How to Play with a Pet Ferret

Last Updated: November 18, 2022

Ferrets are incredibly smart and social pets that love to play more than just about anything. To play with your ferret you can use toys as hide-and-seek items, to play tug-of-war, or to give them something to chase. You can also make tunneling and burrowing areas for your ferret to explore, or set up digging areas to get their paws dirty - just remember to ferret proof your home before taking your pet out for play time!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Chasing Your Ferret

1
Clear an area where so can run freely without running into things. Pick a room to play with the ferret in and move furniture towards the walls and pick up anything that could get in your path from the floor. You'll need a lot of space to run around in and chase your ferret, so choose a big room or a long hallway.^{[1]
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- Ferrets can be taken out into the whole home, so if you want the chase to span multiple rooms, be sure to remove obstacles from your planned path.
2
Chase your ferret with a toy and let it chase you. While you can simply startle your ferret and chase it that way, giving it a toy to play with first gives it something to be interested in and prevents it from distrusting you. Give it its favorite toy, then take it away and get ready to be chased.
- It's best to use a toy that has a strong scent or one with food in it to entice your ferret to chase after you based on its sense of smell. If you just run away from it, it might not be interested.
- Make sure you don't frighten your ferret. If your ferret has a nervous or anxious personality, chasing might not be a good option for play.
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3
Play tag with your ferret by touching it, then running away. Most ferrets easily understand the concept of tag, and it can be a more involving way of chasing it. Run up to it, touch it gently, then run away quickly — it will get the hint after a couple of minutes and come running after you. It might even jump on you to "tag" you!^{[2]
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- Be sure to watch your feet when playing tag. The goal with tag is to get up close and touch your pet, while chasing it is simply for the fun of running — getting into close contact with your ferret could mean accidentally stepping on its tail, so be careful.
4
Play hide and seek by calling your ferret's name from a hiding spot. This one requires you to find a hiding spot in another room. Find a good hiding spot, such as under a blanket in the bedroom or behind a door, and call your ferret's name. It will be confused at first, but keep calling its name and eventually it will find you!
- A lot of ferrets will pick up on this game quickly and go hide as well. If your ferret jumps up on you and runs away quickly, this could be a sign that it's your turn to be the seeker.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Playing With Toys

1
Play tug of war with a long toy, like a rope toy, or a towel. Take an old towel that you don't use anymore or buy a rope toy from the store, and let your ferret bite one end of it. Then, pull the other end gently to entice it into playing tug of war with you.^{[3]
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Research source} You may find the ferret responds better to the towel if you drag it in front of its face back and forth for a few moments.
- Don't use rubber toys for tug of war as they are easily destroyed by ferrets and rubber can cause damage to its intestines if ingested.
- Pull gently but firmly on the towel. If you pull too hard, you could hurt your ferret's teeth, but pull too soft and it won't feel a challenge.
2
Hide a toy in a part of the home and let your ferret find it. Ferrets love to hide toys on their own, but if you take your ferret's favorite toy and hide it nearby, it will start to look for it and get excited when it finds where you hid it. If your ferret is having trouble finding it, call its name from where you hid the toy to give it a hint.
- Hide the toy in a corner or in plain sight at first, and over time choose more difficult to find hiding spots, such as in between pillows or under an upturned bowl.
3
Tease your ferret with a treat attached to a string. Tie a fishing line or thin string around a treat tightly and secure the other end of the string to the tip of a pole to create a faux fishing pole.^{[4]
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Research source} Drag the treat in front of your ferret to entice it, send your ferret on a chase by dragging the treat all over the room, or lift the treat sharply to make your ferret jump!
- Always allow your ferret to catch the treat or toy at the end of the chase. If it doesn't catch its target, your ferret will likely become frustrated.
- This is essentially a smaller version of chasing your ferret with a toy, but this way you don't have to worry about accidentally stepping on it or getting nipped.
- Opt for a feather toy or a ball toy if your ferret is on a diet.
4
Throw a ball and let your ferret fetch it for you. Ferrets love balls just like dogs do, but they might not always get the game of fetch at first. Throw a ball so your ferret sees where it goes, wait for it to pick it up, then call its name so it comes back to you. Give it a treat if it drops the ball at your feet, then throw it again!
- You can also do this with any other toy, but a ball is optimal as it bounces and rolls further than where it lands, making your ferret run and let out its energy. Ping pong balls are especially good for their bounciness!
5
Race an RC car around the home and let your ferret chase it. Find a cheap RC car that you don't mind getting a bit damaged. Let your ferret investigate it for a few minutes, then race it around the home and watch your ferret go nuts chasing it. You can also tie a small toy to the back of it to further entice your ferret to go after it.^{[5]
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- Opt for an electric RC car rather than a gas powered one, as the fumes will gather in a small space. Gas-powered RC cars are only meant to be used outside.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making Tunneling and Burrowing Areas

1
Layer blankets and soft towels on your bed for a burrowing fort. Layer blankets, soft towels, pillows, and other soft fabrics on your bed and place your ferret inside the pile. It will start to burrow and find a way to get out of all the layers, but it might also get comfortable and sit there in the warmth.
- Lift the blanket layers and play peek-a-boo with your ferret while it's in the blanket fort. It'll love the surprise and might even try to play a bit of hide and seek itself!
- You can also roughhouse with your ferret while it's under all those blankets. Ferrets love to wrestle, but they sometimes nip or scratch people they wrestle with. Gently push around and wrestle with your ferret while it's covered up, and be sure to give it plenty of love afterward.
2
Slide a pillowcase over your ferret and gently prod it through the fabric. Using a fabric pillowcase that you can breathe through, place it over your ferret and let it burrow into the fabric. When it's fully encased, gently run your finger along the fabric to entice it to play with you — just be careful not to get it too excited or it may nip you through the pillowcase.^{[6]
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- You can also do this with a thin blanket if you don't want to risk trapping your ferret. Place a thin blanket over your ferret on the bed and run your fingers down the creases to pique its curiosity.
- The reverse works as well — place the pillowcase or blanket over yourself and move around underneath the fabric. Your ferret will love investigating the mystery of what's moving under the blanket!^{[7]
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3
Connect cardboard tubes, PVC pipe, or old pant legs to make tunnels. Get some cardboard tubes or PVC pipe with at least 4 in (10 cm) wide openings and connect the tubes or pipe together to make long tunnels for your ferret to explore. Alternatively, cut off the legs and arms of old pants and long sleeve shirts and put some food inside to make a fabric tunnel that you can see your ferret through.
- A ferret might not understand that a flat pant leg can be crawled through, so consider opening up one side near its head to show that it can go inside and out the other end. Placing food inside the pant leg or shirt sleeve helps entice it in.
- You can use poster tubes if you can't find any decent-sized cardboard tubes locally. You can find PVC pipe at your local hardware store.
4
Fill a large plastic tub with sand, rice, and dried beans to make a digging pit. Get a plastic tub at least 1 ft (0.30 m) deep and around 2–4 ft (0.61–1.22 m) across. Fill it with 3/4 of the way up sand, dried rice, and dried beans and bury some food or toys at the very bottom. Place your ferret in the tub and watch it roll around and dig for its treats!
- This may sound like it requires a bit of cleanup, but as long as you use dried ingredients and your ferret doesn't relieve itself in the tub, you can reuse it over and over again. Store it near the cage for easy access.
- You can use Styrofoam peanuts as well as rice beans and sand, but watch the tub closely to make sure your ferret doesn't eat any.

Warnings

Inspect toys for wear and sharp edges regularly. Ferrets are very tough on items and toys can become dangerous when they are damaged.

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