Can you give your ferret cooked chicken?
Chicken is a good source of healthy protein. Many people who are conscious of their diet would prefer chicken compared to pork. There are also many ways to cook and prepare chicken depending on the culture or geography. One can always go for all-time favorite fried chicken or the Asian chicken curry.
Aside from being a usual food that many people eat, some are also feeding chicken to their pets. This is usually the case for carnivorous pets.
Can I Feed My Ferret Cooked Chicken?
Yes, but not pre-cooked cold chicken.
Ferrets are obligate carnivorous, which means they only eat meat. Their diet requires mostly protein and fat. Feeding them any kind of meat, as an addition to ferret pellets, is also healthy for them. Cooked chicken is even better, as some ferrets are used to consuming cooked meat only. If you want to introduce new food to your ferret, you should start early on.
Cooked chicken is the most common food ferrets eat, aside from the food pellets. Many ferret owners prepare cooked chicken as homemade ferret food when food pellets are not available. This also serves as supplement to their daily diet.
You can feed your pet any part of the chicken. Just make sure that you removed the bones prior to feeding them so they won’t splinter. You can also cut them into bits, especially if your ferret is not used to eating the big parts of meat.
The easiest way to prepare cooked chicken for your ferret is to boil them. Most ferret owners give away plain cooked chicken to their pets. If you want an elaborate way of cooking the chicken, you can blend in diced and boiled chicken into kibble, Nupro, and FerreTone. You can also add water to prevent the mixture to be clumpy. Just add more water to create a soupy texture. Other owners also make a special chicken soup for their sick ferrets or as part of their daily diet.
In preparing food for your ferret, you can always experiment on the kind of food your pet likes. Make sure that you consider the healthy diet of a ferret and also his personal preference. Remember not to add salt, peanut butter or even vegetables to the chicken when you cook. Ferrets are sensitive with the food they eat and such foods are not really included in their diet. Ferrets don’t have the capacity to digest fiber, as well.
Pre-cooked cold chicken is not good for ferrets. This is processed and contains high amount of salt and other seasoning. Ensure that you only use fresh chicken meat. All kinds of processed meat should be avoided as these are not healthy for your pet.
Although feeding cooked chicken to your ferret is okay, always create variety. Don’t feed your chicken for every meal. This is not only prevents dull eating, but will also incorporate good nutrition for your pet. This also ensures that he has a balanced diet, just like what you should have yourself. Keeping his diet healthy will ensure he’s far from being sick. As they all say, prevention is better than cure.
Although giving treats to your ferret is not an essential part of his diet, most of them enjoy receiving yummy treats every once in a while. Cooked chicken can also be a great treat and reward for your pet. This can be helpful especially if you are teaching your ferret new tricks and incorporating good behavior. You can also utilize other kinds of meat and other ferret treats for reward purposes.
Keep in mind that your ferret should eat around eight small meals in day. They have fast metabolism so it is important to feed them frequently. Don’t make him eat too much chicken in one meal. Just feed him enough food until his next meal. When you cook chicken, you can always set aside extra for the next meal. Just don’t feed him cold food and heat it beforehand because most ferrets dislike cold meals.
Checking the labels, ingredients, and the nutritional content of the food that you are feeding to your ferret is always the general rule. Be a responsible ferret owner. Make sure that you only feed your ferret the right kind of food. Aside from that, prepare the meals properly and vary them regularly to promote good nutrition. Don’t forget vitamin supplements that the veterinarian recommended for your pet. Lastly, make your ferrets health and nutrition a top priority.