Housing
For the safety of the ferrets and your belongings they need a secure cage/enclosure to live in during the day when you cannot supervise their antics, this can be indoors or outside.
For indoor ferrets we recommend using a cage with a plastic tray base and wire frame body as these are easy to take apart and clean. When choosing a cage you need to check that the wires are spaced no more than 3cm apart and that they are reasonably stiff as ferrets can prise them apart and squeeze out, if the head goes through the rest will follow. You may also find that you need to secure the cage doors with extra clips as many ferrets will soon learn how to open them.
The base of the cage needs to be lined, as part of it will be the toilet, this can be done with newspaper and shredded paper or we have found that dust extracted woodchip equine bedding works well as it absorbs fluids and smells. It's best not to use sawdust or straw as these can harbour mites and cause respiratory problems.
Ramps and shelves should be solid wood or plastic, wire ones can damage feet. Bedding can be old clothes and blankets or you can buy custom made ferret hammocks, these seem to be the popular choice with the ferrets, nobody seems to know why. The ferrets will require some time out of the cage each day to run around and play, you need to ensure that the play area is secure before letting them out as they are very good at finding escape routes, you also need to be aware that the gaps under furniture and any holes in stud walls will be irresistible to a ferret. Pot plants need protection from digging ferrets and fragile ornaments should be kept well out of ferret reach.
You can entertain your ferrets by providing them with tubes (sections of drainpipe are ideal) to run through and playing with them with cat toys, always ensure that toys have no loose parts that a ferret could pull off and eat or choke on.
If you prefer to keep your ferrets outside then 2 ferrets could be kept in a standard sized rabbit hutch with an enclosed sleeping quarters and attached run.
For larger groups of ferrets some owners choose to custom build their ferret sheds or modify aviaries. Any shed needs to have a sleeping area with solid walls where the ferrets can shelter from the worst of the weather and a run constructed from strong mesh panels where they can run around, play, eat and poop.
All floors must be solid as ferrets are very good diggers, concrete or lino covered wood works well, exposed wood tends to absorb fluids and smells, all ramps and shelves need to be wood or plastic as wire mesh can damage feet.
The inside of the run can be furnished in the same way as an indoor cage with old blankets and clothes for bedding or the ever popular ferret hammocks, many owners will also hang hammocks in the run to give their pets somewhere to chill out during the day.
Toys and tubes should be provided in the run to keep the ferrets entertained, some owners also take their ferrets into the house for play time each day.
Ferrets can live outside in all weathers. The British climate doesn't seem to bother them but you will need to provide shelter from strong winds and rain. Hot weather can be fatal as ferrets are unable to sweat so need plenty of drinking water and possibly a small pool to paddle in. Some ferret owners fill small drinks bottles with water, then freeze them and wrap them in an old towel to place in the sleeping quarters of the ferret pens giving their pets something cool to lie against.
