How can I keep my ferrets busy?

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How can I keep my ferrets busy?

"Hide their food in some of the boxes so that they have to work for it."

By Simon Whitehead, author and professional ferreter

Sunday, 17 May 2009

Q) With my ferreting now finished for the season, my ferrets seem to be bored and listless. Is there anything I can place in their run to keep them occupied?
T. MAY WELL
By email

A) This is a common problem for ferrets once their main occupation has come to an end and, by their nature, they can be extremely lazy if not stimulated in some way. The last thing you want is for your ferrets to become overweight and idle during their few months’ summer holiday. Depending on the size of your run, you could place some pipes, balls and boxes inside to trigger their natural curiosity. In addition, you could hide their food in some of the boxes so that they have to work for it. Even in a large court, if not given the right accessories to keep them stimulated and occupied, ferrets will soon sleep and eat the days away. I have seen some runs that have had the access blocked off so the ferrets are kept in their hutch. The access is opened for a limited time every day, so that the ferrets are more active during this reduced period than if access was freely available.

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