"I'm vegetarian/vegan, and I want a vegetarian/vegan ferret! How do I do this?"

This is a question I was asked a couple of times on a different website which I no longer frequent, so I've decided to address the issue here, too.

Let me begin: I am a vegetarian, and I own ferrets.

I've discovered that vegans and vegetarians fall into two different categories when it comes to pets who need eat meat. Around 98% are sensible, and there's 2% who apply their own world view on their pets. 

Animals do not understand veganism or vegetarianism. This applies for cats, dogs, and of course, ferrets. This is addressed to that two percent. 

Luna doesn't care what vegetarians think.

There is no 'nice' way to say this.

How do you have a healthy, happy, vegan ferret? Short answer: you don't.

Long answer:

An obligate (100%) carnivore, such as a ferret, cannot digest plant matter. Ferrets also cannot digest dairy. This means that their digestive tract is only capable of breaking down meat. You cannot replace meat with plant matter or meat substitutes such as Quorn. You should not feed your ferret vegan or vegetarian kibble, and you should not be feeding your ferret fruit, vegerables, or cereals. This will make your ferret extremely unwell, and very quickly, by only feeding a ferret a vegetarian or vegan diet, you will be responsible for the death of your little ferret. 

 They will not get the nutrients they require to survive.

This is not negotiable.

This is not a case of saying "kale and tofu contain more protein per gram than meat does!" 

A ferret's digestive tract cannot break down non-animal matter, therefore the the nutritional value of the vegetation or other substitute is null and void. It doesn't matter. A ferrets body is not programmed to be able to draw those nutrients from those foodstuffs with enough efficiency to support life.

Think of your ferrets diet in term of boxes. Each meal you give is a locked box. Your ferret's body is capable of unlocking the boxes which are made of meat, and can only access the nutrients in those boxes. Their body is not designed to be able to open boxes which are made of vegetables, fruit, or grains, and so no matter how much protein, iron etc., is in them, the box cannot be unlocked. It cannot be accessed by your ferret.

Eggs - also good.

If you, as a pet owner, are incapable of feeding your animal the meat-based diet it requires to survive and thrive, you need to look at other animals you can have which will happily survive on your preferred diet, for example, a rabbit, or a guinea pig.

 A ferret is not for you.

This applies to other animals, such as, but not limited to: dogs; cats; snakes - a simple google search will tell you the diet required by your animal, and to be completely sure, you can always contact your local vet. 

This is not an attack against vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, or anyone else who excludes animals from their diet. I am a vegetarian. My ferrets are not. My ferrets - as do all ferrets - need meat to live, and to be healthy, and as their provider, I ensure they are fed a diet which is in keeping with this.

Ferrets are carnivores. If you are unable to feed your carpet shark the diet it needs to survive due to your own lifestyle choices, do not get a ferret.