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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2011 12:00:08 GMT -5
I gave in and bought the marshalls octopus, they have the elephant and though they dont LOVE it but they play with it at times, so I thought why not..... zeke has only flipped it several times trying to get under it, Neka attacks the top, and Luna is trying to stash it in the big tunnel... none of them has tried going IN it! The other toy is like a race track that has a ball inside, you can see it but can't get it (a cat toy). Not sure if they like.... think it's making them frustrated more then anything LOL. I added two of their favourite balls to the track. After a few minutes of trying to get the ball out Zeke said forget it and dragged the whole track to his hidey hole! lol Luna on the other hand managed to get her head stuck in it... upside down! Think this one is going back. LOL I haven't had much luck with toys. The best was the little pool... though they are getting bored with it now, so wanted to switch it out with something else for a bit. What I really wanted were some foraging toys, but no one had anything that they couldn't/wouldn't destroy/eat.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2011 12:22:02 GMT -5
Oh, the Octopus is fun (in fact, Paulie was playing on one as a kit when he stole my heart). Stick your hand through one of the holes and out the other to lure them in--works to get Paulie playing! Sometimes, you have to show a fert the fun of a new toy. And it doesn't hurt that they invent their own.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2011 12:22:59 GMT -5
Yeah, keeping up with them and their fickle sense of interest is something else!
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Post by katt on Jun 4, 2011 12:59:28 GMT -5
Yeah, keeping up with them and their fickle sense of interest is something else! You're telling me! ;D The problem I have is that my boys have systematically eliminated 90% of the toys they could play with. Softer plastic, anything rubbery of course is a no go. No stuffies with hard eyes/noses because they get chewed off. Nothing with strings/knots because they get chewed off. No gluvs because they get eaten. No cat-ball jingle toys because Kenai cracks them open. Nothing too tall because Kenai can't climb/jump very confidently or well.... Is there ANYTHING they CAN play with?! lol
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2011 14:10:49 GMT -5
new "toy" idea... My cats destroyed their tree, so I went to home depot and bought some of the bulk carpet to re-upholster the cat tree. Of course I ended up with way too much so I rolled it up and stuck in a closet. The boys found it and have been playing with it for a solid week now. I guess its like a giant tube with multiple paths to take. They scratch this instead of my *real carpet* (knock on wood) and one goes underneath while another "hunts" on top when its unrolled. Of course all their real toys go ignored
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Post by melcab on Jun 5, 2011 6:34:08 GMT -5
Katt, when you say "anything rubbery" does that include kong toy rubber? (the bubbly cone shaped things used primarily for dogs that you can stuff treats in, if you're familiar with those) That seems to be a pretty resilient rubber. The point (for dogs) is to chew on it. I have one for my dog, not my ferrets, but if I understand correctly, that's a sort of "foraging toy" right? Could that work?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2011 6:40:39 GMT -5
I think some ferrets can chew through those and knowing Koda he would probably be able to chew it up
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Post by Sherry on Jun 5, 2011 9:28:02 GMT -5
They can certainly chew slivers off of them. And those slivers can build up over a short time in the tummy
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2011 21:03:31 GMT -5
no, no kongs for Koda.... I'm sure someone will think of something that Koda and Kenai can safely play with....
3Kaw, try filling their pool with something different.... shredded paper, leaves from the bushes or trees outside, bows (like the ones you get at christmas), or starch peanuts...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2011 21:04:40 GMT -5
oooh just thinking, maybe you could put one of their tubes in the pool and then fill it with something new that way they ahve to work at it to get to the tube? does that make sense? not sure I wrote what I'm envisioning....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2011 21:31:35 GMT -5
hmm that's a good thought Rose! I have lots of shredded paper.....
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2011 22:14:32 GMT -5
I bought the octopus also. mine hated it until I physically put their head into the arm hole. then they relized what it was for and now they love it.
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Post by katt on Jun 5, 2011 22:53:27 GMT -5
Nope. Kong rubber will not work. Koda will even chew up and destroy Plastic toys if the plastic isn't hard enough. There's very little that those teeth can't make their way through. Darn strong jaws from eating raw bones!
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Post by melcab on Jun 6, 2011 12:27:24 GMT -5
Sheesh! LOL It's making me nervous now. I'm afraid to give/buy anything for my guys. Even stuff labeled specifically for ferrets might not be appropriate for them. Wish companies would do a little research before putting out products. What are the general rules for ferret-safe(er) toys?
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Post by katt on Jun 6, 2011 13:22:54 GMT -5
No small parts No hard pieces on soft toys or soft pieces on hard toys (ie eyeballs/noses on stuffies) NO rubber in ANY shape texture or form No soft plastic (if you can push your fingernail into it even a toy bit it is soft enough to be eaten, and sometimes if you can't it still is - think hard plastics like pill bottles and sand shoves for kids) No smaller pieces on a larger whole (ie I found an X Men action figure I was going to give them, but the hair was flowing out a bit from the body so they could have chewed on the parts stickig out) No glue - often toys use hot glue to put feathers and such on, this is almost as tasty as rubber No strings - they can get tangled or eat them (also depends on ferrets not all ferrets eat strings and ribbons) No Velcro No small plastics (noisemakers) inside - the ferret will try to remove it No poorly sewn stuffies (Scriveners Retreat is AWESOME) No cat-ball jingle toys that can be cracked open I know there's more but that is what comes to mind off the bat. Keep in mind hese are My rules for the notorious Koda! He has a horrible oral fixation and will chew almost anything he can get his paws on. Some toys other ferrets can have - like I said above not all ferrets will eat string, or velcro. Some chew up stuffs and rip the stuffing out of them, others do not. It's about knowing your ferrets. I'll try to get some pictures of some toys I use for my boys. I have WAY more toys than they are actually allowed to play with. *facepalm* And some of the "rules" I listed I dot follow Super closely but rather just test per-toy. Like they do NOT get any stuffies with eyeballs/noses, but they certainly get toys with strings ropes and ribbons and I just watch closely for signs of nibbling. If they leave it alone they keep thetoy, but the second someone figures out they can eat it the toy goes away. Some good toy ideas: old pill/medicine/vitamin bottles. Wash VERY well to remove medicine residues and fill with different rattles. I have rice, noodles, and little plastic caps off of microcentrifuge tubes from lab... So each thing has a different rattle. Also the Marshalls Dance and Dook jingle bell toys are good because the astir is solid so they can't get their teeth in to crack it. Scrivener's Retreats makes incredible stuffies, squeaky toys, bell toys, and teasers. And any random hard plastic things. Lol
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