Can Ferrets Eat Honey?5 min read

Ferrets are playful creatures and always curious to try new foods. And while your furry friend may be curious about honey, they are not recommended to consume honey. Ferrets have a sweet tooth and will often try to eat anything with sugar like honey. Still, the sugary nature of the food can lead to severe complications and other health concerns.

It is recommended that ferrets avoid this product as it can cause them harm in the long run if they overeat.

So, the answer to the question, Can Ferrets Eat Honey, is NO. Do not let your ferret have honey!

Why Is Honey Bad for Your Ferret?

Honey contains a large amount of sugar. And sugar is known to be a significant cause of health problems for ferrets.

But why is honey bad for ferrets?

Sugar is a carbohydrate, which means that it will stimulate the production of glucose. And any time the body has a lot of glucose circulating around it, it can cause health problems. Glucose is a substance that ferrets do not make very well, and they are susceptible to excess amounts.

They could suffer from diabetes, and a condition called Insulinoma. That is a pancreatic tumor that produces too much glucose and can cause serious health problems. In most cases, it is fatal!

read.. why Twizzlers are bad for Ferrets!

And another condition caused by the overproduction of glucose in the body is hyperglycemia. When blood sugar levels are high, the body’s cells are flooded with too much sugar. Resulting in weight loss, tremors, collapse, abnormal behavior, depression, lethargy, and confusion.

These types of diseases are severe for ferrets. Don’t put your furry friend at additional risk. Do not feed honey or any other sugary foods to your ferret!

What should Ferrets eat?

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Ferrets are strict meat-eaters. That means their diet should consist of a variety of meats. They need to have foods high in protein and fat because their body is constructed to thrive on animal-based foods.

They should not be fed with other types of food, as they can do trouble to their digestive system. Ferrets do not digest plant material well at all. In fact, the fiber in plants is hard for them to digest.

Raw Diet

The raw diet is probably the most natural way for ferrets to eat. In the wild, they would hunt and kill animals, so feeding them with various raw meats will provide them with a better diet. Raw meat such as chicken, lamb, rabbit, turkey, beef hearts, and liver are the best types of raw food for ferrets to eat.

Ideally, you could add in whole prey every once in a while. Feeder mice are available at many pet stores. They are already dead and could easily be stored in the fridge.

If you are not comfortable with dead, frozen mice (!) stored in your fridge/freezer, try the Frankenprey Diet. Basically, raw meaty bones, muscles, and organs are what make up this diet. It is designed to mimic the whole prey diet model.

Various parts of animals such as chicken legs, liver, bones, and so on are put into a diet plan.

As a guideline, a Frankenprey diet for ferrets should consist of:

• 80% – raw meat
• 10% – edible bone
• 10 % – organs

Read more here: https://holisticferretforum.com/natural-diet/raw-diet-the-meat-of-the-site/basic-frankenprey-menu/

Boiled or raw eggs can be another type of raw food that ferrets love to eat. The raw diet gives ferrets plenty of nutritional benefits. But obviously, not everybody can prepare some fresh meat for every meal.

This leads me to the following popular ferret food, kibble.

Dry Food or Kibble

Kibble is a dry food that is easy to store and easy to prepare. It can also provide your ferret with the ultimate convenience by being able to be fed from a bowl or bag. For owners responsible for their ferrets at home, kibble is convenient both in storage and cooking requirements.

The use of dry food is favored by many ferret owners because it requires less preparation and clean-up.

Kibble can vary in calories and protein depending on the type of kibble used. Make sure to check the ingredients list. As the main ingredient, you want to see chicken, turkey, rabbit, or beef.

Try to avoid kibble, which main ingredients are consisting of byproducts. Also, look at the amount of fiber – It should be reasonably low. Up to 3-5% is acceptable; anything above I would deem of lesser quality.

To spice things up for your furry friend, add some pieces of raw meat to the kibble.

Summary

Ferrets should not eat honey as it can cause significant health complications. Fruits and vegetables are not recommended. Ferrets must eat a diet consisting of raw meat, bones, and kibble. Pay attention to the amount of fiber that is expressed in kibble.

At most, It should be 3-5%. If your ferret is eating kibble that contains too much fiber, it can lead to digestive problems and constipation. Add in other raw meats such as chicken legs, liver, and chicken wings.