50 Ways to Play with Ferrets

Balls! And 49 other ways to entertain your ferrets. So strap in noodle lovers and enjoy the next 20 minutes of pure chaos. Ferrets are incredibly curious. They might sleep adorably for 18 hours a day, but when they're awake they are chaos in a furry coat. Talking of furry coats, a coat or a cardigan makes an excellent impromptu cave. The more it smells of you the better. My ferrets instantly start nosing around for the armhole entrance. And of course they enjoy a little hand wrestling through the fabric. Hand wrestling? It's everybody's favourite game around here and they never seem to want to let go. Those sharp little claws are also really good for climbing. What are you doing up there? So make yourself a mountain of various steepnesses. Is that even a word? And challenge them to climb you. This has the unfortunate side effect of making them realise they can climb you, but this can be countered by keeping their nails clipped short and good posture on your part. Talking of climbing stuff, we invented a party game you can play with your ferrets and any human guests you have round. Vertical ferret racing. All you need is a board and a grippy cloth. I'm using a stretchy fleece here, then bulldog clip it at the top and prop it at a slant that your ferrets can climb. Place some treat on the top of the bulldog clip, then release the ferrets. Side bets on the winner are optional and obviously only for play money. There are more elaborate ways to make a race. You'll have to adapt this idea to your own budget and how much you can be arsed with the construction, but here's my summer games event, the ferret run races. Ferret run, run for your treats. It's just a quick dash across this shallow splash. The race marshal inspects the track, a quick check for biscuits in the finish line and we're off. Player one wiggles. Pre-race polling has her in first, but she's stumped by the water. After a lot of hesitation, she picks a dainty path across the side, keeping two feet dry, but at what cost? Time, 1.03. Player two, loofy. A strong start from this newcomer, but oh no. Frustrated, he heads back to the start and he's taking it out on the cameraman. He's back on track now and takes the same side path as Wriggles. Time, 1.28. Player three, Zorro. Despite his disability, Zorro was second in pre-race polling. A cautious approach. No, he's not having any of that wetness. He is not happy with this course and is literally trying to dig his way out. Time, did not finish. Player four, Scruffles. The rank outsider, Scruffles makes a cautious start, but then seems to find the boost button. She's checked briefly by the water and yes, she clears it in a couple of pounds. Time, 24 seconds. Winner, Scruffles. It's a win for the underdog. Her trainer, Brian, is going to be thrilled with that result. I do love constructing fun additions to the enclosure, so my next suggestion is to build a jumping puzzle wall with squirrel feeder treat dispenser. The girls have been really patient and you want to come and see what I've been doing. I found these cute shelves online and thought the pipe bracket looks so cool and would make some added climbing options for the ferrets. Staple gun carpet on the top so they have plenty of grip. I think they can smell the treats. How do you get them though, Wriggles? And don't make it too high, as ferrets have surprisingly delicate bones which can break easily. Wriggles has always been highly motivated by treats and here she is using her wrinkled cortex, that's the puzzling part of the brain, to figure out the treat dispenser in no time. Scruffles, on the other hand, is more concerned that I might have been messing with her toys while she was gone. Knowing ferrets have delicate bones might make you want to wrap your little taffy rat up in bubble wrap, which is handy because that's my next idea. I have yet to meet a ferret that doesn't get all silly and extra bouncy when playing on bubble wrap. Just like humans, they love to pop it too. But make sure you don't leave them alone with it, as some ferrets, like Wriggles here, like to suck plastic. Yeah, I know, disgusting. This eventually wears a hole in it and puts them at risk of swallowing a piece. A safer and more sustainable bag to be left alone with is a paper bag. Anytime I get one with a takeaway delivery or food shop, I put it in the ferrets enclosure so they can have a play. They love to sniff all the strange smells out of it and bounce around inside it. It seems to me ferrets are very stimulated by sound, so any environment you can create where sound is enhanced will rev them up nicely. Throw down a bundle of old wrapping paper or tap on the outside of whatever container they've inserted their bodies into. Anything to make the world sound a little bit different. Toys that make a noise are another great attention grabber, be that squeaky dog and cat toys or other curious creatures you pick up on your travels. A warning though, don't overuse these toys with repeated bursts over and over and over again. Ferrets have sensitive hearing so their ears will fatigue quickly, making it uncomfortable for them. You'll also really annoy the neighbours, especially if they have a dog. And as with all toys, make sure they are safe for pets or babies. That means no eye beads or plastic doodars that could be bitten off and swallowed. Just think of them like clueless toddlers and you can't really go wrong. Another activity my ferrets love that seems to be linked in part to noise is the fabled bin leap day. When they see me go to change the bin bag, they know it's coming. A crispy fresh bin they can dive headfirst into. This also combines with their love of leaping. Although that is a curse more than a game when it comes to ferret proofing your home. Bringing things back down to earth, I've had a lot of value out of this sheepskin rug over the years. In fact, any rug that isn't too stiff and heavy for them to lift into makeshift tunnels with their shoulders, then chase each other through back and forth. Astro turf is another floor covering they absolutely love, especially after a meal. If I was a ferret, I would definitely do this. And no, it's not as much fun for humans. While I'm down here though, here's another quick game you and your ferrets might enjoy, hide and seek. In a space like this, I can only really hide my head, then try and keep them from gaining entry to nip my nose. It seems to keep them amused. If they had the run of the house, I would probably hide in cupboards with a squeaky toy. Let me know how it goes if you try that in your ferret house. If you want to keep things a little less chaotic, ferrets are really stimulated by learning. Time to do some maths. If I have four biscuits and I add another four biscuits, how many biscuits do I have? Scruffles? Wiggles? Four? Okay, four plus three. Okay, three, three plus three. How about... Can you please stop eating the maths equation? Okay, maybe not that kind of learning, but they have a complex brain and respond really well to the same kind of training you might give a dog. Ferret training is something I have yet to learn, but when I do, I'll be following the excellent guides on this channel, The Trained Ferret. Hi, I'm Courtney and this is Joey. And for today's video, I wanted to show you how I trained Joey to stay. So make sure you're subscribed with notification bell rung if you don't want to miss that. On with the list. Most cat toys are perfect for ferrets, though catnip has no effect on them. So save your money or give those to your cats. Balls with bells or chasey wands. Just don't let them drag the wand away without retrieving it immediately as they could try to alligator roll it and get it wound around their neck. But if you don't want to splash out on fancy pet toys, a simple ball of wool will do. Supervised play only for obvious entanglement reasons. Or just give them an old pillow with a pillowcase that's split a little at the seam. Hours of fun. For added excitement, you can get your hands in there too, giving them something to chase or push against through the fabric. One of the most effective ways to rev my girls up is just to waft a blanket about to make waves. They seem to get more hyped up by pink, but that could just be my imagination. Filming in 240 frames per second slow motion is optional, although strongly advised. There can be no doubt that every ferret loves to dig. And there are a number of ways you can provide this aerobic activity with varying degrees of cost and chaos. Invest in a puppy clay pen and you can fill it up with packing peanuts. Get the biodegradable cornstarch ones if you care about the environment. And never just break up polystyrene blocks into smaller parts or use those packing granules. The static electricity will mean they will take it everywhere on their coat and could swallow a lot if they try and clean themselves. You can fill a box with leaf fall before putting it in the garden waste bin. You can let them dig in the wood chip litter box when you have it open. Or you can fill a garden container about the third of the way up with sand so they can have a proper dig. Be warned though they will take the sand with them in their coats so give them a proper rub down before bringing them in the house. Another digging delight I found is a bag of hay from the pet store. Pop it up in a paddling pool and they will have hours of fun bouncing about and sniffling through it. Or skip the hay and just use the paddling pool as God intended. Smaller paddling receptacles are available. Here I'm filling a cat litter tray on a hot summer's day. Ferrets can't sweat to cool down so as well as being wildly entertaining my ferrets found it very refreshing. Here's another spin on a refreshing dip courtesy of Wriggles. Some ferrets are snorkelers meaning they like to put their whole face under water and blow bubbles through their nose. Wriggles also likes to push things around under water like this egg in a large casserole dish. I'm working on a better way to capture this adorable phenomenon so stay tuned for that. So you see entertaining ferrets doesn't have to be expensive. It's often the impromptu moments that no one was expecting that bring the most delight. Like blowing gently through a straw or singing to them randomly. Make dinner time a game by hiding some of their food. I've used a plastic toy tea set for this game of seek and nom but you could just use a dish and an egg cup. And just like dogs ferrets love to go for a walk and sniff at all the interesting things around them. Some ferrets are also obsessive stashers like Scruffles here who can be entertained for hours if you just keep handing over her favourite toys. This is a collection of Scruffles toys but which will she stash? Rubber ducks A tiny Christmas tree A blue heart A red heart A banana Dragon ball Red whale Fluffy ball Face hugger Shaky fox Shaky pheasant The croc Shaky badger Fluffzilla The sloth Wine And me! I even once made fake baby ferrets for her that I wore as finger puppets. Talking of puppets there is also this And this Just like clueless toddlers I find my ferrets to be fascinated by puppets. Belly rubs Enough said I think. Or if the vibe is more chill give them a massage. Most ferrets love a good neck and back rub and will soon be a yawning lump of putty in your hands. If you're finding it hard to connect in a playful way try using a treat as bribery. I taught my girls this fun trick where they run up my body and out onto my arms for the treat. They might be doing it just for the treat but it's entertaining for me anyway. Ferrets are famously destructive. They need to exercise those tough little teeth so giving them anything made of natural materials that you don't mind being destroyed is a great source of entertainment. I use these reed hamster hidey holes and wicker tunnels replacing them cheaply when they get demolished. You're wrecking it! Chewing is all well and good but you must be really careful about any toys made of soft plastic or rubber. By the way if you ever think your ferret might have swallowed something it shouldn't pumpkin can be used as a natural laxative in the first instance but blockages can end a ferret's life really quickly so seek veterinary care if you're even slightly worried. Tubes are the obvious entertainment suggestion. Are you surprised we didn't get to it before number 40? It doesn't matter where you put it or what it's made out of if a ferret can get in a tunnel it will go through it constantly preferably chasing another ferret and it is so much fun to watch. If you're feeling crafty you can even make your own see-through tunnels out of pop bottles. Use a hole punch and cable ties to link them together loosely enough that your ferrets won't get stuck wiggling through a gap. No, no, no, no, it's sticky, it's sticky. Yes! It's so fun! Another DIY tip use cheap hanging flower baskets as an alternative to hammocks as well as a perfect spot for reclining the rattan basket I've used here makes an excellent back scratcher. Sometimes the best kind of back scratcher is your fingernails though so scoop up those limousine rats in your arms and give them a good old-fashioned cuddle. If you want to go completely over the top and have the neighbours think you're mad you can throw them a red carpet party. I had so much fun putting on this red carpet event to celebrate our Steal for Play button. It might seem over the top but just putting up some decorations to celebrate an occasion is a fantastic way to enrich your ferret's environment as you can see by Zorro's hilarious reaction. As we tear through this list of 50 ways to entertain your ferrets we have to pay homage to the humble cardboard box. Just on its own this is a toy of endless potential for your average ferret. On top underneath inside cardboard boxes are always fun. In fact any old box will do to ignite your fuzzbutt's sense of fun. You can add a little spice by adding things like balls and eggs and other ferrets or you can use a little creativity to make a cardboard fort. I see potential in every cardboard box that gets delivered like these pieces from my new flat pack office furniture. There are two things that we know for sure. One, ferrets look great in slow motion and two, cardboard is really slippery. Because we don't want anybody taking a slide that doesn't want to do a slide then I'm going to put a small stopper here so they can make their own choice. And I am rounding this epic romp through the entertainment arsenal of a full-time ferret mom off with a suggestion you probably weren't expecting. Sit back and do nothing. Once you've revved your ferrets up with the stimulating activities listed here letting them be in a safe spacious area to run about wrestling and chasing each other will bring them a huge amount of joy. I know it can be tempting to insert yourself into the fun with chasey hands and belly rubs but it's important to know when to step back and let them entertain themselves especially when they're young and still figuring out their personalities. When they're ready to play with you some more they'll let you know and until then you can just enjoy the show. Again, filming it in slow motion, not compulsory but highly advised. You can let me know you enjoyed this post by hitting that like button and dropping a comment even if it's just a paw emoji to show your allegiance to our mustelid masters. We really appreciate you, Floof Crew. See you next time and if you need more floof watch this next.