Kibble

[naturefreak]

So, I know raw is the way to go with ferrets but if a kibble has to be fed, what are some acceptable kibbles? I don't actually own a ferret or plan to for a while, I just like to be informed. I personally would feed raw if I ever get one but out of curiosity, what is good? Also in these grain free kibbles, are the fruits and vegetables good or bad? I've seen some grain free cat food that had plums, I can't really see a cat or ferret ever eating a plum given the chance and don't really understand what the benefit would be added to the kibble.

Thanks.

[taratee]

i think theres a totally ferret and an ferret evo, but theyre both pretty costly feeding ferrets a "good" kibble that is cheap i was not able to do there are a few charts online that show you the best kibbles and one or two bad kibbles that are fed alot shows you their ingredients. when i was looking it up i saw that if the first five ingredients were meat or meat byproducts you were halfway through the battle, and you never wanted any of the first three ingredients to be carbs like rice or corn. also there is a specific protein percentage and fat percentage, its quite a bit more complicated then feeding raw...

[bluemoose]

No, fruits and vegetables serve no purpose in kibble for obligate carnivores like cats and ferrets. For some reason though people have a hard time believing that these animals don't need fruits and veggies like we do and so they like to see them in the ingredients.

Here's a chart that's easy to read:
www.ferretuniverse.com/care/food.asp

[taratee]

thank you blue moose THATS THE CHART!

[bibliophiliac]

Wow, that chart is so helpful! But oh my, Wysong you barely get a pound for about $30!!! The way my guys eat, I'd be spending around $210 every few months for their kibble...Pretty sure it'd be much much cheaper to go raw lol

[sherrylynne]

While freeze dried is expensive- don't forget it IS dried. Rehydrated it is far more cost effective. Right now, I can't remember what the ratio is.

[sherrylynne]

And if you are interested, here is a really comprehensive one:
moredooks.herobo.com/search.php?chart=ferret

[Jackie]

Sherry, that chart is SO nice. I think it's much better than the other one.

[taratee]

thats the OTHER C HART I LOOKED AT ty sherry ^_^

[rahrah]

My boys used to be on the Evo kibble...
They seemed to like it. And it was pretty good.
It was kind of nice because I work at a petshop and could get at cost
But yeah, its expensive for the most part

[keawearascal]

I use Zupreem Grain-free for my picky 7 year old girl. I dont trust EVO becuase they were sold to Proctor and Gamble. I also supplement with canned all-meat cat food. She loves Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit the best, but I prefer to give her and my cats By Nature Organics, same food my puppy eats exclusively. She was onthe good 8-in-1, forget what it was called, but it was the best one they make. I switched her less than a year ago and the difference is UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE. Her coat, which was always i layered, thin, and grey, became thick as heck, even the TAIL She gained weight, got more energy, its just incredible. I would prefer to feed raw, but she just won't do it . I MAY try again now that she'll eat canned cat food though, and I always have organic grass fed beef around for the puppy. Keep ya fingers crossed for me!

[sherrylynne]

keawearascal, if I could switch Boris, you can switch your old girl ! It just takes time, patience, and dedication It took Boris 6 weeks of me doing a "scruff and stuff" before he would even admit raw pureed soups weren't actually poisonous to him Then, it seemed like he went overnight to chunks

[miamiferret2]

The freeze dried raw (I use wysong and Stella and chewies) is expensive but they eat a lot less of it than you think. If you do freeze dried once a day you will see the difference. Orijen grain free dry cat food is good. Actually, I like orijen (go on their website and read their "white paper"). I also like petcurean go! (Grain free). Also serengheti cat from timberwolf organics. As for EVO, I can't knock it. It is still good stuff. They did sell out to evil procter and gamble. However, supposedly, the food is going to continue to be made in the same plant and run by the same people. Just watch the ingredients on that one. If you are going to feed kibble, always mix 2 or 3 good grain free brands in case they stop making one or change a formula on you. Wellness core grain free cat food is comparable to evo but more fishy. I don't like zupreem grain free because the 2nd ingredient is sweet potatoes. These foods are more expensive. But you will notice that your ferrets will eat less (and poop less) with the freeze fried and the better quality kibble. They get what they need with less. So I think that the price is worth it.