Play Time

By Holly

Ferrets are interactive and need a lot of attention, exploration time, and play time. At least 4 hours out of their cage a day! I let my boys out in the morning while I get ready for work, and they are immediately out again when I come home up until I go to bed. On the weekends, they are only in their cage when I sleep. Think of them as cats - would you lock up a cat all day? Heck no! They are crepuscular, which means they are most active during dawn and dusk. (My boys prefer 7AM - 10AM, a little play time around 1PM, then 7PM - 9PM) You will never sleep in on a weekend ever again.

https://holisticferretforum.com/care-and-enrichment/enrichment-activities/

Toys

By Holly

Cat toys with catnip in them are fine, as long as they can’t rip it open and get to the catnip. You’d want to supervise play-time with these toys. There are some that have refillable bags and you can just pull the catnip out easily. Stuffed animals are a pretty big hit as far as toys go - just make sure to check them often for chewing and wear&tear, and try to find ones that don't have plastic eyeballs that can rip off and cause a blockage. Cat feather-on-a-stick toys are pretty good too! I usually go for the ones with ribbon attachments or something that can’t be ripped apart as easily. And as always, those little plastic jingle balls are great!

https://holisticferretforum.com/care-and-enrichment/ferret-toys/foraging-toys/

https://holisticferretforum.com/care-and-enrichment/ferret-toys/

Bonding/You

By Holly

The BEST ferret toy… is YOU! Sit down with your fuzzy, let them climb all over your lap, try to stash your socks. Tickle their little sides and wardance with them! (Make sure another second crazy fuzzy isn’t under your feet!). This is wonderful bonding, and ferrets LOVE to play with their big hooman!

Dig Box

By Holly

Ferrets love digging, so a dig box is a great idea! Long-grain NON-INSTANT rice will help absorb the oils from their skin, but some see it as a perfect place to poo. (Non-instant so that if they swallow some, it won’t puff up and cause a blockage in their intestines). Dried beans & noodles are a great option, too. (If dried beans are ingested, they can be toxic - if your ferret chews/eats things a lot, avoid this option!) Others have done biodegradable packing peanuts (watch these - some will just eat them), thrift-store puzzle pieces, ping pong balls, etc! Or, in the pic above... SNOW!!

Chewing

By Holly

Ferrets also like chewing… DO NOT let them have ANY RUBBER TOYS - they chew HARD and WILL bite off chunks of rubber, swallow, blockage, vet bills… not fun. Whether they're avid chewers or not, you should always monitor rubber toys, or avoid them all-together for good measure.

Swimming

By Holly

Contrary to popular belief (cause I know you’ve seen those cute videos!) most ferrets are not big on swimming. Ferrets don't need to swim by instinct (though some of them are big, big splashers!) so it's not something all of them enjoy. Ferrets who are not enjoying bath time will swim towards the edge of the tub, and maybe jump, to try to get out.

Even if they love running around in the shower, under the sink, digging in a water bowl, I'd keep the actual swimming to a minimum 😊 You can fill the tub less so that they can still stand in it and splash, but without needing to swim. Throw some floaty toys in there and you're golden! If you find that they actually DO want to swim (some do!) more power to them, but always make sure they have an elevated spot they can stand and catch their breath.

For water fun, a shallow pan (small litter box, big baking pan, etc) filled with water is perfect to splash around in without having to swim. Some will snorkel, some will dig at the water, or just run by for a quick drink. You can put little floaties (balls, easter eggs, etc) in for even more fun!

Play Styles

By Holly

Some ferrets aren’t interested in toys. I’ve noticed there’s four main types of “toys” - some ferrets prefer one over the other.

First are the object toys - dig box, easter eggs, stuffed animals, etc.

Second is the “fuzzy” toy - their friends! Some ferrets enjoy wrestling and playing with their buddies the most!

The third is YOU, their hooman. Some fuzzies are more “people persons” and will want to play with you over playing with toys or their friends.

Finally, some are explorers - they want to go to new places, and will stop at nothing! These are the ones most likely to guilt-trip you into taking them for a walk. Make sure they are up-to-date on vaccines and protected by flea/tick/heartworm preventatives before they go outside! The Figure 8 harness is the best and LEAST LIKELY for ferrets to slip out of.