Hi, I'm Jug, a new user to the forum and proud owner of two ferrets, Juju and Shug. I am currently feeding them on a raw diet and they are thriving well. This week, they are dining on some chicken feet, chicken liver, chicken wings and turkey wings. I know their diet is lacking variety (which I plan to change of course) but the meat place I currently go to lacks variety. I have a question about people who give their ferrets beef hearts, lamb spleen etc.

What is the benefit of giving ferret beef and lamb etc pretty much animals that are not birds or rodents? I wish to give my ferrets a variety of chicken, turkey, duck, rabbit - creatures that are smaller or rather more "realistic" for them. I was always told never give your ferret something that they could not kill themselves. I have given my ferrets beef at one point but I plan to never do again as it was much too rich for them (very smelly, very bad). So, it generally sounds like some ferrets and beef doesn't mix, so what is the benefit to be had exactly?

The benefit of variety is that different parts contain different amounts of nutrients. You don't have to feed beef hearts  you can use organs from any animal. I've never had a ferret that liked beef. Wild ferrets may scavenge any kind of meat. But they're no more likely to kill a sheep then a cow. I recently saw a video of a wild ferret (polecat) eating off a deercarcass.  Balanced nutrition is the key.  

THE DOOKS OF HAZARD