Post by katt on Apr 6, 2013 16:09:31 GMT -5
Before you bring home your ferret is it VERY important to make sure that all play areas have been thoroughly ferret proofed. (EVEN if the ferret will be supervised while out you still NEED to ferret proof). Keep in mind that the ferret will quickly point out spots you missed and find ways to get around certain ferret "blockades." Ferret Proofing is an ON GOING thing. It is also VITAL for your ferret's safety and well being. My ferret Koda is particularly mischievous and I have learned the hard way how to make hings very ferret proof. Hopefully this will be helpful to new (and old) ferret owners. Please feel free to add to it too. As we all know each ferret is different, as is each environment.
And never forget this motto:
A Bored Ferret is a Destructive Ferret!
Many of my categories will run into each other as it is all related, so sorry about any repetition, mixing and matching. Also, I do NOT take credit for all of these ideas, much of this is what was recommended to me by other forum members and what I found did or did not work.
Ferret Proofing and Safety
Ferrets can levitate, fly, climb walls and ceilings like spider man, push things much bigger and heavier than they are across a room to climb up to reach things, knock things over to create bridges, you name it! Many ferrets, like Koda, also have very accurate rubber detectors in their noses. If it is rubber, and it exists, it will be found eventually.
You should learn to become VERY alert and sensitive to the sound of chewing and smacking. It is usually an indication that the ferret has found something to eat that does not belong in its mouth (unless you have treats laying around, but better to check and be safe) or is chewing a toy - potentially to pieces. Shane and I are at the point now where we can hear Koda chewing across the room with the stereo on. Even studying or watching movies, we have a subconscious ear out for chewing. Excessive? No! I can't count the number of times that alertness/ability led to me keeping Koda from eating some random piece of rubber or plastic or foam...where he gets these things sometimes is beyond me. Oh the joys of ferrets...
Here are some things to watch out for. Make sure these items are either (preferably) completely removed from the area or at the least locked away or blocked off so that they are not accessible.
Electrical Cords
- - ANYTHING rubber!!!!
Anything with rubber feet ie tables, stools, reptile cages, alarm clocks, computers - esp lap tops...check the bottoms of every item in the room for rubber feet.
Remote controls
They will be found, and chewed off and most likely eaten and cause a potential blockage. I thought that I had cleared out every rubber item in my room. Koda was chewing on the leg of a hard plastic stool I had. Thinking that he was just being a brat, I ignored it. I checked the stool and didn't see any signs of teeth marks or pieces coming off, so I let him chew. I then noticed that he had something in his mouth. I rushed over to discover a little unknown rubber piece...I checked the stool again and saw on each leg was a small rubber piece to keep it from scratching the floor and give it grip. Well, Koda had one piece, one was on the stool, and 2 were missing! This of course sent me into a panic (thinking he had eaten it) until I found them.
The other night Koda was playing in a series of cardboard boxes I set up as tunnels and caves. I heard a chewing noise and looked up to see him on top of the box trying to bite the box. I realized what he was doing and went over there to stop him - the box had some superglue on it. It was flat, and well attached to the box from packaging or whatever. He managed to slip his teeth under the thin layer of glue and pull it off the chew on right as I got to him!
Check all toys and boxes for superglue! Some toys use superglue to hold pieces on (such as these cheap cat toys that are caged in jungle balls with feathers on each end, the feathers are super glued onto the plastic toy).
- Superglue on toys and boxes
- Small plastic pieces such as the tag holders from new toys or clothes
- Stuffed toys with hard plastic eyes or noses
- PENCILS
- anything non-ferret toy that is sitting on something that can be bumped (Koda will bump my table to make it wiggle so things fall off)
- Box Spring Mattresses, Couches, etc - they can get inside and dig, which rips up the lining and foam on the inside, which can then be eaten
(One way I have found to remedy this is to put a fitted sheet on the bottom of the box spring. So far they have not figured out how to get in it nor have they ripped a hole. I used a very thick, sturdy, fleece fitted sheet)
- anything that is shorter than 3 feet tall can be jumped on or climbed
- anything (Point A) within a 3 foot distance of something else (Point B) can be used as a jumping board to reach Point B.
- anything that is not 100% sheer and vertical can be climbed
- most things that are tall, sheer, and vertical can be climbed
- drawers can be used as ladders, even if they are almsot flush with the dresser or cabinet they are on.
- drawers can also be used from behind (to get inside) as a fun network to get to other drawers, things in the drawers (drawstings, socks, etc) and things on top of the dresser/cabinet
- drawstrings (and shoe strings), esp with knots or plastic shoestring ends they can eat the ends of the drawstrings, and the knotted or plastic tipped ones are especially tasty
- socks and gloves (Koda's personal favorite) can be chewed and eaten. Koda had a fun stash of his favorite toys - my gloves - and I found them all with holes in them and fingers chewed off.
- zipper pulls - if they are not the metal ones that are very firmly attached (ie plastic, decorative, rubber pulls) they can be pulled off eventually and eaten
- laptop cases are fun to play inside of and dig/chew holes in
- lap top cases, back packs, briefcases, etc are also fun to play in and have many straps, strings, and other fun pieces that can be chewed on
- leather is fun to dig holes in until you can chew it and eat it
- velcro is crunchy and feels good to massage ferret gums with. It tastes good and can be eaten. If you have anything attached by velcro beware - the sticky back is rubbery, and that plus the velcro itself makes for a sticky, rubbery, chewy, crunchy chewing sensation that can be eaten and cause a blockage (velcro is probably Koda's favorite chew toy of all time - he will ignore anything else in the room if velcro is present)
- Zippers! If something is in a zippered case/bag it is NOT SAFE from the ferret! It does not take long for a persistent, bored ferret (this is where having a second ferret as a distraction is very nice) to figure out how to open a zipper from the inside and the outside
FACT: Ferrets have opposable thumbs that are invisible to the human eye If you think they can't open it or climb it, think again!
- anything that can be pushed across the room (even if it is way heavier than the ferret) will be used as a ladder to reach things
- if it is in the room long enough they will find it
- if you think they have it out of reach, they will reach it
- if they try enough times, they will jump that extra 3 feet, or climb that slick, sheer, vertical object.
- thin plastic objects can be cracked by teeth (think of what they do to bones!) and cut up the mouth, or be eaten (even tiny shards that break off when it cracks may be swallowed on accident) and cause a blockage and possible internal bleeding as it cuts all of the organs it passes through
- hair ties and headbands (and anything elastic) - they have rubber on the inside
- tinfoil is crunchy and nice to chew on don't ask why - it is a top secret method of psychic radio communication between ferrets around the world to achieve world domination
- phone cases are chewy
- it is a good idea to put down tile, hardwood, or cheap linoleum flooring. I use cheap, huge berber (indestructible!) rugs to cover my carpet because Koda digs at the carpet.
- any spaces under doors, behind or under shelves/dressers, under the bed, etc should be checked - even if it seems too small - a 1" gap is all that they need to get their head through, and when the head fits, so does the body usually. They will stash secret "chew toys" in these places, use them as escape routes (under the door!), or potentially get stuck (so block it off entirely, or make the hole/gap bigger)
- holes or cracks in the walls where plumbing goes in/out in bathrooms, windows, gaps under cabinets, anything like that can be an escape route or a get-stuck place
- litter boxes in every corner, toys and blankets in any corner not occupied by a litter box.
Safety
Ferret Proofing
Things to Look Out For
Toy Safety
Hard plastic toys are the best toys. They are a lot harder to destroy and non-chewable...for the most part. Good toys are baby toys that do not have rubber pieces, noise making toys, and foraging toys. Toys should have no small parts for the ferret to chew or tear off, and ABSOLUTELY NO RUBBER!!!! If you have any rubber toy, it MUST be HARD rubber and inspected Daily for any signs of chewing or missing pieces! This is VERY VERY important! I had to pay $800 to have rubber removed from Koda's stomach. You do NOT want your ferret to chew on rubber toys! Period. It can be life threatening. The best thing to do is to adhere to the NO RUBBER rule.
In my house, rubber items do not enter the play room. I do have some rubber items in my bedroom and Shane's room where they also play, but we keep them out of reach and locked away in sealed containers that are ferret proof and in a spot where the item cannot inadvertently fall onto the ground to be found by a sneaky ferret.
Toys should not have small places that the ferret could get tangled or stuck. Long strings are strangling dangers, ropes can be eaten and (if enough is eaten) cause blockages. Tennis balls can be chewed up and usually have rubber lines and insides that are tasty to nibble. Paper towel or TP tubes are ok but there is a very definite risk of getting the fert's head stuck in the tube so you should always supervise play time with these toys. A toy that Koda really liked was a TP tube with a cat jingle ball stuck inside. The ends of the tube were smooshed so that the ball could not fall out, but Koda could see it and hear it. haha Jingle balls by the way, can be bitten and broken, at which point the bell inside can be eaten. The best jingle toys are solid, such as the Marshalls Dance and Dook Sports Balls jingly toy set. These do not have little holes for ferret teeth to get wedged in (and possibly stuck) and thus are not as easily broken open.
If it fits in their mouth, it can be eaten. If it doesn't, it can probably still be eaten, but will be a lot harder to eat. Tunnels and mazes are GREAT for outside of the cage. You can collect and connect boxes (cardboard boxes, liter bottles, black drainage pipes...anything works) to make mazes, and rearrange them to make new mazes. Hide treats in the mazes for even more fun!
Stuffed animals should NOT have ANY hard plastic eyes or noses! Stuffing is important too. Ferrets can rip open the stuffies and eat the stuffing. There is a thread around here somewhere about a type of stuffing in children's stuffed toys that turns to gel in animals' stomachs and kill them. Children's Toys are often treated with a flame retardant that makes the stuffing VERY toxic. If you use stuffies try to stick with ones made for pets. These tend to be a bit sturdier anyways.
Scrivenger's Retreat makes THE best ferret stuffies. They are adorable, high quality, and a very good price!
www.etsy.com/shop/scrivenerferret?ref=seller_info
Small stashable stuffies are great toys too, like McDondalds toys and such.
Here are a few toy suggestions...
Hard plastic balls
Babble Balls
Very Well Rinsed Medicine Bottles filled with rice and beans and other rattling objects
baby rattles
McDonald's Toys (NO small parts)
Crinkle Tunnels
Crochet/Derby Eggs
I want something like this...
www.google.com/products/catalog?q....ed=0CGwQ8wIwAA#
Hard Plastic Blocks that are a good size to be carried...
www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-B....&ci_sku=6006715
www.ferret.com/Search.aspx?PageNo....sort=descending
www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-H5703-Activity-Tunnel/dp/B0007WWZKO
www.ferret.com/item/marshall-pet-octo-play-ferret-interactive-toy/650847/
www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104....90000066660511P
Foraging Toys:
www.petco.com/product/109703/Supe....at=FerretHPToys
www.petsmart.com/product/index.js....r:referralID=NA
www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr....LAID=525384 414
Foraging Toys
These are a great way to keep only ferrets out of trouble when you are busy or not at home. Have several types of foraging toys. Put treats in some of them, and hide them in different places. The next day, put treats in different ones, and hide them all in new places. That way they have to check every toy every day because they never know which one will have a treat in it! and they have to figure it out to get to it!
Digging and Accidents - Protect Your Floors
Remember that for ferrets, digging is an instinct and you will probably never be able to completely prevent your ferret from digging! If you can, replacing the carpet with linoleum or tile, or having a carpet-free play area is a good idea. If you do have carpet that cannot be replaced, there are a few options. The first is to buy plastic covers that office chairs roll on. These are great as well because they will also protect the floor from accidents.
www.google.com/search?client=fire....4caab9999a5d8d0
The second option is to get a few sturdy, berber rugs. Get enough to cover a little more than the space that you have so that they can overlap, and cover the entire area with them. If you have to tape them down do it from underneath! If you put the tape on top, the ferret will have all kinds of fun tearing up the tape (and eventually getting under the rugs and digging anyways), and even chewing the tape! Tape the overlaps together underneath if you can, and use rolls of duct tape (like you would for taping a present) under the mats to stick it to the carpet below all along the edges and corners. It helps of areas - esp the edges/corners - are weighed down by heavy furniture - the bed, the ferret cage, the dresser, etc.
The BEST way to secure the rugs however is to use either a staple gun with sturdy staples (this should not ruin your carpet underneath if done correctly) or small nails at regular intervals. Be sure to hammer them down all the way so they are not easily pulled up and no sharp nail heads are left jutting up to be stepped on by you or the ferrets.
The key places to get are under the door, along any edges (ie the edge of the dresser, and along the walls), and under things - for example I had a large reptile cage that Koda could climb under. Because it was like a cozy den under the cage, he liked to try to dig cozy tunnels from his "den." For underneath doors, you can cut the plastic or rug to wrap around the door frame and outside of the door - otherwise the ferret can and will dig at the edge of the rug/plastic where it gets to the door. For along walls, it is good to set the rug/plastic up a bit so that it runs along the floor, then bends and goes up the wall an inch or so. Then tape it to the wall, or weigh it down. Stapling along the edges very well will help to secure it as well. Otherwise, destructo-ferret will dig at the seam where carpet meets wall. (and accidents can leak into the seam). Once the carpet is covered, let them dig the plastic or rugs to their little heart's content if you so please.
Chewing
Chewing is...well...a PAIN in the butt let me tell you! I have a world Champion chewer. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot to do about chewing habits other than to make things SUPER safe. I only buy hard plastic toys, and toys with NO small parts. Stuffed animals must not have eyeballs or noses as they will be chewed off. Rubber will be chewed, small parts will be eaten. Anything and everything is moved out of reach. I check toys regularly for damage, and I toss out any that begin to show wear. Other toys are only for supervised play time.
Around the cage make sure that everything is out of reach by a good distance. Otherwise, your ferret will reach out and pull things into the cage, or at the least, close enough to reach. He can then - you guessed it! - CHEW on them!
I have tired a variety of sprays and hated them all. Honestly? Vinegar worked the best by FAR! Don't bother wasting time or money on the bitter sprays. The best thing to do is to ensure that there is nothing in the play area that can be chewed on and any cords or other chewables that you cannot remove are blocked off or out of reach.l
I hid all of my cords that I could in a box. I will try to get a picture if I can remember. As I said, anything and everything else has been discovered via the ferret proofing and re-proofing process and moved out of reach. And then of course, when he finds new ways to new spots - moved to a new out of reach. And repeat.
...I think I covered most of the basics, but I am sure I'll remember more (Koda will remind me) or Koda will show me any new things that pop up...
And never forget this motto:
A Bored Ferret is a Destructive Ferret!
Many of my categories will run into each other as it is all related, so sorry about any repetition, mixing and matching. Also, I do NOT take credit for all of these ideas, much of this is what was recommended to me by other forum members and what I found did or did not work.
Ferret Proofing and Safety
Ferrets can levitate, fly, climb walls and ceilings like spider man, push things much bigger and heavier than they are across a room to climb up to reach things, knock things over to create bridges, you name it! Many ferrets, like Koda, also have very accurate rubber detectors in their noses. If it is rubber, and it exists, it will be found eventually.
You should learn to become VERY alert and sensitive to the sound of chewing and smacking. It is usually an indication that the ferret has found something to eat that does not belong in its mouth (unless you have treats laying around, but better to check and be safe) or is chewing a toy - potentially to pieces. Shane and I are at the point now where we can hear Koda chewing across the room with the stereo on. Even studying or watching movies, we have a subconscious ear out for chewing. Excessive? No! I can't count the number of times that alertness/ability led to me keeping Koda from eating some random piece of rubber or plastic or foam...where he gets these things sometimes is beyond me. Oh the joys of ferrets...
Here are some things to watch out for. Make sure these items are either (preferably) completely removed from the area or at the least locked away or blocked off so that they are not accessible.
Electrical Cords
- - ANYTHING rubber!!!!
Anything with rubber feet ie tables, stools, reptile cages, alarm clocks, computers - esp lap tops...check the bottoms of every item in the room for rubber feet.
Remote controls
They will be found, and chewed off and most likely eaten and cause a potential blockage. I thought that I had cleared out every rubber item in my room. Koda was chewing on the leg of a hard plastic stool I had. Thinking that he was just being a brat, I ignored it. I checked the stool and didn't see any signs of teeth marks or pieces coming off, so I let him chew. I then noticed that he had something in his mouth. I rushed over to discover a little unknown rubber piece...I checked the stool again and saw on each leg was a small rubber piece to keep it from scratching the floor and give it grip. Well, Koda had one piece, one was on the stool, and 2 were missing! This of course sent me into a panic (thinking he had eaten it) until I found them.
The other night Koda was playing in a series of cardboard boxes I set up as tunnels and caves. I heard a chewing noise and looked up to see him on top of the box trying to bite the box. I realized what he was doing and went over there to stop him - the box had some superglue on it. It was flat, and well attached to the box from packaging or whatever. He managed to slip his teeth under the thin layer of glue and pull it off the chew on right as I got to him!
Check all toys and boxes for superglue! Some toys use superglue to hold pieces on (such as these cheap cat toys that are caged in jungle balls with feathers on each end, the feathers are super glued onto the plastic toy).
- Superglue on toys and boxes
- Small plastic pieces such as the tag holders from new toys or clothes
- Stuffed toys with hard plastic eyes or noses
- PENCILS
- anything non-ferret toy that is sitting on something that can be bumped (Koda will bump my table to make it wiggle so things fall off)
- Box Spring Mattresses, Couches, etc - they can get inside and dig, which rips up the lining and foam on the inside, which can then be eaten
(One way I have found to remedy this is to put a fitted sheet on the bottom of the box spring. So far they have not figured out how to get in it nor have they ripped a hole. I used a very thick, sturdy, fleece fitted sheet)
- anything that is shorter than 3 feet tall can be jumped on or climbed
- anything (Point A) within a 3 foot distance of something else (Point B) can be used as a jumping board to reach Point B.
- anything that is not 100% sheer and vertical can be climbed
- most things that are tall, sheer, and vertical can be climbed
- drawers can be used as ladders, even if they are almsot flush with the dresser or cabinet they are on.
- drawers can also be used from behind (to get inside) as a fun network to get to other drawers, things in the drawers (drawstings, socks, etc) and things on top of the dresser/cabinet
- drawstrings (and shoe strings), esp with knots or plastic shoestring ends they can eat the ends of the drawstrings, and the knotted or plastic tipped ones are especially tasty
- socks and gloves (Koda's personal favorite) can be chewed and eaten. Koda had a fun stash of his favorite toys - my gloves - and I found them all with holes in them and fingers chewed off.
- zipper pulls - if they are not the metal ones that are very firmly attached (ie plastic, decorative, rubber pulls) they can be pulled off eventually and eaten
- laptop cases are fun to play inside of and dig/chew holes in
- lap top cases, back packs, briefcases, etc are also fun to play in and have many straps, strings, and other fun pieces that can be chewed on
- leather is fun to dig holes in until you can chew it and eat it
- velcro is crunchy and feels good to massage ferret gums with. It tastes good and can be eaten. If you have anything attached by velcro beware - the sticky back is rubbery, and that plus the velcro itself makes for a sticky, rubbery, chewy, crunchy chewing sensation that can be eaten and cause a blockage (velcro is probably Koda's favorite chew toy of all time - he will ignore anything else in the room if velcro is present)
- Zippers! If something is in a zippered case/bag it is NOT SAFE from the ferret! It does not take long for a persistent, bored ferret (this is where having a second ferret as a distraction is very nice) to figure out how to open a zipper from the inside and the outside
FACT: Ferrets have opposable thumbs that are invisible to the human eye If you think they can't open it or climb it, think again!
- anything that can be pushed across the room (even if it is way heavier than the ferret) will be used as a ladder to reach things
- if it is in the room long enough they will find it
- if you think they have it out of reach, they will reach it
- if they try enough times, they will jump that extra 3 feet, or climb that slick, sheer, vertical object.
- thin plastic objects can be cracked by teeth (think of what they do to bones!) and cut up the mouth, or be eaten (even tiny shards that break off when it cracks may be swallowed on accident) and cause a blockage and possible internal bleeding as it cuts all of the organs it passes through
- hair ties and headbands (and anything elastic) - they have rubber on the inside
- tinfoil is crunchy and nice to chew on don't ask why - it is a top secret method of psychic radio communication between ferrets around the world to achieve world domination
- phone cases are chewy
- it is a good idea to put down tile, hardwood, or cheap linoleum flooring. I use cheap, huge berber (indestructible!) rugs to cover my carpet because Koda digs at the carpet.
- any spaces under doors, behind or under shelves/dressers, under the bed, etc should be checked - even if it seems too small - a 1" gap is all that they need to get their head through, and when the head fits, so does the body usually. They will stash secret "chew toys" in these places, use them as escape routes (under the door!), or potentially get stuck (so block it off entirely, or make the hole/gap bigger)
- holes or cracks in the walls where plumbing goes in/out in bathrooms, windows, gaps under cabinets, anything like that can be an escape route or a get-stuck place
- litter boxes in every corner, toys and blankets in any corner not occupied by a litter box.
Safety
Ferret Proofing
Things to Look Out For
Toy Safety
Hard plastic toys are the best toys. They are a lot harder to destroy and non-chewable...for the most part. Good toys are baby toys that do not have rubber pieces, noise making toys, and foraging toys. Toys should have no small parts for the ferret to chew or tear off, and ABSOLUTELY NO RUBBER!!!! If you have any rubber toy, it MUST be HARD rubber and inspected Daily for any signs of chewing or missing pieces! This is VERY VERY important! I had to pay $800 to have rubber removed from Koda's stomach. You do NOT want your ferret to chew on rubber toys! Period. It can be life threatening. The best thing to do is to adhere to the NO RUBBER rule.
In my house, rubber items do not enter the play room. I do have some rubber items in my bedroom and Shane's room where they also play, but we keep them out of reach and locked away in sealed containers that are ferret proof and in a spot where the item cannot inadvertently fall onto the ground to be found by a sneaky ferret.
Toys should not have small places that the ferret could get tangled or stuck. Long strings are strangling dangers, ropes can be eaten and (if enough is eaten) cause blockages. Tennis balls can be chewed up and usually have rubber lines and insides that are tasty to nibble. Paper towel or TP tubes are ok but there is a very definite risk of getting the fert's head stuck in the tube so you should always supervise play time with these toys. A toy that Koda really liked was a TP tube with a cat jingle ball stuck inside. The ends of the tube were smooshed so that the ball could not fall out, but Koda could see it and hear it. haha Jingle balls by the way, can be bitten and broken, at which point the bell inside can be eaten. The best jingle toys are solid, such as the Marshalls Dance and Dook Sports Balls jingly toy set. These do not have little holes for ferret teeth to get wedged in (and possibly stuck) and thus are not as easily broken open.
If it fits in their mouth, it can be eaten. If it doesn't, it can probably still be eaten, but will be a lot harder to eat. Tunnels and mazes are GREAT for outside of the cage. You can collect and connect boxes (cardboard boxes, liter bottles, black drainage pipes...anything works) to make mazes, and rearrange them to make new mazes. Hide treats in the mazes for even more fun!
Stuffed animals should NOT have ANY hard plastic eyes or noses! Stuffing is important too. Ferrets can rip open the stuffies and eat the stuffing. There is a thread around here somewhere about a type of stuffing in children's stuffed toys that turns to gel in animals' stomachs and kill them. Children's Toys are often treated with a flame retardant that makes the stuffing VERY toxic. If you use stuffies try to stick with ones made for pets. These tend to be a bit sturdier anyways.
Scrivenger's Retreat makes THE best ferret stuffies. They are adorable, high quality, and a very good price!
www.etsy.com/shop/scrivenerferret?ref=seller_info
Small stashable stuffies are great toys too, like McDondalds toys and such.
Here are a few toy suggestions...
Hard plastic balls
Babble Balls
Very Well Rinsed Medicine Bottles filled with rice and beans and other rattling objects
baby rattles
McDonald's Toys (NO small parts)
Crinkle Tunnels
Crochet/Derby Eggs
I want something like this...
www.google.com/products/catalog?q....ed=0CGwQ8wIwAA#
Hard Plastic Blocks that are a good size to be carried...
www.walmart.com/ip/Fisher-Price-B....&ci_sku=6006715
www.ferret.com/Search.aspx?PageNo....sort=descending
www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-H5703-Activity-Tunnel/dp/B0007WWZKO
www.ferret.com/item/marshall-pet-octo-play-ferret-interactive-toy/650847/
www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104....90000066660511P
Foraging Toys:
www.petco.com/product/109703/Supe....at=FerretHPToys
www.petsmart.com/product/index.js....r:referralID=NA
www.drsfostersmith.com/product/pr....LAID=525384 414
Foraging Toys
These are a great way to keep only ferrets out of trouble when you are busy or not at home. Have several types of foraging toys. Put treats in some of them, and hide them in different places. The next day, put treats in different ones, and hide them all in new places. That way they have to check every toy every day because they never know which one will have a treat in it! and they have to figure it out to get to it!
Digging and Accidents - Protect Your Floors
Remember that for ferrets, digging is an instinct and you will probably never be able to completely prevent your ferret from digging! If you can, replacing the carpet with linoleum or tile, or having a carpet-free play area is a good idea. If you do have carpet that cannot be replaced, there are a few options. The first is to buy plastic covers that office chairs roll on. These are great as well because they will also protect the floor from accidents.
www.google.com/search?client=fire....4caab9999a5d8d0
The second option is to get a few sturdy, berber rugs. Get enough to cover a little more than the space that you have so that they can overlap, and cover the entire area with them. If you have to tape them down do it from underneath! If you put the tape on top, the ferret will have all kinds of fun tearing up the tape (and eventually getting under the rugs and digging anyways), and even chewing the tape! Tape the overlaps together underneath if you can, and use rolls of duct tape (like you would for taping a present) under the mats to stick it to the carpet below all along the edges and corners. It helps of areas - esp the edges/corners - are weighed down by heavy furniture - the bed, the ferret cage, the dresser, etc.
The BEST way to secure the rugs however is to use either a staple gun with sturdy staples (this should not ruin your carpet underneath if done correctly) or small nails at regular intervals. Be sure to hammer them down all the way so they are not easily pulled up and no sharp nail heads are left jutting up to be stepped on by you or the ferrets.
The key places to get are under the door, along any edges (ie the edge of the dresser, and along the walls), and under things - for example I had a large reptile cage that Koda could climb under. Because it was like a cozy den under the cage, he liked to try to dig cozy tunnels from his "den." For underneath doors, you can cut the plastic or rug to wrap around the door frame and outside of the door - otherwise the ferret can and will dig at the edge of the rug/plastic where it gets to the door. For along walls, it is good to set the rug/plastic up a bit so that it runs along the floor, then bends and goes up the wall an inch or so. Then tape it to the wall, or weigh it down. Stapling along the edges very well will help to secure it as well. Otherwise, destructo-ferret will dig at the seam where carpet meets wall. (and accidents can leak into the seam). Once the carpet is covered, let them dig the plastic or rugs to their little heart's content if you so please.
Chewing
Chewing is...well...a PAIN in the butt let me tell you! I have a world Champion chewer. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot to do about chewing habits other than to make things SUPER safe. I only buy hard plastic toys, and toys with NO small parts. Stuffed animals must not have eyeballs or noses as they will be chewed off. Rubber will be chewed, small parts will be eaten. Anything and everything is moved out of reach. I check toys regularly for damage, and I toss out any that begin to show wear. Other toys are only for supervised play time.
Around the cage make sure that everything is out of reach by a good distance. Otherwise, your ferret will reach out and pull things into the cage, or at the least, close enough to reach. He can then - you guessed it! - CHEW on them!
I have tired a variety of sprays and hated them all. Honestly? Vinegar worked the best by FAR! Don't bother wasting time or money on the bitter sprays. The best thing to do is to ensure that there is nothing in the play area that can be chewed on and any cords or other chewables that you cannot remove are blocked off or out of reach.l
I hid all of my cords that I could in a box. I will try to get a picture if I can remember. As I said, anything and everything else has been discovered via the ferret proofing and re-proofing process and moved out of reach. And then of course, when he finds new ways to new spots - moved to a new out of reach. And repeat.
...I think I covered most of the basics, but I am sure I'll remember more (Koda will remind me) or Koda will show me any new things that pop up...