How to Ferret-Proof Your Home

When ferret-proofing your home, keep in mind that ferrets are very curious animals and love to explore in and under things that could end up hurting them. Many of them also love to chew on anything from your shoes to the baseboards in your house. For these reasons, it is imperative that you ferret-proof BEFORE you let your ferret out of the cage or bring it home and continue to watch for potentially dangerous items and areas.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Patience
• A sharp eye
• Creativity
• Cord covers

1. Before getting a ferret you should go through your house, at least the parts of it the ferret can access, and seal off any small holes and remove any toxic or chewable materials.

2. Couches provide several dangers. Ferrets often like to climb and this can mean a bad fall if it loses its balance on the back or arm of the couch. If the couch is raised off the floor on legs this means that your ferret has access to springs and padding. The springs are dangerous because they move when someone sits on the couch and the padding could be swallowed, causing an intestinal blockage if your ferret tears it out or chews on it.

3. After taking care of these major steps, look through the room again and check for those last little details. If carpet or fabric has loops or snags where your ferret could get a nail caught, trim it or remove it from the room. Pick up anything from the floor that the ferret might chew on or hide. Your ferret might love chewing on your wallet, but he won't enjoy the intestinal blockage it causes. And you probably won't like missing your license and credit cards.

4. The other major danger involved with couches is the enticing cushions under which ferrets love to hide. This means they are very likely to get squished when somebody sits down on the couch. The only real solution to the couch issue is to watch closely when your ferret is near this piece of furniture. If the interior is not covered from beneath with a tough fabric, then you might want to consider removing the legs altogether so that the couch sits flat on the floor.

5. A good way to remove the danger of cords is to buy a cord cover. These come in a few forms. Some pet stores sell clear plastic cord covers that slip over a single cord and often contain something that tastes bitter to animals and deters chewing. Another option is a box-like cover that holds several cords and snaps shut, safely blocking your electronics from damage and your ferret from being fried. These are especially good when you need to take care of cords from a lot of machines at once, such as behind your entertainment center or computer desk.