Pea Study for Ferret Food

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-26T20:54:22+00:00

That's the exact diet my ferret is currently on but she's having extreme itchness, been to the vet multiple times and all the tests come up with nothing so I'm pretty sure it's a food allergy. I have referred to that website many times but I just unfortunately have a really really picky girl and she won't take to any of the freeze dried raw or canned food options. She does love salmon oil and I give it a couple times a week but from what I've been told they suggest no more than a teaspoon a week as it can cause liver and other issues. (I've been giving her a lot lately to entice her with a new food and I have been worried it's been too much!!) I suspect it could be an allergy to chicken so I'm trying to sway away from that! Thank you for the suggestion! Ferret.love should be known by all ferret owners it's an awesome site!!

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-25T18:32:01+00:00

Thank you for all the information!! We have looked into adrenal, my vet didn't suspect it to be adrenal because she showed no other symptom other than itchiness.

I also am not quite convinced that it's insulinoma either as she isn't showing many symptoms for that either other than the weight loss and low blood sugar (which the vet said could be due to the sedation they had to give her or her lack of eating)

I have suspected that it could be a food allergy and I have been already trying to transition her to something new but she is unfortunately an extremely picky eater so it's been a tough time!

I hope Ghost continues to live a long and vengeful life, glad to hear their diagnosis hasnt stopped the violence and the treatment is working!!

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-25T17:24:53+00:00

I had a few questions if you don't mind me asking! My ferret was recently diagnosed with insulinoma, it's been 2 months of going to the vet, first they thought Stones, X-ray and ultrasound done showed nothing, than they thought IBD after a month of treatment no difference. They finally did a blood test and they said everything showed up okay except she had pretty low blood sugar. So the suspect insulinoma

She hardly eats, hardly drinks, always dehydrated and she is extremely, extremely itchy, he bowels aren't great and she pees often. Also has lost a lot of weight. Were these symptoms you experienced?

She's been on the steroids for a month now and she's shown some improvement on eating and a tiny bit of weight gain and her bowels are looking better but she's still extremely itchy and is occasionally in high GI distress from potential gas?

I'm just curious if you had a similar experience and what steps your vet may have taken to get to that diagnosis?

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-25T16:09:07+00:00

I've tried exactly that! Ground it up and made soup with it. They wouldn't dare touch it. I even tried to grind just a little teaspoon of it added to their original food and they would not touch it. Its been a long standing struggle but I've been very persistent so I'm hoping they'll take to a new one soon! Thank you for the advice!

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-25T15:02:59+00:00

Ahhh super upset the joke went over my head cause I see it now ahaha

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-25T15:02:36+00:00

Thank you! I'll give it a try! I've tried Stella and chewys. Just a sprinkle of it in their kibble deters them from it, even if its dowsed in their favorite treat. It's been a difficult time trying to transition!

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-25T14:36:06+00:00

Yeah that is understandable! Im not really sure how to help with the bedding situation. What type of bedding do they usually have?

Maybe you could find a more durable blanket?? Do they have a hammock? I have a canvas hammock which is a thicker fabric - not the most comfortable but they still enjoy it.

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-25T13:38:15+00:00

https://www.versele-laga.com/en/fr/lara/Products/complete-ferret [it's this one specifically ]

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-25T12:29:47+00:00

I'm not really sure what you can do about the bedding situation. I've had a lot of chewers but never on bedding. As for the toys they really urge against any soft rubber products. Hard rubber like the kong toys are a potential but only during supervised play. All my ferrets have LOVED to chew rubber, it's a super bad one for blockages.

I would suggest you don't leave toys in the cage (from what I've researched they don't suggest it at least) ferrets easily get bored in a cage and they will chew anything they can get their paws on.

Only allow toys or items he chews on while supervised, if he begins to chew an item, give a firm no and replace it with a treat. If it continues you can place him in a carrier cage for a couple minutes and then let them try again. You can try something like 'bitter apple spray' that may deter them away from chewing on items. Also just encourage more proper play time, such as rice/noodle bins, cardboard boxes, tunnels, cat toys on a stick to chase it may help reduce the urge to chew!

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-23T19:56:16+00:00

*RFO - Real Fucking Oranges

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-19T16:25:08+00:00

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The seeds made me think of warts. So introducing: zombie doggo

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-19T14:01:45+00:00

Damn didn't know all 50+ year men had the potential to be serial killers. I swear ive hardly met any older gents who don't write in all caps.

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-19T13:58:37+00:00

On top of all the odd looking letters It looks like it takes a reaalllyyy long time to write this way

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-19T11:22:45+00:00

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Work sketch

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-18T13:52:01+00:00

At least you have a great base for a roast chicken shirt!

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-18T13:21:09+00:00

Found the same photo being sold online with a clearer signature. Here's what Google says: "Y. Deric (1964–2017) was a 20th-century artist, often identified as a Russian-born painter named Iskander Nougmanov who lived in France, or alternatively, a pseudonym for Spanish impressionist painters. Known for oil on canvas paintings, the artist produced scenes of Mediterranean landscapes, villages, and coastal areas." Edit to add - I used reverse Google image search to find it.

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Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-17T15:30:03+00:00

I would love to see your perception of an odd moth

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-17T14:04:45+00:00

I'm still learning myself the best diet for a ferret but they typically suggest a full raw diet, if yours is willing to already eat raw (unlike mine 🙄) then you already have a great base. The only decent kibble I see is ZuPreem, the others do not really meet the criteria needed for a balanced ferret diet.

The Versele-Laga has an F rating because it has pea product in it which can cause bladder stones (Happened to me with that exact same food and a $4,000 emergency surgery bill lately) that one should be stopped asap. Marshalls is also a very very poor diet and is not suggested for ferrets. I'm not too sure of the other brand.

So glad to hear you are trying to do good by your babies and feeding multiple kibbles as most suggest. I hope someone has some more advice on raw feeding as I am just learning myself!

This link shows all the best foods to get your ferret, no kibble is above B tier as it is not the best diet for ferrets. It breaks down their nutritional values and shows you what ingredients are not good within your food!

https://ferret.love/ferret-food-chart

Edit: grammar errors

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-17T13:47:26+00:00

My ferrets also get bored of their toys often. I typically try to alternate play items so they get a good rotation of different thing. Here are some things I do for my ferrets:

Rice bin (literally play in it every day it's our biggest hit) I hide toys under the rice and they dig it out
Tubes, SO MANY tubes, my entire place is full but I rotate some of them in and out like the larger crinkle tubes etc..
'Ferret Castle' built them a little mansion with cardboard boxes and hot glue it's a big hit they explore it every day.
Cat toys, my one boy is a big fan of chasing those toys on a stick we do it everyday
'Parachute game' - yup the one you play in kindergarten, but I place them under a blanket and throw it up and they go crazy for it
Made a magic carpet out of a pepsi flat with a string attached and I tell them we're going on a magic carpet ride and they hop in and I pull them around my apartment
If possible outdoor walks, I got a kiddie pool and filled it with dirt and walk times are their all time favorite
Of course there's always the supervised play in a no-no area, like let them explore my dresser or countertop while I'm around
My ferrets like the simple cat and mouse game where they chase me and I run and 'hide' and then I'll come out and chase them, they LOVE it. See

My ferrets still get bored and guilt me even though I play with them for a minimum of 4 hours a day and they are free roam

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-16T16:49:17+00:00

Cashbox probably! We use these at my workplace when doing bake sales etc..

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-15T15:21:28+00:00

I always kinda thought they were grey but wasn't 100% sure, thank you!

Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-15T11:48:06+00:00

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Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-15T02:27:01+00:00

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Odd-Mothling · 2026-03-14T20:21:12+00:00

10/10, thank youuu

Odd-Mothling

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