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There is a long list of foods that ferrets should never eat, including dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Ferrets are carnivorous animals that love to eat their protein in the form of meat. But not all meat protein is created equal, and ferrets shouldn’t enjoy a free-for-all buffet when it comes to highly processed options like deli meat. Your veterinarian can help you design a high-quality diet that your ferret will thrive on.
But if you’re like most ferret owners, you become tempted to share your own snacks with your ferret when you’re hanging out at home. So, you may be wondering whether your pet can eat ham, after all it is meat. Well, sorry to break it but the answer to this question is No, ferrets should not eat ham. Keep reading, and we will explain to you why.
Is Ham Healthy for Ferrets?
While it’s true that ham is a source of animal protein and fat, even “high-quality” ham is generally not ideal for ferrets due to the way ham is prepared. Ham, whether fresh or processed, is typically salt-cured or smoked, and often contains added sugars, nitrates, or preservatives, which are inappropriate for ferrets and may overload their kidneys or liver with sodium and minerals they aren’t built to process.
Offering ham—even minimally processed—poses unnecessary risks, and as a loving ferret parent it’s best to choose safer and less processed protein sources for your ferret.
What Are Better Alternatives to Ham?
Nowadays, there are tons of commercial ferret foods on the market that are designed to meet all their nutritional needs. But it feels good to feed our pet ferrets “real” food that we prepare ourselves, at least occasionally. We’re betting that you feel the same way! Ferrets can and should eat all kinds of things, such as turkey necks, chicken wings, game birds, and even rabbits. Your ferret pet can even eat high-quality cat food in situations where a species-appropriate ferret diet isn’t available, if necessary! Here are fun feeding ideas to consider:
- Chop Suey. Grind a few different kinds of meat up, and slightly sauté it before serving it with some of your ferret’s dry food. Just be sure to avoid oil, seasoning, garlic, or onion.
- A Gamey Treat. Put a game bird or two in a slow cooker along with water and maybe a little chicken broth. Once the meat starts falling off the bone, shred all the meat up and put it in the fridge until it cools down. Use the shreds as training treats or to supplement a homemade meal.
- A Whole Prey Meal. Go ahead and give your ferret pre-killed, frozen, and thawed whole prey for mealtime. There are many reported benefits of doing so.
If you want to feed your ferret an entirely homemade diet, work with your veterinarian to figure out what and how much you should be offering at mealtime.
Final Thoughts
Ferrets are fun and friendly companion animals that will happily share an apartment or house with you. They enjoy spending time outdoors and are always up for a game of some kind. They also love to eat! While tempting, you should not be feeding ham to your ferret. Although it is meat, it’s also full of salts and sugars that are far from ideal for them. Feeding your pet ferret a whole food diet is optimal and feeding them a high protein low carb cat food diet is acceptable when ferret-specific food is not available, there are many feeding options in between to consider feeding your ferret.
Try a few different kinds of feeding options at snack and mealtime to figure out what your ferret likes best. If you’re in doubt, make a call to your veterinarian. Do you have any snack or meal ideas and tips for other ferret owners? Share your thoughts, ideas, and opinions in the comments sections below. We can’t wait to read them!
Featured Image Credit: CC0 Public Domain, pxhere
