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Food dangers for the “other pets”
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Don't feed your ferrets sweets--they don't digest carbs well at all!
An expanded list of foods that pose dangers for dogs and cats filled yesterday’s post, Dogs and cats, avoid these foods! But ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs and parrots all have foods to beware as well.
Ferret treat no-nos and yes-es
An adult ferret needs a high meat protein diet, around 31-32%, with a minimum 18% fat and a maximum 3% fiber. Sugary foods are never good for your ferret and dairy products can give diarrhea—that sugar thing again, as ferrets are lactose (milk sugar) intolerant. Some ferret owners give their animals little yogurt chips as treats, but while yogurt would be lactose-free, the little chips have sugar, so use sparingly if at all. Some ferrets, on the other hand, love crunching on insects—which have suitably high protein values, so go ahead and your ferret snack on crickets—a much more suitable treat!
What rabbits should avoid
Who knew you should NEVER feed your rabbit lettuce? Lettuce can give your rabbit diarrhea, potentially fatal if a small rabbit eats a lot of lettuce. Other foods rabbits should avoid: cabbage, parsnips, potato tops, tomato leaves. And clover can cause gas. As mentioned for guinea pigs in What not to feed your pet, rabbits also have no means to expel gas, so they can get quite ill or die from bloat. Potentially poisonous plants to keep away from your rabbit: foxglove, honeysuckle, iris, hemlock, poppies, deadly nightshade, buttercups, bluebells, arum lilies, ivy, daffodils and other bulbs, primulas, jasmines, fairy primrose, dahlia, delphiniums, larkspur, snowdrops, tulips, and anemones.
Guinea pig owners take note!
The shells of nuts and seeds can splinter and puncture the throat. Plus, most seeds contain too much fat to include much in your guinea pig's diet. On top of that, many raw beans and lentils can actually poison your guinea pig, so best not to feed your little furry friend any of these.
Parrot food dangers
Parrots cannot excrete salt easily so while an occasional chip or cheese curl might be okay, don't let them get into the habit—Avoid feeding parrots high-fat, high-sugar, or high-salt snacks. Once in a blue moon won't kill them, but resist the temptation to give in to them if they "beg" for your chips.
General advice
As always, check with your vet if your pet eats something unusual or unplanned. But don’t panic, either. Pets vary as much as people do. Some animals get digestive upsets even changing brands of kibble. Others, like all three dogs I’ve owned and most of my cats, enjoyed a variety of human foods as occasional treats, even foods vets warn against letting pets eat. Our current dog, Crystal, must be half goat and half garbage disposal unit—the only thing that has upset her tummy was a peppery-hot sauce from a Chinese take-out carton she snagged—and she’ll eat lettuce dropped on the floor. Go figure.
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