Have Fun With Ferret Puzzles

Feeder Puzzles for Ferrets

Ferrets are well-known to be mischievous creatures that require a decent amount of attention. Though they often live in caged habitats, it is incredibly important for them to get plenty of time and socialization outside of their cage. These small animals are incredibly smart with great problem-solving skills which makes ferret puzzles a brilliant form of enrichment for them. You can easily create your own ferret feeder puzzle or buy one from a store. There are a few things to consider when you are selecting or creating one to make sure your ferret remains safe and can solve it.

Why is ferret enrichment important?

Enrichment involves providing your pet with something that will encourage their natural behaviors and therefore will help to improve their overall health. Giving our pets daily enrichment is an important part of making sure our pets live their best lives. Boredom and lack of activity can lead to stress and an array of health issues which is why it is important to provide a variety of activities for your animals.  

If you’d like to dive in deeper to learn more about how to provide your pets with the appropriate kind of enrichment, we go over it in detail in our Pet Enrichment post. Enrichment can address any or all of the 5 senses and Feeder puzzles can check off several of those boxes.

Selecting Your Ferret Puzzles

When you are picking out ferret puzzles, keep in mind that the enrichment should encourage natural behaviors. You want to give your ferret the chance to be able to do some of the things they would normally do if they were in the wild. This is a great time to do a little bit of research to learn more about the natural history of ferrets. Online ferret groups and finding inspiration on Pinterest are both great ways to get new ideas about what you can do.

One of the main things to keep in mind when selecting your puzzles is to remember how small ferrets are. You will want to avoid using anything with moving parts that they could get a body part stuck in. It is also important that any part that they may be required to move around needs to be small and light enough for them to do so.

Homemade Ferret Puzzles

If you are planning on making your own homemade ferret puzzles, there is no shortage of items around the house that you can use. Paper and cardboard are two of my favorite things to make feeder puzzles out of. You can even use small bottles if you are interested in making something more intricate. The first few puzzles that you make for your ferrets should be more on the easier side, so they don’t get frustrated and quit.  

Cardboard tubes and boxes are great items to use as feeder puzzles. Simply put a few food items inside and partially close the openings. The smaller the opening, the more difficult it will be for them to get the food out. McDonald’s pie boxes are my favorite to use because they already have perfect-sized holes in them and it gives me an excuse to eat pie!

Paper also creates a quick and easy puzzle. All you have to do is put treats in it and crumple the paper up in a ball. To make it easier, remember to put some treats on the outer parts of the paper crevices and crumple the paper up loosely.

Using plastic bottles is a DIY feeder puzzle that requires a few more tools and a bit more work from you. You can use the bottles on a dowel to create a feeder puzzle just like the ones you can find online or in stores.

Store-Bought Ferret Puzzles

When looking to purchase a ready-made feeder puzzle for your ferret, you will have the best luck looking in the dog or cat section for the best selection. I tend to look for puzzles that have small pegs that need to be removed in order to get to the treats, small discs that they need to slide, or even tabs that need to be pulled up. I suggest avoiding any puzzles with large moving pieces or parts that can fall on and potentially hurt your pet when they are playing with it. Here are a few puzzles that our ferrets enjoy.

What food should I use in ferret feeder puzzles?

When searching for the perfect foods to use in your feeder puzzles, consider how messy they may be. It is super easy to forget to think about how you plan on cleaning the puzzle after your ferrets are done using it. If you want to use special treats like pinkies or small rodents, my suggestion is to only use them in homemade puzzles or puzzles made of plastic. This way you can either throw away the soiled pieces or have an easier time sanitizing them. Most store-bought Ferret treats and even their regular dry food diet will work perfectly in all of the puzzles.

Ferret Puzzle Safety Warnings

As always, please ask your vet if you have any questions or concerns about your ferret. This includes making sure that any new food choices are safe for them to eat. Call your vet if your pets’ behavior, appetite, or bowel movements change suddenly because this can be a sign that something may be wrong.

Try to do frequent safety checks of any toys that you give to them. It is important to keep an eye out for any sharp edges they can get hurt on or items that they can get caught in. It is also a good idea to regularly check all areas they have access to for any safety concerns.

As tempting as it may be, never leave them unattended with new puzzles. In fact, you will want to keep an eye on them even when you give them puzzles that they’ve had before. This is because, with many of the puzzles, there will be a small chance that your ferret might get stuck in them. Because of this, it is important to be with them so you can step in to assist them if they need help. When you keep an eye on them, you can also find out where they choose to hide the pieces that can be removed. LOL

Try not to be disappointed if they don’t instantly play with the puzzles that you give your pets. Remember that with any new thing, it may take a few tries before they feel comfortable enough to interact with it. Other times they may need your help figuring out what to do, especially with the more difficult food puzzles.

Have Fun With Ferret Puzzles!

Your ferrets will love investigating and playing with the feeder puzzles you buy and create for them. Puzzles are fantastic for keeping them busy for short periods of time and can be a blessing if you need to distract them for a while so you can clean their cage or work on a project without them bothering you. They are so smart, and I love seeing ours work out solving new puzzles as they figure out how to get to the treats. Our ferrets Jack and Rin will even play with the puzzles when it contains just their normal diet and even when they are completely empty!

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