# Can rats have ferret food?



## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

Just been given a unopened bag of ferret food by my dad apparantly the lad who he works with his girlfriends ferret had died yesterday and shed only just bought it.

Its 39& protien...

It would be okay to just give them handfuls of it every now and then wouldnt it?

Been googling it for the past hour and not found anything on it really....


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

thats pretty high protein wise for rats tbh , the recommended percentage is like 14%


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

ami_j said:


> thats pretty high protein wise for rats tbh , the recommended percentage is like 14%


I know its pretty high but i wasnt thinking of giving them a huge dog bowl a day to them but maybe one of the muller rice mini pots full every week or 2, Perhaps even has just a treat every now and then.


:Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> I know its pretty high but i wasnt thinking of giving them a huge dog bowl a day to them but maybe one of the muller rice mini pots full every week or 2, Perhaps even has just a treat every now and then.
> 
> 
> :Na_Na_Na_Na:


well its up to you isnt it lol , i know I wouldnt but if you choose to do so thats your choice


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## Nebbz (Jan 27, 2008)

think what the rats in the wild can live off.......some have even lived off wax....... once or twice a week wont kill them! have it as a treat!


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Nebbz said:


> think what the rats in the wild can live off.......some have even lived off wax....... once or twice a week wont kill them! have it as a treat!


so just because rats will eat anything in the wild you would advocate giving something that would likely cause kidney damage?


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

Its okay they are all tucking in to some kale, black berries and blue berries instead.

Theres a ferret rescue down then road


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> Its okay they are all tucking in to some kale, black berries and blue berries instead.
> 
> Theres a ferret rescue down then road


i would of used it as leverage to get a pair of ferrets of my own :lol2:
will have to get some berries for mine to try (and squabble over):lol2:


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

ami_j said:


> i would of used it as leverage to get a pair of ferrets of my own :lol2:
> will have to get some berries for mine to try (and squabble over):lol2:


 
My rats love them, although they do have a tendancy to nip my fingers when they get too excited about them.

as for getting my own ferrets i wouldnt be saying that on this forum ill get branded a hoarding and neglectful :lol2:

Cant says i didnt think about it tho but ive been reading too much conflicting information on the internet, Get Hobs, Get Gills, Gets babies so you can bring them up, Get adults because they have been taught not to nip and some can be "Face Friendly".

From what i can figure out is that ive be safer getting 2 castrated hobs instead of jills because of the whole needing to be brought out of season thing ( or getting them spayed ) but im thinking of possibly getting a baby hob bonding with it, then getting another one to add in with him and getting them both castrated at 6 month old which ive read is the norm age from various website but it tends to differ from website to website.


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> My rats love them, although they do have a tendancy to nip my fingers when they get too excited about them.
> 
> as for getting my own ferrets i wouldnt be saying that on this forum ill get branded a hoarding and neglectful :lol2:
> 
> ...


talk to the rescue, theres different opinions on everything so if the ferrets there look good happy and healthy, if its notthe same as what other people have , it doesnt matter if it works 
i dont know if you ever have baby rats , it might be ok for growing babies who need alot of protein but still might be a tad high. 
i might pass the small berrys and get bigger ones then , indy already loves to hang off my finger :lol2:


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

ami_j said:


> talk to the rescue, theres different opinions on everything so if the ferrets there look good happy and healthy, if its notthe same as what other people have , it doesnt matter if it works
> i dont know if you ever have baby rats , it might be ok for growing babies who need alot of protein but still might be a tad high.
> i might pass the small berrys and get bigger ones then , indy already loves to hang off my finger :lol2:


ITs funny not one of the rat si have left now will bite me unless ive got berries on my hand then they get a little too excited.

Most of my rats are too old to be breeding now, my older ones seem to drop wieght then pile it back on again and loose it ( not major amounts, but i still notice it ) Although im doing good my boys have stayed quite plump this past month ( maybe even a tad over wieght ) may us a bit of the ferret food on my girlies tho jus tot fatten them up a little more but go steady with it.

I dont breed ive only ever had 1 litter and that wasnt planned, i dont have 2 masked girls tho that i bought to put with a bareback male i have but still unsure whether i want to or not, Its all under the guidance of a more than experienced rat breeder and im always grateful for her help and guidance too.

Ive text her about the ferret food and rats but she hasnt got back to as of yet, i text her before i put it on this forum to see what she says but she hasnt replied yet so i thought i might aswel seewhat the response is on here althought i didnt really want to put it on here anyway but was too curious as to wether it sokay to give them or not.


Bit random but noticed your location is set to Sheffield, i drove straight through sheffield transporting 2 dogs to a half way meeting point to go to a rescue its the furthest ive ever been in my car lol ( Cant rememeber what the place was called tho lol )


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> ITs funny not one of the rat si have left now will bite me unless ive got berries on my hand then they get a little too excited.
> 
> Most of my rats are too old to be breeding now, my older ones seem to drop wieght then pile it back on again and loose it ( not major amounts, but i still notice it ) Although im doing good my boys have stayed quite plump this past month ( maybe even a tad over wieght ) may us a bit of the ferret food on my girlies tho jus tot fatten them up a little more but go steady with it.
> 
> ...


for weight gain pasta is a good one  the odd pellet of it shouldnt hurt , but with your rats being older id be careful , such delicate things they are 

lol indy hasnt drawn blood to date (touch wood) but she always wants to check if my finger is food

ahhh was it rain rescue? doris banham?


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

ami_j said:


> for weight gain pasta is a good one  the odd pellet of it shouldnt hurt , but with your rats being older id be careful , such delicate things they are
> 
> lol indy hasnt drawn blood to date (touch wood) but she always wants to check if my finger is food
> 
> ahhh was it rain rescue? doris banham?


 
Niether of them too i dont think, i know the woman who sorts it all out ( like a middle man sort of thing ) goes by Precious Poundies, I have dealt with Doris Banham tho before.

they arent really old and decrepted pushing 2 maybe? call them oldies by they are my oldest rats to date.


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> Niether of them too i dont think, i know the woman who sorts it all out ( like a middle man sort of thing ) goes by Precious Poundies, I have dealt with Doris Banham tho before.
> 
> they arent really old and decrepted pushing 2 maybe? call them oldies by they are my oldest rats to date.


pushing two is a good age they normally only make 2-3


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

ami_j said:


> pushing two is a good age they normally only make 2-3


 
When i first started with rats they came from pet shops and only ever lived to be a year or just older then we got the internet and i found breeders  although they are living as long as i would like ( which i suppose a lot of people think the same anywya ) its still longer than what these horribly bred pet shop ones are.


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> When i first started with rats they came from pet shops and only ever lived to be a year or just older then we got the internet and i found breeders  although they are living as long as i would like ( which i suppose a lot of people think the same anywya ) its still longer than what these horribly bred pet shop ones are.


aye , the lifespan is getting there, better longevity which can only be a good thing


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## Mischievous_Mark (Mar 16, 2008)

ami_j said:


> aye , the lifespan is getting there, better longevity which can only be a good thing


 
haha yes 40-50 years will be good enough for me


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> haha yes 40-50 years will be good enough for me


haha i think i would go grey quick :lol2:


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## BISH9098 (Apr 16, 2010)

Mischievous_Mark said:


> My rats love them, although they do have a tendancy to nip my fingers when they get too excited about them.
> 
> as for getting my own ferrets i wouldnt be saying that on this forum ill get branded a hoarding and neglectful :lol2:
> 
> ...


 The whole nipping thing really isnt that bad, no worse than a kitten or puppy I reckon! 2 hobs may fight If your willing to spend the money on getting 2 hobs castrated then I would advise getting 2 gills and get them spayed instead. Go on get some you know it makes sense :lol2:


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## MistressSadako (Jan 17, 2009)

I wouldn't give something that high in protein to any of my rats, let alone older rats who will have decreased kidney function anyway. If you want to fatten them up then give them healthy high CALORIE food, not high protein. Things like avocado, cooked rice (better on the kidneys than pasta) with some salmon oil or coconut milk, which can also be mixed into scrambled egg (a more easily digestible form of protein) or something like Nutrical which is full of calories but also vitamins and minerals. Naturediet senior/lite is also very nommy and only has about 8% protein:2thumb:


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Ours get a few pieces over their veggies every now and again, never done them any harm it seems!



Mischievous_Mark said:


> My rats love them, although they do have a tendancy to nip my fingers when they get too excited about them.
> 
> as for getting my own ferrets i wouldnt be saying that on this forum ill get branded a hoarding and neglectful :lol2:
> 
> ...


For first ferrets it's best to get 2 neutered hobs at the same time around 9-24 months old IMO, for various reasons, not just the nipping. The whole bonding thing isn't really true, Ferrets will bond easily to their owner whether they're alone or in a massive business. Much happier and healthier together and again, it won't put a stop to them bonding to you. I would be very weary about any rescue or breeder that will sell/rehome a lone ferret...



BISH9098 said:


> The whole nipping thing really isnt that bad, no worse than a kitten or puppy I reckon! 2 hobs may fight If your willing to spend the money on getting 2 hobs castrated then I would advise getting 2 gills and get them spayed instead. Go on get some you know it makes sense :lol2:


This! Except I prefer hobs. :whistling2::lol2:


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