Ferret Help?

Question

I have a great less than 1 yr old female ferret but with one problem . At night she bites and pulls at her cage . she kinda like puts her teeth around it and pulls and lets go and it makes a horribly loud ringing /boom noise . I'm concerned with SLEEP and her mouth . what is causing this and how do i fix it

Answer 1

Cinnamon Sprite is correct in everything she wrote.

Ferrets need lots of stimulation and attention. If you only have the one ferret, then she needs it from YOU.

Ferrets need a cage, but they are not cage animals like hamsters or gerbils. They need exercise and at least 4 hours out of their cage daily. The cage is pretty much only for eating and sleeping. Ferrets sleep up to 18-20 hours a day.

Since ferrets are not nocturnal (they are crepescular like deer, but, as CS said they will adjust their schedule to yours) the reason your ferret would be chewing at her cage is out of boredom.

To fix this, you need to play with her and wear her out before bed.

Also, like Cinnamon Sprite said, ferrets are not rodents. They do not, I repeat, DO NOT, need wood to gnaw or teethe on. Instead of helping with their teeth (which, BTW, don't continually grow like guinea pigs or hamsters) wood can make them very sick.

It never ceases to amaze me that people will answer a question and offer advice when they have NO CLUE what they're talking about.

Answer 2

The first concern I have is: the size of the ferret's home. It should be a minimum of 36" long and 24" high. All ferrets want a hammock to rest and play in. Ferrets are very intelligent animals and must have companionship, be it human, dog, cat or ferret. I sell ferrets and the only time we have issues with them gnawing on the cage is when they are about 3 months old and teething. We have had many ferrets even that we've placed for adoption and none of them have chewed on the bars. Be sure to feed the ferret a quality fortified ferret diet, it may be lacking vitamins or even have tooth decay. Ferrets with ear mites show unusual reactions because the mites are really annoying. Check inside the ears for a dark red build up. Commercial products are available that work well. (Marshall's) Contrary to what one has disagreed with, ferrets are mainly active at night. We have 3 adopted ones as pets.

Answer 3

most of the responses in the answers are correct, they are not rodents, they do sleep most of the day, they will ajust their sleep to your schedule, but it does sound like she is trying to tell you something, maybe it`s something in her cage that she disagrees with, did you know that most household ferrets use a litter box, just like a cat, you should have a litter pan in her cage and also a hammock or some old towels or sheets could be ok for know, but most of these guys where right about the wood, never put it in her cage, i know that some people use wood chips or that kitty litter you get from a store, but i use this stuff i get at petco and it is ground up corn cobs, so if they decide to chew on it then it would be safer then a rock or wood splinters, i own 2 males, one is 3 the other 5, but they are great, but you do have to let them out of that cage, mine i take outside and several times a day i will turn them loose in the house, i will lock up the places i don`t want them to get into like the cabinets where i keep poisons and cleaning stuff and the wash room because that is where my hot water heater is, etc. you get the idea, but keep in mind that if you let them loose that they are explores and they are curious about everything, did you know that the word ferret is latin(or greek or something) which means theif, just about anything that they can carry in their mouth they will take it off and hide it. well i hope this helps FYI they get distemper shots every year but i`m not sure at what age do they start given these at.

Answer 4

Ferrets do this when they are bored. Your ferret needs more out of cage time and more stimulation (you need to play with her more). Tire her out and she'll sleep through the night.

Also know that....

1. Ferrets are not nocturnal they are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk, though they will adjust to your schedule. Ferrets may sleep as much as 18 to 20 hours per day but need at least 2 to 4 hours out of cage time to be satisfied.

2. Ferrets should never be given wood to chew on. Ferrets are not rodents and their teeth do not continue to grow as most rodent teeth do. Ferret teeth are more similar to cat teeth. Ferrets have no need to gnaw on anything to keep their teeth from overgrowing and ingesting wood can kill them.

Answer 5

How much do you let her out? Maybe she wants to be played with more. How about you get a ferret harness and take her for walkies? They love it!

Or, if you gives her all the love and affection she deserves, maybe she just likes the noise her cage makes. Or she might be bored in her cage - has she got many toys? You can get so many toys for ferrets - activity balls to hide treats in, things to hide in, things to chew...try some new stuff for her.

Answer 6

I have three ferrets now I've had traditionally 10 in all....Bear is a lovable identify...I have one who appears like a undergo. My beyond names are: Pandorah Lucky Gringo *Short for Gringorio Flower Lucy Sebastian

Answer 7

Ferrets are nocturnal usually, so that explains the night.

Perhaps it would help to get her out more in the day so she can get her energy out more.

Also, maybe a bigger sized cage would help. I know when we had our ferret in a small cage it was NOT happy. we upgraded the size of the cage and now she is fine, as long as we get her out daily.

Answer 8

She's lonely. It's always best to have 2 ferrets to keep each other company.

Answer 9

um put the ferret in a difernt room at night and no the ground
so yeah iloveu babe

Answer 10

my ferret did the same thing...turns out she had cataracts and she was like trying to figure things out because she couldn't see them. Does your ferret have like a white tint to his/her eyes?