# What Do Ferrets Eat?

> What ferrets eat: Carnivore — meat-based diet; whole prey or high-protein kibble, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Domestic worldwide; descended from European polecats.

- **Species:** Ferret (*Mustela putorius furo*)
- **Conservation status:** Domesticated
- **Diet:** Carnivore — meat-based diet; whole prey or high-protein kibble
- **Habitat:** Domestic worldwide; descended from European polecats
- **Lifespan:** 6–10 years with good veterinary care
- **Top speed:** Up to 25 km/h (16 mph) in short playful bursts
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ferret/what-do-ferret-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ferret/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The ferret is a small domesticated carnivore descended from the European polecat, kept for centuries as a working and companion animal. Slender and long-bodied, it typically weighs 0.7 to 2 kg and measures around half a metre including the tail, with males (hobs) noticeably larger than females (jills). Ferrets are famously playful and inquisitive, sleep much of the day, and live for about 6 to 10 years with good veterinary care.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Origins and domestication

Ferrets are the domesticated form of the European polecat and have been kept by people for well over two thousand years. They were bred chiefly to bolt rabbits and rats from their burrows, a practice known as ferreting that is still carried out in parts of Britain today. Unlike wild mustelids, ferrets cannot survive well on their own and depend entirely on human care. Their scientific name, Mustela putorius furo, reflects this ancestry, with furo meaning 'thief' in Latin.

## Help protect the Ferret

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ferret/what-do-ferret-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.