Ferret Digestive System
Cat Ramon and ferret Roman, by _schadenfreude / Flickr
Even though ferrets have long bodies, their GI tract is very short, thus telling us that they are not well suited to digest plant materials and that they are carnivores. More exactly obligate carnivores. This is a term we've heard when speaking about cats, and ferrets are similar to cats in this regard. Ferrets require a preformed vitamin A, because they are very inefficient converting carotenoids, the vegetable precursors of vitamin A, into retinol, the active form of this vitamin. They also require Taurine in their diet. However, taurine metabolism has not been as well studied as it has been in cats. What is known so far is that they are at a higher risk of suffering of cardiomyopathy or heart disease if adequate taurine concentrations are not present in their diets. If you remember cat's particular nutrient requirements, you know that cats also require arachidonic acid to be provided in their diets. Arachidonic acid requirements have not been proven in ferrets, but it wouldn't be surprising if you think in their metabolic similarities with cats.