Ferrets have their own habits and their cage must allow them to find their bearings and a pleasant space to live in every day. We will discuss here some very specific but simple topics whose goal is to provide a pleasant daily life for your pet. These basic elements to welcome one or more ferrets in your home, are the choice of the cage, its minimum equipment and how to maintain it.
What type of cage for my ferret?
Although a rabbit hutch may be suitable for a ferret, the ideal cage is one that is specifically designed for this animal, i.e. high and spacious: the cages are like towers with different levels. The adaptation to captivity will be easier.
Cages for ferrets are designed to allow them to move around: rather high, with bars that are tight enough to prevent them from sneaking out, because they are smart! Thus, you can consider that 1 meter will be the minimum height in order to offer several levels to your animal; the depth will be very important because it organizes its living environment and in particular its litter for its needs. This location, set back from the rest of the space, requires a cage depth of at least 50 centimeters.
The key word is space for his activity, the ferret can not stand a narrow and monotonous place.
Cage accessories
Hammock and bedding
Ferrets are animals that like to be comfortable, especially in a soft place for long naps or nights.
The hammock is ideal for him to vary the places of rest, to find a place where he can also play while the bed will be more furnished, with cushions and other linen so that he can slip into what he can transform into a cozy nest. The larger the cage, the more living space you can provide. Hammocks come in a variety of shapes and sizes, are often original in their decoration and can accommodate one or more ferrets, as these animals also enjoy snuggling up together! The hammocks are easily attached to the bars of the cage. Sleeping arrangements range from simple baskets to small stuffed niches: the cozy nest in all its splendor!
Tunnels
You can install them to connect different parts of the cage if it is large, or at least to allow for some exercise! Since ferrets are rather active, they will appreciate being able to slip through a pipe or a tube to play or simply to move from one room to another in their cage or to change floors. The communicating tunnels will be made of rigid plastic while the play tunnels will be made of polar fabrics, lighter fabrics, stretchy like springs…
Games
In order not to let your ferret sink into moroseness and sadness, you must make sure that he has something to occupy himself with: Such as cats they play with hard balls or simple balls of paper, with hanging objects … Added bags, boxes and your ferret will show you his instinct to play, snoop, his liveliness … Hanging bridges, “trees” to climb, are also relatively essential accessories because they allow the ferret to spend physically and therefore you will have understood it to be in good living conditions.
The games and playgrounds for ferrets all have the same objective: to allow the ferret to exercise physically, to use his instinct to hide, sneak into different objects, dark passages …
Accessories for feeding
The few practical accessories will be mainly bowls with a system of attachment to the bars of the cage to prevent the ferret from spreading his food everywhere and a water tank functioning a bit like a bottle since it has a metal nipple (the ferret’s teeth would quickly come to an end if this nipple was made of rubber) closed by a valve: the flow of water is made only at the time of aspiration by the animal. The practical side of some water tanks is that they are attached to the outside of the cage, allowing easy access for filling.
Cleaning the cage
This may seem like a trivial subject, but it’s important to understand that ferrets can always go to the same place to relieve themselves: impeccable hygiene is therefore essential for your pet’s well-being, but also for the atmosphere in the room. A clean place will contribute to the daily balance of your ferret. As your ferret has a very sensitive sense of smell, urine odors will quickly become disturbing for him and you may find droppings all over the cage, making it unlivable for the animal. It is therefore necessary to maintain and renew the litter regularly.
There is no specific litter for ferret droppings, but since the urine of ferrets in particular is quite substantial, the advice is to use so-called clumping litters, i.e. litters that absorb the urine. Indeed, if the litter is not absorbent, you will have a stagnation of the urine under the litter which will cause strong odors.
The above mentioned litter boxes are suitable for all kinds of cages because their shapes are varied. They are generally equipped with hooks to be fixed to the bars of the cage.
Here we could mention the essentials for one or more ferrets to live comfortably in your home. Keep in mind that ferrets are sensitive creatures, so don’t overdo it in terms of the size of the cage, because you might get tired of it very quickly and not taking care of your pet would be the worst thing for him. On the contrary, take part in your ferret’s games, which will only make him more sociable and grateful.
