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Post by pastelsummer on Feb 22, 2011 15:09:08 GMT -5
i put him in his play pen and he wont play! what can i give him so he will play? he just walk around sniff and lays down looking at me with a bored look. I swear if i left him in his cage all day he would just sleep 24/7
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 22, 2011 15:17:54 GMT -5
How old is he? Is he usually lower energy or is this unusual behavior for him? Have you ruled out anything medical?
If he's healthy and just not interested in playing, maybe he's bored with his current toys/surroundings. One of the down sides to ferret intelligence is how quickly they get bored if not introduced to new things regularly. Try giving him something new to play with. It doesn't have to be a store bought toy, it can be something as simple as a few boxes taped together or a two liter soda bottle with something interesting inside to make sound when it's rolled. You could also try moving his pen to a different location for a change of scenery.
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Post by pastelsummer on Feb 22, 2011 15:20:16 GMT -5
he has never been interested in playing since i had him he is about 3 now. almost 3 1/2 he is just lazy lol always has been. when the weather gets warm again i am planning to take him outside on the sidewalk to play out there but this is what he does all day in his cage or not  |
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Post by sherik on Feb 22, 2011 15:24:07 GMT -5
Hes probably bored. I have a ferret, Huck. If you do not got down on the ground and actually play with him, all he would do is slepp.
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Post by bluemoose on Feb 22, 2011 15:26:21 GMT -5
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Post by pastelsummer on Feb 22, 2011 15:38:09 GMT -5
does anyone know how to make one? I spend most of my ferret budget getting him his food lol with not alot left over for toys
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 15:56:09 GMT -5
As someone else said, ferrets love if you get on the floor and play with them. Simply chase him around, put a towel on top of him and most will jump at it, put sweatshirt in there so he can use the sleeves as tubes, we put a fleece blanket out for them to crawl in (which is the only one Booth wont chew on for some reason), put boxes with holes cut in it and they love to pop out the top or sides and grab your hands, ping pong balls they loooove to push around with their noses, put a dig box in there for him, let him play in a shallow tub of water (super vision only).
Sometimes you dont need to even make things for them to enjoy something. just find things lying around you dont use.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 16:29:24 GMT -5
A rectangular baking dish filled with an inch of water is a fun toy, I usuallly put ice cubes and different balls and eggs in there
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Post by Sherry on Feb 22, 2011 20:00:25 GMT -5
Put a towel outside for a couple of hours, so it has new smells. You can also play "towel drag" with him. Mine adore either being dragged around on it, or dancing on and off of it. Give him different dig boxes on a regular basis. You don't need to buy anything for this. Just get a large box, toss in grass clippings, leaves, plastic bags(supervision only), towels, dirty clothes(prior to putting them in the wash).
Yes, cardboard castles duct taped together. You can make your own tubes with the two liter pop bottles. Just cut the tops/bottoms off, and tape together. Tie a small toy on the end of some yarn, and "dance" it for him to chase.
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Post by goingpostal on Feb 22, 2011 20:50:23 GMT -5
Is the playpen and cage the only places he's allowed? My ferrets have a huge room to themselves, but they still get out in the rest of the house for fun time, I rotate, sometimes we go in my room, sometimes the kitty/lizard room, the bathroom, down the stairs, outside. They go nuts, but if I leave them in their room 24/7 they play, but don't get as excited goofy as new areas make them. Ferrets love to explore IME, they love new toys, they will be extremely bored with same old stuff over and over. They are smart animals and they need a lot of attention and enrichment.
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Post by pastelsummer on Feb 22, 2011 23:58:50 GMT -5
my house is 50+ years old it has alot of tiny places that he could sneak out of if we are not super careful and with two toddlers that isnt always possible i want to convert a room somewhere into a playroom for him where he has more room to play but it will be awhile until i can do that
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Post by taratee on Feb 23, 2011 0:07:35 GMT -5
a cheap idea of something to do is to get small boxes cut holes in them and tape them together, like pop boxes or shoe boxes maybe make tubes for it i mean he might not spazz out but it will provide him with something to do tiny steps
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Post by goingpostal on Feb 23, 2011 0:33:35 GMT -5
It's pretty easy to convert most rooms, my house is 90+ years, we took off a door and put in a plexiglass gate, took out the carpet and put plastic sheeting over the hardwoods, repainted to look nice and bam! Ferret room.
It seems to me that your ferret is probably very bored, and under exercised, ferrets need to be able to stretch and run, can you buy a bigger playpen or ferret proof one room decently enough he can be out under supervision? Maybe run him up and down your stairs if you have some, or bring him in your bathroom or kitchen if they are tile and safe, just watch out for appliances in the kitchen.
Has he ever had more play room then the pen? How much out of cage time does he get? Do you have a leash and harness, could you take him outside at all? Even if it's cold, he'd enjoy some short trips, or if you live in nice weather areas could you make a small outdoor enclosure, something he could dig and mess up? Ferrets love to dig, and roll around in stuff. If you don't have a dig box I would make one.
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Post by shilohismygirl on Mar 3, 2011 8:10:43 GMT -5
Foraging toys are simple to make. I took a soda bottle (wash out), cut a hole (nose or paw sized) in the side, covered the raw edges with packing tape so nobody gets hurt, and put a treat in there. I usually use a 20 oz. Seriously, they roll it around for ever trying to get to the treat. Sherry told me once, to wrap up their food in small pieces of newspaper and let them unwrap. With that, you'll want to ball up some empty pieces of paper too, so that they can really sift through them all. Mine loved that too-
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Post by Sherry on Mar 3, 2011 10:40:55 GMT -5
He is most definitely bored, and needs more stimulation. There are a number of good suggestions on here that you should be able to use given the surroundings. It just takes a bit more work on your part than it would if he were able to run amok  ;D |
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