The Importance of Exercising Your Ferret
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Ferrets are curious and love to explore. Plenty of exercise is key to keeping your ferret healthy, and it's easy once you understand how ferrets like to play.
Ferrets Need Exercise!
Regular exercise will keep your ferret happy and helps maintain fitness, muscle tone and a healthy weight. It also keeps their busy minds occupied.
The Merck Veterinary Manual says ferrets need at least 2 to 4 hours outside their cage every day. Supervise them or keep them in a ferret-proofed area during that time.
Ferrets kept in their cage too long tend to gain weight and lose muscle tone. Lack of activity can lead to obesity and other health problems.
Exercise and Play Time
Ferrets love to hide in dark corners, burrow under furniture and run through plastic tubes. Many enjoy chasing a ball or digging in a dig box.
Toys are a big part of play, but ferrets are notorious for chewing and swallowing soft items, especially rubber. Swallowed pieces of rubber, foam or soft plastic can block the intestines, which is an emergency.
Avoid toys with small parts and soft rubber or latex toys, including many cat and dog toys. Hard plastic balls, sturdy tubes, cloth tunnels and paper bags make safe, cheap entertainment.
If your ferret roams the home, expect items to disappear under the furniture. Don't be surprised if you find a few holes in the carpet too!
Play areas must be very secure because ferrets are good at escaping. Merck notes ferrets have no strong homing instinct and will wander off if left outdoors.
Ferrets also overheat easily because of their inability to sweat. Keep outdoor play short, shaded and cool, and always have water on hand.
Play Periods should be supervised
Ferrets are very social, and playing around the house is great exercise. But your pet may try to chew something dangerous or squeeze into a gap behind an appliance.
That's why you need to "ferret proof" the play area before giving your pet free rein. Ferrets enjoy playing with other ferrets, with people and even with some other pets, but always supervise them with dogs and cats.
Multi-level Cages
Using multi-level cages with ramps and shelves gives extra room to climb inside the cage. Merck suggests a cage at least 3 feet wide, 3 feet deep and 2 feet high, with solid floors or padding to protect their feet.
A bigger cage helps, but it doesn't replace daily time outside the cage. Ferrets that rarely leave a small cage miss out on the exercise they need.
Some ferrets also enjoy climbing stairs to fetch a toy. Make sure the area is safe and they can't fall from a height.
Take Your Ferret Out for Walks
Ferrets can be walked outside, but be careful. They can slip out of sight quickly. Use a well-fitted ferret harness and leash, and check the fit before every walk.
You can also set up a play area with plastic and cardboard tubes and paper bag caves to burrow through. A large plastic box filled with plastic balls makes a fun ball pit.
Owning ferrets is a fun and rewarding experience. Give your ferret new things to explore and play with every day, and it will stay active and healthy.
Sources
- Providing a Home for a Ferret, Merck Veterinary Manual
- Other Noninfectious Diseases of Ferrets, Merck Veterinary Manual
