Ferret nutrional needs

[Sherry]

From the small animal channel:
www.smallanimalchannel.com/ferrets/ferret-diet/ferret-nutrition-and-malnutrition.aspx

[crashbandicoot]

I read somewhere about people giving their ferrets vitamins/supplements. Is this recommended ? My guys will eat chicken wings, necks, heart liver giblets, mice, goat, pork ribs and steak, beef steak, lamb heart and ribs, pumpkin and lactose free milk. Should i be giving them vitamins too ? Esp calcium if they don't eat all the bones ??

[Sherry]

Vitamins they likely won't need, if their diet is properly balanced. If they aren't getting edible bone approx. 8 meals a week, just up the bone. According to your menu, you are giving 2 edible bone proteins there. How often do they get chicken wings, necks, and mice? With the pork and lamb ribs, I imagine all they are eating is the knobby ends?
The only supplements I give my healthy ferrets are Triple fish oil, and salmon oil. They all also get some extra virgin olive oil mixed with the fish oil every few days.

[crashbandicoot]

Well i kept giving them chicken necks, but they didn't seem too interested and would only occasionally eat the whole thing. So i blended them up into soupies, and they eat one large cube each a day. And yes, it is usually just the knobby end but sometimes they eat almost the entire bone. Mice are only once a week as they're so expensive here !! Chicken wings are every second day, sometimes more. Does that sound ok ? What are the benefits of fish oil ?
Thanks for your help, you know so much !

[Sherry]

Sounds like they are getting plenty of bone If they are eating about 2 oz of liver each a week, that's plenty. Don't want to overdo the vit. A. And for the heart- they need at least one full meal a week of hearts, just for the taurine. If you can manage two full meals, that's even better.
Fish oil is to help with the skin and coats. As well as being chock-a-block full of omega 3's. Helps with heart and brain function
And thank you- but I'm still learning!