Grains and starches are common in kibbles due to how they are made and can increase the risk of developing a serious pancreatic cancer called insulinoma.
Insulinoma causes abnormal increases in blood insulin, leading to dangerously low blood sugar, which leads to nausea, lethargy, and life-threatening seizures.
At the GCFA we feed our "Low Carb Mix" which is a mixture of 4 different foods:
- Ziwipeak chicken (air-dried raw for cats)
- Instinct Ultimate Protein duck (cat kibble)
- Oxbow Ferret Essentials (ferret kibble)
- Wysong Epigen 90 with Digestive Support (ferret kibble)
All of these foods can be found on Chewy.com. Additionally you can find most of them in retail stores:
- Ziwipeak - specialty stores like Kriser's, Bentley's Pet Stuff
- Instinct - Petco, Petsmart
- Oxbow - Petco, Petsmart
- Wysong - online only
If cost is an issue, you can remove the Ziwipeak, or even feed just a single food on this list. If you need to pick one, we recommend Oxbow. This will still be a much healthier option than low-quality kibbles.
Foods to Avoid
Most ferret foods are loaded with grains and starches. These are cheap but will be detrimental to your ferrets' long term health.
- Marshall
- Zupreem
- Kaytee
- Wild Harvest
- Higgins inTune
- Sunseed "Vita Prima"
Also be sure to avoid any foods that contain peas, as these can cause bladder stones in ferrets.