Can Ferrets Eat Ham?

Ham is an extremely popular meat and a dietary staple of many meat lover in the world. This meat is an excellent source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc, and amino acids. With all of the health benefits that come from eating ham, you may be wondering: Can ferrets eat ham?

Due to a ferret’s fine-tuned digestive system, you can feed your ferret ham occasionally. Giving your ferret small bits of ham every once in a while is a nice treat, but low-quality ham can cause a lot more harm than good.

What Do Ferrets Eat In The Wild?

When deciding what’s best for your ferret in terms of diet, it helps to know what ferrets naturally eat in the wild. Over many thousands of years, the digestive system of ferrets has been fine-tuned to efficiently and effectively process the food that they commonly eat.

This characteristic means that it’s very important that you match your ferret’s diet to the diet that they naturally eat in the wild.

Ferrets are obligate carnivores, which means that they need to eat meat in order to get essential nutrients that they need to live. Unlike standard carnivores that eat primarily meat but can also eat plant matter, ferrets get by on only eating meat. Ferrets can technically eat plant matter, but their bodies can’t digest nor process the plants, causing complications.

When in the wild, ferrets eat basically anything that they can catch. This results in them eating a wide variety of different animals, such as rabbits, rats, birds, and even snakes. If a dead pig were to be presented to a business of ferrets, there’s a very good chance that they would also eat it.

Why Is Ham Not The Best For Ferrets?

Ham is a cut of meat off of a pig, specifically their back legs or hocks. When looking at ham objectively, it is technically fine for ferrets to eat as it is animal flesh that’s full of protein. However, it’s what’s done with the ham that makes it unsafe.

The most common form of ham that people have in their house is deli meat ham — ham that has been sliced, processed, preserved, and packaged for later consumption. It’s this process of adding ingredients to the ham that makes it dangerous for ferrets to eat.

In the wild, ferrets eat raw meat straight from the source of their prey. There is no processing of the meat, no additives, and no sitting around. Therefore, their digestive systems are not made to digest and process meat that has been processed itself.

Consuming processed ham, or ham with any type of additive, could cause intestinal distress, blockage, and other health issues. However, not all ham has these characteristics… So what about those other types?

When Is It Okay To Feed A Ferret Ham?

There is a scenario where it’s entirely okay to feed your ferret ham. You need to make sure that you follow these simple guidelines, though, as slight deviation could result in some health issues with your ferret.

• The ham should be high-quality – If you’re feeding your ferret ham, it needs to be extremely good quality. Deli meat is absolutely out of the question, but fresh, raw ham is acceptable. This ham should come from a reputable source that never adds preservatives to their product and has very strict guidelines and standards for their meat. Some countries have much higher meat standards than others, so it helps to do a bit of research on your area and supplier.
• Ham should be fed as a snack – Raw ham should never be a staple of your ferret’s diet. It has been noted by quite a few owners and researchers that pork is relatively difficult for ferrets to process and digest. However, once a week or so, a small piece of quality ham can be given as a treat.

What Meat Should I Feed My Ferret Instead?

High-quality ham does give ferrets a good amount of nutritional value that can be quite beneficial. However, it’s nowhere near as efficient at giving your ferret essential nutrients as other meats. These meats are generally much cheaper than buying high-quality ham, and are readily available in a variety of different ferret foods.

The most commonly-eaten meat by ferrets is chicken or poultry. This meat is a staple protein source in the diet of many ferrets as it’s very affordable, tasty, and easy to digest. A chicken-heavy diet would provide ferrets with most of their essential vitamins and minerals.

Lamb, turkey, and venison also act as excellent sources of protein for ferrets. Beef can also be fed to ferrets, but it’s commonly stated that it’s a difficult meat to digest and process fully for ferrets.

On top of those primary protein sources, meat meal, liver meal, bone meal, fish meal, and whole eggs should generally make up the top ingredients of a ferret’s food.