Can I Give My Ferret Baby Food?

It is a big concern for any ferret owner to know which food is best to feed its pet as well as what food to avoid. With its strict diet requirements and the need to be frequently fed every 3 to 4 hours, feeding a ferret can be a daunting task at first.

But what a ferret eats will determine its health and overall well-being that is why it is important to be properly informed. You need to be educated on what makes up a healthy diet for a ferret. A ferret needs to be fed largely with meat. Raw meat from lamb, chicken, beef and rabbit are recommended and with very little to absolutely no vegetables, grains, fiber and fruits. A carnivore by nature, a ferret has a hard time digesting these food items.

Extra care and due diligence is needed in feeding a ferret because it can spell the difference between its life and death. Improper nutrition is the cause why a ferret gets sick very easily and very frequently.

Can I Give My Ferret Baby Food?
Yes, but not baby food alone

Baby food is characterized by its soft and easy to digest mixture. It is easily available and can be easy to prepare at home.

Since it is safe enough to be taken by babies, it can also be safe enough for animals too right? And yes, baby food has become a popular food alternative for some animals and this includes ferret.

But before you go panic buying for baby food for your ferret; be mindful of the kind of baby food you get. There are plenty of varieties available for baby food: fruit and vegetable and meat-based. Again be wary of incorporating anything with fruits and vegetables to a ferret’s diet.

A ferret is an obligate carnivore and cannot tolerate fruits and vegetables baby food which has high sugar contents. Before diving right in and buying all flavors of baby food, exercise caution and check labels very well.

You can take your pick though on plenty of other meat-based baby food that contains chicken, turkey and veal. Baby food cannot be the only thing you feed a ferret. While it is healthy enough, a ferret needs more of its raw meat requirement. A baby food can serve best when a ferret is not feeling well and is not up to eating its typical diet.

Baby food can be very convenient especially when a ferret is sick. With no appetite for its usual food, you can start feeding a sick ferret with soft food like baby food. It is a decent temporary replacement for the usual ferret diet and it easily provides the adequate nutrition it needs while a ferret is sick. It is also usually prescribed by veterinarians though it is still best to consult a veterinarian to really know what may be best for your ferret. But overall, it is a cheap, safe and convenient alternative.

It can be difficult to feed a sick ferret. But you need to find clever ways for it take some food to replace what has been lost because of the illness. Warming the baby food is recommended as well as hand feeding a ferret or if it is necessary, force feed it but still always with care. Moments like this require the ferret owner to be very patient because depending on its illness, it may take weeks before a ferret recovers and may be able to feed itself again.

Feeding a ferret some diet appropriate baby food is also a great way for it to gain back its appetite. It may like the soft texture of the food too much though that it may be difficult to revert back to its typical diet. One thing you can do is to gradually go through this phase by grinding and softening its food and progressively feeding the chunks of raw meat that it usually eats.

Baby food is also highly recommended to feed a ferret who just gave birth. Most ferret owners feed mother ferrets with chicken baby food after it gives birth. A baby ferret or ferret kits may supplement the milk that it takes from its mom with some baby food. Nursing a baby ferret can deplete energy and a mother ferret can replenish this easily by incorporating in its diet some baby food.

As a ferret owner, you may get too worried when your pet is sick. Having the alternative of feeding a sick ferret with easily available baby food is truly helpful by taking some worry away and can give you some much needed peace of mind.