3 Ways to Choose Treats for a Ferret (2024)

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Co-authored byRyan Corrigan, LVT, VTS-EVN

Last Updated: March 29, 2019References

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   Read ingredient lists carefully to avoid sugar and carbohydrates. Ferrets shouldn’t eat any sugars, carbohydrates, fruits, or grains like cereal, rice, and corn. These foods can cause intestinal disease, hypoglycemia, and malnutrition in your ferret. Read the ingredient list on any treat you consider and make sure grains and sugars are not listed.

   • Also avoid giving your ferret nuts, dairy, and chocolate.^[1]
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   See Also

   Best Ferret Treats: What Are Good Snacks For Ferrets?

   Look for meat as the primary ingredient. Ferrets should only eat animal protein, both for their main source of nutrition and for any treats. Find treats that are primarily made up of chicken, turkey, duck, or pork. Eggs and fatty acids are also acceptable ingredients in ferret treats.^[2]

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   Purchase freeze-dried meat treats. Search your pet food supply store for freeze-dried muscle or organ meat. These treats don’t need to be specifically for ferrets. They can be for cats or dogs as long as there are no added carbs or sugars. Just break up or cut the treats down to quarter-inch (0.6 cm) pieces that your ferret can safely chew.^[3]

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   Choose hairball-fighting treats to give once a week. Ferrets shouldn’t have a lot of treats in their diet, so it’s helpful to find treats that pull double duty. Look for treats that work to prevent hairballs since hair can build up in their intestinal tracts after a lot of self-grooming.^[4]

   • Most hairball control treats contain large quantities of vegetable fiber to aid digestion and help clear out accumulated hair. Some of these treats also contain petroleum or mineral oils to lubricate the digestive tract, so they should only be given sparingly.
   • Look for vomiting, hair in its stool, or a decreased appetite as signs that your ferret has hairballs. Contact your vet if these symptoms are severe or if hairball treats don't lessen them.
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   Buy treats intended for kittens. If you’re having trouble finding treats for ferrets, you can usually offer your ferret kitten treats. Kittens have dietary needs very similar to those of ferrets, so their treats are a good source of protein. Double check with your veterinarian to be sure the kitten treat you’ve selected is a good treat to give your ferret long-term.^[5]

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   Buy meats like chicken, turkey, or liver. Meat treats don’t have to be intended for ferrets; they can be meats you would eat yourself. Purchase raw chicken, turkey, or duck and cook it at home before serving it to your ferret. Visit a butcher and see if they’ll give you liver and organ meat for free since most people have no interest in it.^[6]

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   Hard boil eggs for your ferret once or twice a week. Eggs are a great treat for your ferret. Just hard boil them and then cut them into bite-sized pieces. You can also scramble them in some olive oil and offer a few small pieces to your ferret. Serve about one quarter to one half of an egg at a time, and limit egg treats to once or twice a week.^[7]

   • Split an egg between two or more ferrets, or finish it off yourself. Since you shouldn't offer eggs more than twice a week, dispose of any extra egg rather than trying to store it in the fridge.
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   Purchase freeze-dried meats intended for humans. Search your grocery store for freeze-dried meats that are for human consumption. These are good treats for your ferret as long as there is no added salt, sugar, or flavoring.^[8]

   • Cured meats that have been salted such as beef, lamb, and deer jerky are not suitable for ferrets.
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   Find pureed meats in the baby food aisle. Offer your ferret a spoonful of pureed meat baby food. Look for pureed chicken or turkey with no added starch. Avoid anything that contains extra sugar, oats, barley, or potatoes.^[9]

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   Cook raw meats to avoid illness. Some people offer raw meats to their ferrets, but doing so increases your ferret’s risk for contracting a foodborne illness. It’s best to boil or bake meats until they’re just a little pink in the middle. To save time, cook a large batch and store it in the freezer, then defrost it in the microwave for two to three minutes before serving.^[10]

   • Avoid deep frying meat unless you can ensure that all additional ingredients are safe for ferrets.
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   Cut treats up into small pieces. Ferrets have short and narrow digestive tracts, sensitive gums, and quick metabolisms, so anything that’s too large or sharp can easily cause damage. Cut your ferret’s treats up into quarter-inch (0.6 cm) pieces, rounding off any sharp edges that you see.^[11]

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   Remove bones that could injure your ferret’s mouth. Cooked bones should never be offered to ferrets, since they can break and cut your ferret’s mouth. Thoroughly debone any meats before offering them to your ferret.

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   Limit treats to 10% of your ferret’s daily caloric intake. Just like people, ferrets love treats, but that doesn’t mean they should have a lot of them. Never allow treats to make up more than 10% of your ferret’s daily caloric intake. As a general rule, limit your ferret to one treat a day.^[12]

   • An adult ferret should eat 1 to 1.5 ounces (30 to 40 grams) of dry ferret food a day, spread out over several meals. Calculate their daily caloric intake by reading the food packaging and multiplying the servings by the calories.^[13]

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