Part of the appeal of pet ferrets is that they remain playful well into adulthood, but six to eight years (the average lifespan of a ferret) worth of ferret toys can really do a number on your bank account. No worries! All your ferrets need for a rich and wonderful playtime can be found right around your own home.
The Dirty Sock
Strange as it may sound, lots of ferrets go crazy for that stinky foot smell that lingers on your socks well after your feet have left them. This “toy” can be available as often as you change socks (which is every day you wear them, I assume… I hope). If your ferret isn’t into worn socks, or if you just don’t like the idea of your ferret rolling around in dirty laundry, try appealing to his or her innate digging instincts.
The Tub of Beans
Ferrets were made to dig. In fact, the domestic ferrets’ first jobs were to tunnel into rabbit holes and drive out game for their masters to hunt. If you don’t plan to take your ferret hunting anytime soon, give him or her the next best thing: a tub of beans. I use a square, plastic tub made for washing dishes to hold a few bags worth of beans. Each bag costs around two bucks and can usually be found on your pantry shelf. Use a variety of light and dark beans to catch your ferret’s eye. Do keep an eye of your own on your fuzzy to make sure a swallowed bean doesn’t cause a blockage. In my experience, however, they aren’t interested in eating them and if they happen to get curious, the beans pass easily through my ferrets’ digestive tracts. To prevent a mess, use a plastic storage box and cut a hole in the lid. This provides easy access for your ferrets as well as protection for your floor. Don’t forget that hole, though. It lets air in along with your ferrets.
The Old Pants Leg
Every ferret loves a good tunnel. What better use for that old pair of jeans than a couple of tunnels for your furry? Snip off the legs (the pants legs), wear the cutoffs yourself, and use the discarded pieces as toys for your ferts. Put them on the floor for hide-and-seek or use a few safety pins and pieces of string to attach one to the inside of the cage.
The Grocery Sack
My ferrets probably think I go to the grocery store just for the sacks. Whether I choose paper or plastic, grocery bags turn my kitchen floor into a ferret playground. They use the bags for games of hide-and-leap-on-my-leg and tag-you’re-it-oh-well-I’ll-tackle-you-anyway as well as the ever favorite roll-around-and-make-hee-hee-and-dook-dook-noises. One word of caution: always supervise your critters when they’re playing with plastic bags. Suffocation can occur in less time than you think. As a rule of thumb, the thicker the plastic, the better.
The Old Box
This can be any old box: a cereal box, a shoebox, an electronics box. Any old cardboard cube will do. Put your ferret in and watch her hop around to catch your hand, or lay it on its side to make a cave. Cut a few hole near the bottom or on the top and play your own version of whack-a-mole (no whacking, though). Throw in a couple of marbles and watch the party really get started.
The Old Purse
My ferrets are absolutely obsessed with my purse. They must know what’s inside. So, instead of fighting over mine, I gave them one of their own. Just take an old purse and fill it with a few odds and ends: an old hair brush, an empty pen, a blunt nail file – anything your ferret would see as treasure. When the purse is empty, look in your ferrets’ hidey-holes and refill it with the same objects. Do be sure, however, that these objects are ferret proof. There should be nothing that they could chew off and swallow. Anything with buttons (calculators) or rubber (pen grips) are no-nos. Also, be sure that pen is completely empty or just remove the ink all together. You don’t want to end up cleaning ink off your ferret.
The Towel Swing
This may take a bit of coordination on your part, but the end result is well worth it. Take an ordinary bath towel and lay it flat. Then, take the corners and scrunch them together so that they fit in your fists, two corners in each hand. (It should not look like you’re folding the towel. It will vaguely resemble the twisted ends of a gum wrapper.) Now look down. Do you see the little scoop you’ve formed with your towel? That’s where your ferret goes. Now stand up, bend over, spread your legs out, and swing your ferret under them. After every few swings, I set my ferret down (still in the towel scoop) and wiggle the towel a little. She loves it.
The Towel Slide
One of my ferrets loves this and the other looks at me like I’ve gone mad if I try to make her do it. See what your monkey thinks of it. You’ll need a tiled or hardwood floor for this game. Lay the towel flat and grab one end. The other end is for your ferret. Then, pull him or her around like a sled. Take her for a ride around the table, do a doughnut, make a figure eight around a couple of chairs. I promise you’ll get dizzy before your ferret does.
The Bowl of Water
This is another activity that varies from ferret to ferret. One ferret may dive right in, another may just snorkel around, submerging her head and leaving the rest of herself dry. Take that towel you were just using and stick a large flat bowl of water on top of it. A clear glass pan will work just as well. I say clear, because you’ll want to see your ferret from all angles. Mine blow bubbles, splash, and sometimes swim; it’s quite a show. Put a few light-catching stones or marbles in the bottom, and your ferret may fetch them for you. This is another one of those games you should be sure to supervise. You’ll be there to act as lifeguard if the situation calls for it.
Having a ferret can cost you, but with a little creativity, you and your carpet shark can stay entertained without shelling out a penny. Just look around and see what you can find. Oh, and do have fun.
