DIY Ferret Toys

Your ferret will be so excited to play with its new toys.

Toys made specifically for ferrets can be very expensive. Luckily, ferrets are easily entertained, so why not make them yourself? The key to keeping your ferret happy is having a wide variety of toys for it to play with. Typically, ferrets love anything new, anything that moves or squeaks, spaces to crawl around in and chewable items. These DIY ferret toys can be very simple and you likely have everything you need around the house.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Pants
• Ribbon
• Needle
• Thread
• Old clothes
• Ferret treats
• Toilet paper roll
• Cardboard boxes
• Non-instant rice or uncooked beans
• Plastic Easter egg
• Glue
• Shipping tubes
• Tape

Instructions

Tunnels

1. 

   Ferrets love to play in tunnels just like some dogs do.

   Cut a trouser leg off of a pair of pants. Screw 3 or 4 hooks into the ceiling. Tie a long ribbon or rope from each hook so that the ribbon touches or comes close to touching the ground. Wrap the ribbons all the way around the pant leg and cover the ribbons in tape to secure the tunnel. Make sure that the tunnel is parallel to the floor but not too far off the ground. About a foot from the ground is a good height.

2. Sew up one side of the pant leg to create a cozy sleep sack. Use old clothes or linens for bedding.

3. Tape the end of a toilet paper roll, place a treat inside and let your ferret try to get the treat out.

Dig Box

1. Fill a medium-sized cardboard box with uncooked, non-instant white rice or paper.

2. Throw some treats into the filled box.

3. Cut a hole in the top of the box so that the ferret can enter and exit without spilling the box's contents everywhere.

4. Tape the rest of the box openings shut. Be sure to monitor your ferret while it is in the box to make sure that it is having fun and not stuck.

Shaker

1. Empty a plastic Easter egg.

2. Fill the egg with non-instant white rice or uncooked beans.

3. Glue the egg shut.

Ferret Castle

1. 

   Use different size boxes to create a unique castle for your ferret.

   Cut holes the size of shipping tubes in the sides of 2 or more cardboard boxes.

2. Glue shipping tubes to the cardboard boxes to create an exciting labyrinth for your ferret. Try hiding treats or other toys in different boxes and tubes.

3. Use tape to cover rough edges.

4. Position the boxes and tubes so that your ferret has to climb up some shipping tubes and slide down others.

Tips & Warnings

• Smaller noise-making toys, like a felted rattle, that are becoming worn can be put in a tied sock.

• Avoid rubber toys for ferrets.

• Make sure that your ferret can't ingest the toy and that your ferret can't become trapped.

• Monitor your ferret when it is playing with a toilet paper or paper towel roll. They make great do-it-yourself ferret toys, but the ferret's head could get stuck, leading to suffocation if no one is watching.

• If ingested by your ferret, instant rice could be very harmful.

References

• Ferret Hammock Dot Com; DIY Toys; Jacqui Bennett
• Cypress Keep; Home-Made Ferret Toys; Erika Matulich, Ph.D.