Enrichment by sense

[Sherry]

Ferret Enrichment Ideas:

Touch:

1.) Dig boxes (leaves, dirt, sand, snow, Bio-degradable packing peanuts, LONG GRAIN rice, water)
2.) Get a variety of fabrics (different textures) and add them to your ferts cage as bedding. Try fleece, denim, courduroy, tweed, etc for a variety of sensations
3.) Use a ferret safe heating pad (under supervision ONLY) during cold months and fill water bottles up and freeze them, then put them in socks during hot months
4.) Brush and stroke your ferret

Taste:

1.) Natural diet
2.) Offer a variety of "all meat" treats to them
3.) Randomly offer them warmed food, cold food, or room temperature food.
4.) Place a variety of foods/treats on different plates and let your ferret pick which one it wants to eat.

Smell:

1.) Rotate different toys each week (“flavor them and make them smell different”)
2.) Give them mini tupper-ware containers that had previously stored different foods
3.) Use flower essences and dab their favorite spots with them for a soothing smell.

Sight:

1.) Re-arrange cage items each week
2.) Remote control/wind-up toys
3.) Use a laser pointer and get them to chase the beam of light
4.) Fill a pan of water with ping-pong balls and let your kids go "fishing"
5.) Put some bugs in the bathtub and let your fert "hunt"

Hearing:

1.) Provide toys that make different noises
2.) Nature sounds CD

Mind:

1.) Clicker training
2.) Switch their playroom randomly to a different playroom
3.) Ferret “castles” made from boxes tapped together
4.) Treat dispensing toys
5.) Rotate toys weekly
6.) Walks Outside
7.) Foraging cups
8.) Hide toys and treats around the house for them to find at random
9.) Bring a random piece of nature inside (stick, rock, leaf, etc) for your kids to explore and examine
10.) Occasionally offer live prey and allow your fert to "hunt"