Editing Ferret (section)

===Diet===
Ferrets are [[obligate carnivore]]s.{{r|williams1999}} The natural diet of their wild ancestors consisted of whole small prey, including meat, organs, bones, skin, feathers and fur.<ref>[http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=479&S=5 Rethinking The Ferret Diet – Info about species-appropriate diets, and the negative effects of commercially prepared diets, written by a veterinarian] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722231730/http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=479&S=5 |date=2010-07-22 }}. Veterinarypartner.com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.</ref> Ferrets have short digestive systems and a quick metabolism, so they need to eat frequently. Prepared dry foods consisting almost entirely of meat (including high-grade [[cat food]], although specialized ferret food is increasingly available and preferable)<ref>McLeod, Lianne. [http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/ferrets/a/feedingferrets.htm Feeding Your Ferret] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413135328/http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/ferrets/a/feedingferrets.htm |date=2013-04-13 }}. exoticpets.about.com</ref> provide the most nutritional value. Some ferret owners feed pre-killed or live prey (such as mice and rabbits) to their ferrets to more closely mimic their natural diet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Feeding Ferrets whole rabbits ?|url=http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/191384-feeding-ferrets-whole-rabbits/|work=The Hunting Life|date=20 February 2011 |access-date=6 October 2012|archive-date=14 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114203459/http://www.thehuntinglife.com/forums/topic/191384-feeding-ferrets-whole-rabbits/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Raw Diets |url=http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ask_angela/rawdiets.html |work=For Ferrets Only |access-date=6 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012052641/http://www.craftycreatures.com/forferretsonly/ask_angela/rawdiets.html |archive-date=12 October 2013 }}</ref> Ferret digestive tracts lack a [[cecum]] and the animal is largely unable to digest plant matter.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gastrointestinal Disease in the Ferret|url=http://www.lafebervet.com/small-mammal-medicine-2/ferret/diseases-of-the-ferret-gastrointestinal-tract/|access-date=24 April 2014|archive-date=24 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424210834/http://www.lafebervet.com/small-mammal-medicine-2/ferret/diseases-of-the-ferret-gastrointestinal-tract/|url-status=live}}</ref> Before much was known about ferret physiology, many breeders and pet stores recommended food like fruit in the ferret diet, but it is now known that such foods are inappropriate, and may in fact have negative consequences for ferret health. Ferrets imprint on their food at around six months old. This can make introducing new foods to an older ferret a challenge, and even simply changing brands of kibble may meet with resistance from a ferret that has never eaten the food as a kit. It is therefore advisable to expose young ferrets to as many different types and flavors of appropriate food as possible.<ref>{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.ferret.org/read/faq.html|work=American Ferret Association|access-date=24 April 2014|archive-date=11 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411133532/http://www.ferret.org/read/faq.html|url-status=live}}</ref>