What toys are suitable for ferrets?

An adult ferret sleeps about 20 hours a day. But after a sound sleep, for several hours he turns into a hunter and a merry fellow. When you get home from work in the evening, the ferret will have play time, so you won’t miss anything.

A characteristic feature of ferrets is to collect treasures around the house and put them in a hiding place. Under the sofa or in another secluded corner, you will soon find slippers, a newspaper, a sock and many other things. Such is the nature of ferrets, it will not work to completely wean a four-legged friend from hoarding. It is better to remove interesting little things away from pets. And give them fun toys that will captivate tailed bullies and keep ferrets active at home.

Toys will help you have fun and useful time with your pet. Ferrets are more independent than cats or dogs. If you throw a toy to a ferret, he won’t bring it to you. But you need to establish communication with ferrets, because every pet relies on the care and attention of the owner. Often a ferret finds a particular toy interesting when he sees that the idea to play with it comes from the owner.

Durability, a sufficiently long service life, plus safety for the pet – these are the main criteria by which you need to choose toys for ferrets. The presence of small parts that can fly off during active play, which the ferret can chew off and inadvertently swallow, is excluded. Choose a ball – its diameter should be more than two and a half centimeters. Plush toys should have embroidered eyes and noses, not buttons sewn on. Before giving a toy to a pet, look for loose parts, packaging residues.

You should carefully consider the choice of materials from which the toys are made. Latex, rubber, foam rubber, polystyrene will not work. The ferret with its sharp teeth can gnaw through products made from these materials and partially eat them. Be careful when choosing soft toys. A ferret will gnaw through thin fabric, but a dense material like jeans is fine. If ropes or cords are part of the toy, do not let your pet play with it on its own. The rope from the toy can wrap around the ferret’s neck.

If the toy is broken, torn, unable to resist the fight with the ferret, replace it with a new one. Risking your pet’s health is unacceptable.

We have adopted safety rules and know which toys a ferret can and which should be avoided. Now we will choose the best toys for a playful pet. In pet stores, you can find both special toys for ferrets, as well as accessories for dogs and cats that are also suitable for ferrets. Here is some of them.

• Playhouse complex with tunnels for ferrets to climb.

• Ball track. This toy becomes a favorite for most cats. Ferrets love them too!

• Labyrinth with the ability to get out of it at any time.

• Large balls with holes, the animal can both roll the ball and easily climb inside.

• A dry pool is one of the most luxurious indoor activities for ferrets. Animals love to flounder, dig minks in a pool with plastic balls.

• Strong rope toys for dogs, for tug-of-war games. Service life – until the sharp teeth of nimble pets gnaw through a thick rope.

• Hard plastic balls with a rattle, bell or squeaker inside. Fluffy fleece balls are also suitable for the game, and there will be less noise from them.

• Cat “teasers” from a pen, rope and ball.

• Hanging toys for parrots like bells and wooden figurines.

• Clockwork cars, cars with radio control. They are popular with ferrets because they are so much fun to chase. The doors of the machines should not open and parts should not be unscrewed, their wheels should be large enough in diameter. Let it be a toy jeep or truck. Clockwork mice will be just as successful. The ferret, at the sight of an elusive toy, begins the pursuit until the “prey” has disappeared from sight.

• Ferrets naturally enjoy being in burrows, exploring secret passages and caves. They will love tunnels and houses made of fleece and other soft materials. Game complexes for cats will make the ferret forget about boredom and do physical education. If you don’t want to buy a whole set, consider a wooden ferret walkway.

• You can give a ferret not only a house and a sports ground, but also sleeping bags and hammocks. A sleeping bag will be perceived by a pet as a cozy mink. And in a hammock you can not only sleep, but also jump, stretch your paws. Owners often set up multiple hammocks in a multi-level ferret cage, one on each floor. It is important to make sure that the hammock mounts are secure.

If you wish, you can make your own toys for ferrets. Things familiar to us can become interesting entertainment for a pet.

• The tennis ball bounces off the floor perfectly, and the ferret will have fun chasing it. But the coating of the ball will collect every speck of dust. Do not miss the moment when it will be easier not to clean it, but to throw it away.

• The ferret will rustle loudly with a paper bag, climb into it.

• Cloth bags will also please the pet with the opportunity to hide in them. Inside you can put something rustling, the same paper bag. Sometimes a ferret is so comfortable inside a cloth bag that he can fall asleep right there. Festive accessories like a New Year’s hat or a gift sock may work.

• After using a wide large roll of foil or cling film, a cardboard tube remains – why not a tunnel for a ferret?

• Ferrets will also not be left without attention in cardboard boxes with cut-out windows for entry. Add plastic balls – you get a dry pool.

• Corrugated pipes for hoods, PVC pipes and hoses in the eyes of a ferret will look like a fabulous labyrinth. Be sure to check for rubber parts at the joints inside the pipes. They need to be removed before the design is given to ferrets for play. If the pipes have sharp cuts, they must be melted with fire.

• We have already talked about hammocks. Nothing prevents you from sewing a hammock out of light cotton fabric and hanging it in a ferret cage. A hanging tunnel can be built from old clothes. You will need a trouser leg from jeans, at the ends of which you need to sew a wooden or metal ring (you can use a hoop).

Don’t be discouraged if your pet doesn’t like a toy – lovingly picked from a pet store or made by you. After all, this is a matter of taste, and most importantly – the process, not the result.

When playing with your ferret, don’t forget to reward him with treats. Ferrets have highly developed cognitive abilities. They need to be interested, encouraged, encouraged to perform more complex tasks, praised. All this will develop their ingenuity and strengthen the friendship between you.

Play with your ferret more often, and soon you will find that the nimble tomboy has favorite toys from your entertainment arsenal. We wish you interesting and fun time with your pets!