    • Dog and cat foods are not high enough in protein for ferrets. Many commercial brands of dog and cat foods also contain corn, wheat or other ingredients that ferrets cannot digest properly.

    Commercial Food

    • Commercially made dry and wet ferret food should contain between 33 and 38 percent protein. The first ingredients listed should be meat, not sugars or starches.

    Alternatives

    • Good sources of meat for a high-protein diet include baked or boiled chicken, chicken hearts, cooked chicken livers, boiled eggs and frozen feeder mice. Cooked fish also works, but "Ferrets For Dummies" notes that many ferrets do not like the taste.

    Time Frame

    • Because ferrets have such high metabolisms, they need to eat small meals frequently, sometimes as often as every three hours.

    Age

    • EverythingFerret.com notes that older ferrets have slower metabolisms and often have kidney problems. Ferrets age 4 years or older need diets that are 30 percent protein, which eases stress on the kidneys.