Ferret Toys and Playtime
Ferrets not only love to play but it is also very important for their well being. You can expect your ferret to need to play, outside of his cage, for two or three hours each day.
If you already own a ferret, then you already know just how much they love to play. If you’re considering adopting a ferret, be sure you have enough time each day to provide supervised play time for your new pet.
Ferret Toys
Yes, ferrets love their toys. But, that doesn’t mean that you have to spend a fortune buying your pet specific ferret toys. Actually, a ferret can look at a lot of different items as “toys”.
When purchasing ferret toys be very sure that you choose ones that are both suitable and durable. Cat toys are often a good choice. Make sure that any toy you pick is strong and sturdy because your ferret will just love to use his sharp little teeth on them.
They also like soft materials and places to hide. A sleep sack would fill the bill and do double duty as both a toy and a sleep area.
Make Your Own Ferret Toys
You can also make toys for your ferret. An inexpensive option for making tunnels is to use a length of PVC pipe, at least 4 inches in diameter. This is a good choice because PVC material has good resistance to your pet’s chewing. Check at your local hardware store for this kind of piping.
Something as simple as crumpled up paper can also make a great toy for your ferret to chase around. Just be sure to supervise because you don’t want them eating any of the paper.
Other than this, just use your imagination, while always keeping in mind the safety of your ferret.
Rough Housing
Ferrets sometimes like to play rough. You’ll need to train them that they can’t play that rough with you.
If you have more than one ferret, it may seem, at times, like they’re fighting. They can play pretty rough with each other at times. But, remember that ferrets have pretty tough skins, so unless you’re sure they’re actually fighting, just let them play.
Safety
You need to make safety a part of any play time. And, that means safety for both you and your ferret. Make sure you have ferret-proofed any area where your ferret is allowed to roam while outside of its cage. Remember, they can get themselves into some pretty small places and it might be tough to get them back out.
Other safety issues to be aware of are things like electrical cords. Some ferrets like to chew on these cords and others will even like to investigate exposed outlets.
As mentioned above, your ferret can play pretty rough sometimes, so you need to make sure that you’ve trained your ferret correctly so that you don’t get hurt during play time, either.
So, don’t skimp on your ferret’s toys and play time. It is actually very important for them to stay happy and healthy. And, it can be a fun, bonding time for both of you.
