Ferret cage setup: layouts and ideas that work

What do ferrets need in a cage?

Ferrets need a place to toilet, a place to eat and drink, a place to sleep and hide, and things to do, with each set apart from the others. RSPCA Australia puts it simply: food, water, bedding and a litter tray in different corners. A ferret will not settle in a bed next to its toilet, and it will tip, dig in or soil anything left within reach of play.

• A large, escape-proof cage with a solid floor or covered shelves, and a double latch if possible
• One high-sided litter tray per level, ideally one that clips to the bars
• Unscented paper pellet litter
• Two heavy ceramic food bowls, so food is always there
• A heavy water bowl, plus a water bottle as backup
• A hammock and an enclosed sleep sack, tent or box for each ferret
• Soft washable bedding: fleece, old towels or old T-shirts without loose threads
• Tunnels or pipes, and low shelves or ramps
• Two or three hard toys, rotated weekly
• Spare bedding, so there is always a clean set while one set is in the wash

Our guides to ferret bedding and litter and the best ferret toys go into each in detail.

Ferret cage setup, step by step

1. Choose the spot. Pick a room that stays between 15 and 21°C (59 and 70°F), out of direct sun, away from radiators and draughts, and with no trailing wires within reach. A quiet corner of a room you use works well.
2. Cover the floors. Line wire shelves and ramps with vinyl offcuts, lino or fleece, because bare wire can hurt ferret feet. A solid plastic pan on the base level catches spills.
3. Fix the toilet corners first. Clip a high-sided tray into a corner on each level, half fill it with paper pellets, and put a little splashback or newspaper behind it, because ferrets back into corners.
4. Set the food and water. Put heavy bowls in the corner furthest from the toilet on the main level, with a bottle on the bars as a backup.
5. Build the bedroom. Hang hammocks low and add an enclosed sleep sack or box with fleece inside, away from the tray. Give every ferret its own bed, and one extra.
6. Add the play layer. Run tunnels between levels, add low shelves and ramps, and put in two or three hard toys. Keep shelves low, as ferrets see poorly and can fall.
7. Check for escapes. Push on every door, gap and corner. Ferrets squeeze through small spaces, so check that bars are no more than 2.5 cm (1 in) apart and that every door bolts.
8. Watch the first week. If your ferrets pick a different toilet corner, move a tray there. It is quicker to follow them than to argue.

Indoor ferret cage layout: what goes on each level

Most large cages have two or more levels. This layout keeps the zones apart and puts the heavy, messy things low down.

Ferret cage ideas that keep them busy

The best ideas copy what ferrets do outside: tunnel, dig, hunt and hide. Wood Green and the RSPCA suggest:

• Pipes and tubes that run through the cage or link to another section
• A dig box: a sturdy tray or tyre filled with shredded paper, rice or blankets
• A paper sack stuffed with shredded paper, for the rustle
• A box of old socks to burrow into
• Meals served in a treat ball or Kong, or scattered in the bedding, so they search for food
• A shallow tray of water in hot weather, with supervision, shallow enough to step out of
• Cat toys like wands and jingle balls, used with you, not left in the cage

Avoid soft rubber and latex toys. Burgess warns they are a choking hazard, and the British Veterinary Nursing Association says swallowed objects stuck in the gut are most common in ferrets under a year old. For a longer list, see ferret enrichment.

Where should an indoor ferret cage go?

Somewhere cool, calm and away from hazards. Heat is the bigger danger: Burgess says above 26°C (79°F) is too hot for ferrets and above 30°C (86°F) can kill, and VCA asks that ferrets are kept out of direct sun and hot rooms. Our guide to ferret temperature explains how to keep them cool in summer.

Ferrets are predators, so the RSPCA asks that their home is kept away from prey animals like rabbits, guinea pigs and rats. They also catch human flu, so keep them away from anyone in the house who is ill.

Can ferrets live in a cage all the time?

No. A cage is a bedroom, not a whole home. Ferrets sleep 18 to 20 hours a day, but when awake they need room to run, and ferret rescuers ask for at least 4 hours a day out of the cage. Our guide to ferret cage size compares cages with the ferret rooms charities recommend, and ferret-proofing your home shows how to make free-roam time safe.

Keeping it all clean takes a few minutes a day: see how to clean a ferret cage. The rest of a ferret's needs are in our ferret care guide.