By Holly

(Shorter rides can be adjusted as needed!)

Get a big (cheaper) cage that you can put in the back seat - if you have a ferret nation, one level might be able to fit in the back seat nicely depending on the size of your car. Let them get used to it at home and test it to see if they can get out of it... the worst thing would be them figuring out how to escape while you're driving 😱 (the Ferret Cottage & Bungalow are great for road trips & temp set-ups).

Make sure it can fit a litter box, food, hammock nicely! I'd suggest securing the litter box somehow - zip ties are usually the best way to go. Then when you're ready to travel, get them situated in it in the back seat (make sure it can't move around or slide)

Also bring with you a play pen or leash (I'd go with play-pen cause you don't want your fuzzies slipping out of the leash at a rest stop and running into the woods 😭). Make sure you have a tarp or something to lay down to protect from burning concrete on their feet and dirty yuckies.

You should be pretty familiar with their sleep schedules and know when they like to get up and play. But I'd recommend stopping every 4-5 hours and busting out the play pen to let them release some energy and see if they want to eat/drink. Sometimes even if it's in their little cage/carrier they won't bother while the car is moving around.

For hotels... call in advance and ask if they allow dogs. Usually they'll allow ferrets (Some people will ask on the phone, some people will just bring their ferret in without mentioning they actually have a FERRET and not a dog... some people won't even run it by the staff and will just go for a motel where you don't need to walk by the front desk with all your luggage).

You can either set up pee pads in all the corners after checking the room to make sure it's ferret-proof... but I'd stay on the safe side and let them have the bathroom - maybe block off half of the room/hallway so they can have some extra room without being able to get to the bed/entertainment center/nightstands/recliner.

ALSO for the cage in the car - water bottles will jiggle and jostle and leak water through the drive. I learned this the hard way - had to pull over and throw some napkins in the water bowl underneath it cause it was almost overflowing! I'd just fill a cage-attach water bowl about halfway - that way it can slosh around a little without spilling over.