Ferrets are extremely fun-loving and playful little animals. They love being around people, getting attention, playing games with you, and of course playing games with other ferrets. If you have only one ferret, you’re going to have to make sure you’ve got enough time to spend with him/her or they’ll get lonely and bored and quite possibly depressed. Not only are ferrets playful, but they are smart. Too smart to simply leave in a cage. While the cage may be big enough for a little play, your ferret needs a larger area to run and jump in. He needs a place he can run around like a mad-man in to work off all that energy.
Ferrets need at least four hours of out-of-the-cage time in which you can interact with them, watch them play, and just basically let them run around and be ferrets. Ferrets love games, they love to play games with you and with other ferrets. For a new ferret owner, figuring out games to play can be a little tricky. Some games will send the ferret on a crazy dance of joy while others will send them off the edge on a crazy dance of war (an arched back and bristled fur will tip you off to the unhappy war dance). Every ferret is different so some games may go over swimmingly with one ferret while the other thinks the game is too dull or stupid. You just have to experiment.
Chase games: Most ferrets enjoy a good chasing game. Often times the ferret will chase you and they love it when you run away nice and fast and they can run quickly behind you. (Their little bouncing excited run is adorable!) With a chasing game they also want you to chase them. So, being careful to stop too abruptly and step on your little fuzzy, turn around and chase your ferret back. You’ll find they get really excited and will bounce and run away from you. This means it is extremely fun for them and they are having a good time. If you have two ferrets you can probably see them do this with each other, try playing it with both of them, its double the fun! There are two cautions attached to this game, one is the aforementioned possibility of stopping too quickly and stepping on your fuzzy. Be aware of where they are at all times and be careful where you put your feet! The next caution comes in the reinforcement of bad behavior. Often times if the ferret wants to play they will give you a little nip on the feet, hands, or whatever they can get. While this isn’t meant in a fierce way (it is a “come and play with me” nip) nipping is behavior that should be discouraged. My ferret stands at my feet and looks up with its little puppy dog eyes, rests its head on my feet, or tries to climb up my leg if it wants some playtime or attention. Encourage these sorts of behaviors instead of the nipping. You’re not a ferret, so the nipping can actually hurt a bit.
Tunnel games: Ferrets love a good tunnel! They love climbing inside things and finding their way around. New things to climb through bring a great deal of excitement to a curious little ferret. Try it out, put a pair of pants on the ground and watch your ferret climb into the legs and work its way up. Often times ferrets even curl up in these little tunnels and sleep. If you don’t want your ferret tunneling through your clothes you’ll have to keep them off the ground, and try building or buying some tunnels for him to play in. Simple large piping can work great! Extra boxes or sheets also make good tunnels. Just make sure you don’t step on them, and make sure they don’t caught up in the blanket.
Tug of war: This is a very fun game to play with a hyped up ferret. Choose a nice toy (I use a tennis ball with a rope attached, it’s a dog toy but my ferret adores it) and play tug of war with it. Your ferret probably isn’t that strong, so be gentle, but they seem to love this.
Digging and Splashing: While my ferret isn’t big on either, some ferrets adore digging in pottery soil, litter, and anything else they can manage to get into; and they love splashing in the water. Some ferret owners put a little bit of water in a tub (not the whole tub, just the front part) and put their ferrets in the tub to play. They seem to enjoy splashing in the water. Alternatively, you can buy potting soil and put your ferrets outside (under supervision) to play in it. Just put it in a little kiddie pool or simply slice open the bag length wise and let the little fuzzies dig in!
Hide and Seek: Try this one with a ferret you’ve bonded well with, sometimes ferrets new to the house won’t trust you enough to play this game. Hide behind something and call your ferret or wait for them to come after you. When they come to your spot jump out at them in a playful manner. The ferret will usually get really excited realizing its play time and you’re going to play games. Some people say their ferret will run and hide next and you have to fun them, others that they go and hide again and the ferret comes after them, either way you and your ferret can really get into this one. Hide and seek helps you bond well and really suits the ferrets curious and playful nature.
Bag play: Ferrets love bags! Plastic bags, paper bags, shoulder bags, backpacks, handbags, you name it! They love crawling in them, exploring them, tunneling their way through them, sometimes even moving them. Setting a bunch of bags on the floor can create an amazingly fun game for a ferret. Be careful when using plastic bags though, watch your ferret carefully and possibly cut a hole in them and cut the handles off to prevent suffocation or choking. With good supervision this shouldn’t be a problem and your ferret is bound to have tons of fun! Mine loves exploring every bag that comes in the house. She crawls completely inside them, runs around them, and love jumping on them when they move.
Ferrets favorite toy: Your ferret will probably pick a favorite toy and guard it with their life. For mine it’s her tennis ball (the same one we play tug of war with). As a way to stimulate her and give her a bit of a run around I’ll find where she has hidden the toy take it and hide it somewhere else. When she discovers it’s gone she immediately goes on a hunt for it. It’s funny to watch her as she runs around looking for it and how satisfied she looks as she carries it off in victory once she finds it. She’ll also carry it around the house finding new hiding spots for it. She likes to move it every couple of hours, seemingly just for the sake of it. It’s good for your ferret to have a toy like this as it is a back up for when you’re too exhausted to play anymore.
Try out any of these games with your fuzzy, make variations of them, figure out which ones they really like and play them with your ferret regularly. Ferrets love play time and they love having company to play with. So be sure to provide a stimulating, entertaining environment for your ferret and they’ll love you for it! Play is a great way to bond and create trust between you and your pet.
