Ask a FERRET

We’ve had a lot of time on our hands. What are some fun games we can play with our ferrets?

With the whole family home, our ferrets have been getting a lot of bonding time with the kids. They’d love some fun ways to better interact with our fuzzbutts.

Ferret racing is a popular sport in London that involves competing ferrets racing through drainpipes. You can mimic this fun at home with our Cruising Critters Raceway. The kids love seeing which ferret takes home the win!

Play hide and seek. Ferrets move and hide so quickly, they are hard to keep track of. Let the ferrets loose in a ferret-proofed room, allow them to hide while the kids count, and let the kids look for the ferrets.

Tubes and slides are a blast for ferrets and kids alike. Simply allowing the kids to create their ultimate ferret playground of Thru-Ways and an old kiddie slide would keep everyone busy for hours.

We have a pool and our dogs love to join us when we swim. Will it harm our ferrets to get in on the fun?

Generally, ferrets love the water and would enjoy swimming with you and your family. The trouble comes in with the chemicals that are used to keep pools clean. Chlorine or bromine pools are not recommended for ferrets. A salt water pool is totally safe for your ferrets though, and I am sure they would appreciate cooling off. Always watch your ferret while in a pool, and make sure they are able to exit easily when they want. Never invite your ferret into a hot tub or whirlpool tub.

Create a dig box and hide treasures in there for your ferret to find. When they do and cart them off to hide them, send the kids to look for them.

WHAT’S IN A GOOD DIG BOX?

- Obtain a large container like a cardboard box, large plastic tub or kiddie pool.

- Fill with a dustless filler that they can dig in. Dry elbow macaroni, dehydrated beans or paper crumbles work great.

- Sand, rice and packing peanuts are not recommended.

- Hide little treasures in the substrate like our plush toys or sneaker toy, or collect some of their favorite things to steal around the house.

- Play with them while they are in the dig teaser toy. The Marshall Fishing For Fun Ferret Teaser Toy allows you to attach their favorite snack or treasure.

Can you give us a little ferret history?

Sure! Greek scholars wrote about a ferret-like animal as early as 450 BCE. They were probably domesticated to hunt vermin. The practice spread across Europe with remains having been found in medieval castles in contemporary writings. It is possible that the ferrets of that time were exclusively a lower class pet which would explain the lack of record. In the late 15th Century, Leonardo da Vinci painted Cecilia Gallerani holding a weasel-like creature. Although the animal has been dubbed an ermine, many scholars believe the animal is actually a ferret.

Sailors kept ferrets on ships to control rats, and that is likely how they came to North America in the 1700s. By the 1800s, ferrets were commonly used as pets and often given as gifts to visiting heads of state. In the 1900s they were imported by the thousands and used as rodent control for barns and warehouses.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that ferrets really became popular as family pets. Today they hold the number 3 spot for most popular domestic pet in America. They will always be number 1 in our opinion.