By: ASPCA Ani-Med

For a ferret, life is just one big game. Your intelligent, inquisitive pet loves nothing more than play time--especially if it involves you. As a responsible owner, you'll need to provide safe toys and a secure environment for your fuzzball. In return, you'll have a healthy, well-adjusted pet whose antics will never fail to amuse you!
Did you know that your furry friend will need a minimum of at least two hours a day of daily exercise out of the cage? Failure to provide this can result in an unhappy ferret who may exhibit negative behaviors. Bored ferrets may resort to digging in their litterbox or chewing on the bars of their cage. If you can't meet this daily requirement for play, it's best to consider a less interactive pet.

To prepare for playtime, you will need to do some major ferret-proofing, as your little guy can get into pretty much anything. Keep electrical cords, garbage cans and poisonous plants out of your pet's reach, and make sure he doesn't have access to areas where dangerous chemicals, appliances and cleaning items are stored. Keep in mind that your pet can worm his way into an opening as small as two inches in diameter, so block any holes under refrigerators, cabinets, or elsewhere in the walls. And did you know that ferrets can easily open drawers and floor vents, and have been known to burrow through the bottoms of couches and beds? You will also need to be extra careful of where you step when your ferret is out of his cage. These guys are fast and quiet, and can get easily underfoot--or can be found snoozing underneath that cushion you're just about to sit on!

The toys you select for your pet must be safe, too. Experts suggest hard rubber balls, hard-plastic cat toys (opt for the noisiest ones you can find!), and golf and tennis balls; some large parrot toys may work well, as will plastic rattles and squeaky toys made for human babies. Do-it-yourself toys provide great entertainment, too. Ferrets love PVC piping and plastic dryer hose tubing for tunneling; cardboard boxes, especially when arranged together with cut-out ferret-sized entryways, are great, too. Got an old pair of jeans around the house? Cut off the legs and you'll have two great toys that your ferret can nap in and/or crawl through! Avoid anything made of soft rubber or plastic, and toys with small pieces that can be chewed, pulled off or eaten. Your curious ferret is likely to eat anything in his path, including these indigestible items that can cause a potentially fatal blockage of the intestine or stomach.

It is recommended that you spend a good hour of your pet's playtime interacting with him. You won't necessarily have to crawl around on the floor with him, but you can pick up a toy and play tug of war, or roll a golf ball past him. Ferrets are good jumpers, and many owners find that interactive cat toys such as a "kitty teaser," a simple wire or plastic-string toy with a securely attached feather or other object, bring out the gymnastic abilities of their fuzzballs. And don't worry about feeling silly when you find yourself engaged in a game of hide-and-seek or chase-the-ferret--you'll probably be having too much fun to notice!