Playpen instead of a cage?

[Deleted]

Hi! It's definitely been awhile, and I really hope this is the right place to be asking, but I have a question!
So my ferret cage has served me faithfully for about a year now, but I've run into a bit of of a snag.
Being in the military, I don't really get to pick and chose my work hours, and recently our shifts changed trom 7am-4pm M-F, I was moved to panamas, meaning my shift is 7am-7pm, and I also have two dogs who I have to care for, meaning my ferrets normally get about an hour to two hours out of their crate as appose to the four hours minimum they use to get, and I'm not okay with that at all.
So I decided to move them out of my basement and upstairs into my office, but I left the cage down there and instead set them up into a much more spacious playpen.
While they haven't escaped yet, I have a feeling it's only just a matter of time until one of my weasels manages to get out somehow.

I was wondering if anyone had any safe and effective ideas as to how to keep them from climbing out? I was thinking about putting a wooden board on top, but I am way too afraid of them somehow knocking it down and hurting themselves.

Thank you so much!

[Heather]

Some have used tubing along the upper edge. Similar to drainage tube, you slit it and mount it on top of the rim of the playpen. Depending on the play pen and the ferrets as to how effective this might be. I've actually purchased a Marshals tarp that fits on the top of the play pen.
ciao

[Deleted]

We had a play pen set up forever and I LOVED it now. (Now they have their own room, little spoiled babies) I recommend getting a thin sheet and covering the pen and 'locking' it in place with clothes pins! This is the only thing that worked for us. best of luck to your new set up! (dance)

[Deleted]

A couple of mine will jump and climb out if there is any thing that they can stand on to get like 4 inches higher. The above ideas are great, I might try those myself.

[raynebc]

My four ferrets live in a pen made of Marshalls fencing. The only times they've ever been able to get close to the top of the pen is when they had a tall box or object to climb on. Some ferrets are much more adept at escaping, I've seen some crazy videos of ferrets leaping off of things to try to scale a fence.

[Deleted]

Our fuzzie playpen actually has a removable zipper top, and I'm glad because Kai is a climber!

She loves her playpen: we keep her rice box, a tunnel, some blankets, and toys in there for her to romp around with. I also like that it has a built-in water holder and a hole for the nozzle. You can also easily remove the bottom and put it into the washing machine for cleaning, and it is super easy to fold up and take places with you in the carrying sack - and it is not heavy at all. It comes in three sizes; we got the large because it was affordable and provides enough room for play without being too large to put into a room, but I think any size would be appreciated by your fuzzie(s). The one we purchased is called a Best Choice Products Pet Puppy Dog Playpen Exercise Pen Kennel - I know it says it's a puppy kennel, but if you read the product reviews people use it for all sorts of small animals with success. It comes in a few different colors too. There are others that are similar so just do some research, and pick out what you think is best for your situation - as always!

Fuzzie Playpen

bestchoiceproducts.com/products/pet-playpen-45-exercise-puppy-dog-pen-kennel-folding-design-easy-storage

We do also have a collapsible metal playpen, but it's a bit cumbersome and heavy, and we really prefer this one all said.