Ferret issues

[shadowpaints]

hey all . i have 2, 3 year old female spayed ferrets. they have both started doing something odd this last week they are digging at the bottom of their cage, on the plastic tray. its driving me up the WALL! last nite Ziva the white one did it all nite non stop does anyone have any experiance with this? im to the point now that i cant sleep at all and now its waking up my daughters at night.

they get good quality ferret food and have plenty of fresh water, and have a ton of toys to play with

thanks for any help!

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Try providing them with a deep dish of sand/dirt or bedding (with fleece or something tough but soft at the bottom so their claws don't keep you up if they hit the bottom. Reward them for digging in this container. provide them with hiding places in their cage. That may help.

 

[ScissorChick]

Digging is a natural ferret behavior.

Try giving them a special 'dig box'. Let them out to roam

around and play as much as possible. It's recommended you give them

no less than 3 hours outside of the cage daily. If that cannot be done,

get them a playpen. Put a soft blanket down were they scratch the most.

Good luck

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

They are bored. Try a large Rubbermaid box with popcorn kernals in it. I got a large bag of unpopped popcorn at Sam's Club and it filled the tub right up. Mine LOVED it and would dig for hours. It was the best toy ever.

Keep in mind that ferrets are somewhat nocturnal. They are awake and ready to play. Can you move the cage to another room so their playing won't keep you and your daughter awake? The more things they have to do the better behaved they will be. Try making tunnels of that black landscape tube you can get at Home Depot or Lowe's. You can get elbows and Ts and Y shaped pieces that just snap together. Mine would play tag in and out. The parts can pull apart to be rearranged when the ferrets get bored with it. Plus they are easy to wash.

Things to burrow in and tunnel through are great. Interactive toys keep them interested. Boxes and whatnot are great. Try filling a box with crumpled newspaper and cut some holes in it at floor level. Hide some treats in there too and they will rummage about.

I have had ferrets for almost 20 years now. The best set up I had was a playroom just for them. There were toys and tunnels and boxes and all sorts of stuff. I could close the door at night and let them bang around to their heart's content.

Good luck!

 

[thebritt]

Quote:
A digging medium is a good idea, however, I caution against using fleece - I once had a girl that slept in and dug in her fleece blanket and she got "foreign body pneuminia" from the inhaled fuzz

She survived, but vet visits for weasles are not cheap!

 

[BCBunnies]

When I had my rescue ferrets we used a rubbermaid tote filled partway with long grain rice. The dry rice helped absorb extra oils and left them with a nice smell after digging in it plus providing them with some nice clean digging fun. The rescue lady I got them from had been using this as an enrichment toy for her ferrets for years.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

The problem with rice is that they can ingest it. That's why the popcorn works fairly well. Plus, rice is virtually impossible to see when you walk barefoot across the floor. You can sure feel it though.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

A digging medium is a good idea, however, I caution against using fleece - I once had a girl that slept in and dug in her fleece blanket and she got "foreign body pneuminia" from the inhaled fuzz sad She survived, but vet visits for weasles are not cheap!

AHA! That's no good!! Thanks so much for posting a warning. It seems to be a pretty popular pet material, but I stay away from it myself, though more from fear of intestinal blockage. I never even would have thought about inhalation problems.​