Everybody knows that cats and mice are rivals. For countless years, there have been plenty of animations and cartoons on this principle. There is a favorite animated series, Tom and Jerry, featuring the recurring cat-and-mouse feud.

Ferrets are obligate carnivores, so a substantial part of their diet is meat. Humans have used them for decades to hunt small creatures like rabbits, mice, and rats. Ferrets were also used to kill young birds.

Can Ferrets Eat Mice?

Ferrets have been eating little rats for thousands of years, and indeed, feed them mice. Be sure to use mice as a treat and do not make it part of their daily diet.

Eating so many mice will make your ferret ill. Owing to their background, ferrets like beef, and they require proteins obtained from meat sources.

How to Feed Your Ferret Mice

Feed your ferret mice that have already been killed because your ferret might get hurt when looking for the mice. Your ferret will not understand what to do with the frozen mice. So, bring the mice to room temperature, and also ensure the mice are fresh.

Old frozen mice will make your ferret ill. Thaw the mice in the refrigerator and not outside because the air will make the mice go bad. Keep checking it by poking the digestive system and chopping it into little bits. You need the mice to be slightly warmer. 

It is easier to either knock out the living prey than to kill it. The best supplier of mice is a specialist in snakes. Often, they have mice that are safe from diseases. The mice in a local pet shop can contain diseases that can be transmitted to your ferret.

Usually, they store mice in pet shops to be marketed as pets, and they are likely to cost you about $5 each. Other animal shops cannot even sell them to you. Feed your ferret daily with about three to six mice.

Is It a Good Idea to Allow My Ferret to Hunt For Rats?

Ferrets are predatory creatures, and they can hunt. Even so, once you let your ferrets wander your house, be cautious, so they do not strike or eat something unsafe. Although it could be an excellent idea for a rat to be dead, it might do more harm to your ferret than good. Your ferret is at risk of being infected.

Rats bring several common pathogens from rabies to the bubonic plague, so a rat fight will place your ferret at risk of being infected. Your ferret can get bitten or scratched while hunting and also come into contact with contaminated blood, saliva, or other fluids. They could even get fleas after hunting, which is another catastrophe.

Since rats are common pests, many people have put rats or mice poisons in their homes to rid them or prevent them from returning. Such toxins do not work on rats, only. If a rat has consumed poison, and your ferret eats that rat, your pet may also suffer from toxicity. It is more probable that a domesticated ferret would capture an infected rat because it is sluggish and more lethargic when ill and has little chance of running free.

How to Prevent Your Pet from Getting Hurt

Be sure that your ferret is still secure in its environment, with the door locked while you do not supervise it. Be sure you have a cage with cardboard sides and air holes instead of a mesh cage that might allow a rat or a mouse to slip in. Rats are infamous opportunistic feeders, but they might only creep in and feed on the ferret's food supplies.

When you have got your ferrets out and about in your house, watch them closely to ensure they do not run into something they should not. If you suspect your ferret to have bitten a mouse, bring it to the vet straight away. It is also a safe option to take the dead rat with you so that the doctor can run checks to ensure that the rat has not infected your pet.

In the past, raising predatory creatures was a perfect way to eradicate the house of vermin. These days, pets are like loved ones and family. It is no longer a viable option for them to take the chance. The easiest way to dispose of rats in your house is to contact a knowledgeable team of pest extermination specialists. They will get rid of all the rats that are already overrunning your home and deter potential encroachments.

But if you see a rodent, it implies there might be hundreds more hiding in your walls or loft. When you have seen one, get to know there is something wrong. You will need to call the experts to dispose of everything. Do not put yourself or your families in danger by carrying the burden yourself.

The Bottom Line

The significant issue is that you need to give your ferrets a higher dietary protein. Ferrets are very busy creatures, and they require a vast amount of resources. High protein and saturated fat help sustain their healthy lifestyle. The ferrets often have severe reproductive rates and short intestinal tract.

So, they generate a lot of waste and need to consume small meals regularly. You can feed your ferret on a raw food diet, but consider that a raw diet contains parasites that might make your ferret unhealthy.

Other Questions

Will Pet Ferrets Kill Rats?

Do you know there is another notable pet in the house that is genetically disposed to be a rat killer? The ferret is a genetically bred rat killer—this wonderfully cute and bendable creature. Being small and weasel-like, ferrets can go right after their prey in the holes. They are enthusiastic hunters, and they kill more than they have to feed occasionally.

They will not only eat the rats but dine on your chickens. The chickens will go first because they are easier to capture. Often all the rats escape when the ferret is mounted under a boarded surface. Conversely, some ferrets are not cut out to be rat-killers, specifically if they are raised otherwise.

Will Mice Leave If They Smell A Cat? 

Surveys have shown that even though they hide indoors, mice always know the smell of a cat miles away. Mice fear the scent of cats, and if they smell any cat, they stay far away from that place. Mice recognize a cat by the proteins released from cat saliva, and this smell is identified in the mouse's nose through the vomeronasal gland.

If you have mice and a house cat in your vicinity, the mice will detect its presence. And if your cat is not a killing machine, protect your home passively. Indeed, a pregnant mouse aborts its babies anytime it smells cat urine. The mouse struggling for its life depends on how weak or strong the odor of the enemy is.

Will Mice Come Near Me While I Sleep?

Yes, mice can ramble on people while they sleep. As mice are nightlife creatures, they are always busy when you sleep. They won't usually approach you while you sleep unless some form of food is in your bed or near you. If you have found traces of rodents in your bedroom, a mouse may have been running around you when you were asleep.

If it helps them to reach food crumbs on the bed and other things that attract them, mice won't hesitate to come near you during sleeping hours. It is best not to allow food crumbs to lie about and keep these problematic pesticides from your home. Maintain an appropriate level of hygiene to ensure a zero risk of this.

References

If you require more information, please check these references

On the life history of Ascaris devosi and its development in the white mouse and the domestic ferret , article, "www.cambridge.org", retrieved on, Thu 07-January-2021

Reintroduction of the black-footed ferret , article, "link.springer.com", retrieved on, Thu 07-January-2021

Mongolian Gerbil , article, "en.wikipedia.org", retrieved on, Thu 07-January-2021