Marshall Premium Ferret Diet vs. Marshall Carnivore Plus
Review and Comparison
If you are looking for a convenient ferret food, kibble is the answer.
Marshall is the world’s largest ferret breeder. It is also the largest manufacturer of ferret food and ferret supplies. Marshall has 2 ferret diets I am reviewing and comparing–Marshall Premium Ferret Diet and Marshall Carnivore Plus.
Ferrets are carnivores. They need a meat-based protein diet for optimal health.
You would think that the top ferret breeder, who has been in the ferret business since 1939, would be an expert on ferret nutrition and would offer the best, healthiest ferret kibble. Well, we can’t take this for granted.
Looking at these 2 different ferret diets there are similarities and some differences. Some of these differences are important to be aware of to make an informed decision when selecting a diet for your ferret. Just looking at the brand and the name on the bag can be misleading.
Let’s take a closer look at these 2 ferret foods.
Marshall Carnivore Plus High Protein Ferret Diet
Specifics
- Size: 3.5# bag
- Price: around $20
- Protein: 40%
- Fat: 17%
- Fiber: 4.5%
First 6 ingredients
- Chicken-by-product
- Pea flour
- Chicken
- Fish meal
- Dried beet pulp
- Brewers dried yeast
Pros
- High protein
- Grain free
- Resealable zipper bag
- Some ferret parents say this ferret food gives their ferret a healthy, shiny coat.
- Some claim their ferrets love the food.
Cons
- Plant-based protein
- High fiber
- Pea flour–can cause bladder stones in ferrets
- The 7th ingredient is pea fiber
- Fish can cause ferrets and/or their litter boxes to have an unpleasant odor (not that litter boxes ever smell good)
- A bit expensive
Marshall Premium Ferret Diet
Specifics
- Size: 7# bag
- Price: around $20
- Also comes in 1.4#, 4# and 35# bags
- Protein: 38%
- Fat: 18%
- Fiber: 3.5%
First 6 ingredients
- Chicken-by-product
- Chicken
- Chicken-by-product meal
- Corn meal
- Dried beet pulp
- Brewers dried yeast
Pros
- Meat-based protein
- Latest formulas have less fish protein–eliminating the odor associated with it.
- Many ferret parents say they wouldn’t feed their ferrets anything else.
- Good value
Cons
- Corn–ferrets can’t digest corn
Summary
If you are looking for a convenient ferret food, kibble is the answer. As you can see from the information above, both ferret foods have similar protein, fat and fiber percentages. My question is why would Marshall replace meat protein with pea protein? And why would they put undigestible corn in? I guess they need to add some form of fiber to hold the food together, but there are more digestible sources.
I would not recommend Marshall Carnivore Plus High Protein Ferret Diet due to the pea protein and pea flour.
Marshall Premium Ferret Diet is the better choice.
If you would like more information on what to feed your ferret, check out What is The Best Ferret Food? Healthy or Not?
If you would like to see my ferret food comparison chart, click here.
I welcome you to share your experiences with these ferret foods in the comments.
Thanks for an unbiased review. I can see why you would go with the Premium. I know very little about Ferret and my only education is from your site. Thank you. Is it ok to just give them pieces of raw meat? What do they eat out in the wild?
I know nothing about Ferrets but have seen trained ones on tv. I think they are clever and funny. You have the most content on Ferrets I have ever seen. Very informative.
Hi Jeff
Thanks for visiting ferretlover.com and for your comment. Stop by anytime!
One of my sister’s ferret recently ingested plastic and ended up in the pet ER. She made a full recovery but the vet suggested feeding them a food designed for ferrets (they were on kitten chow). After reading the horror stories about pea flour, I will definitely be making sure to warn my sister away from it. It’s horrifying that the kitten chow was actually safer than even supposedly legitimate ferret food brands like Marshall’s!
Hi Jamie,
I am so glad your sister’s ferret is ok. I don’t know if you have read the other articles about ferret food, if not, here are a few for more info for you and your sister: