Emma Jones
Ferrets like to sleep a lot. But once they’re awake, there’s no stopping them. Now they want to play, romp and frolic. There are plenty of ways to keep the little rascals busy.
Cat toys from specialist shops are well suited for ferrets. The little whirlwinds will enthusiastically chase after everything you offer them to play with. However, make sure that no parts of the toy can be swallowed. Rubber objects are not suitable for ferrets. The animals love this material, but they can easily chew and swallow it. Toys for young children are mostly safety tested and can therefore be used with ferrets without any problems.
However, you don’t have to dig deep into your wallet to keep your thugs busy. There are lots of exciting toys in the household. Old boxes or baskets, preferably filled with rustling paper, make great hiding spots, ping-pong balls are great to chase around, and lambskin rolls can be used as prey for ferrets instead of petting. You can also give your animals a lot of joy with a litter box filled with earth or sand because the little robbers like to dig for their living. But keep in mind that such a toy makes a lot of mess. Keeping your pets on the balcony or in the garden is usually not a problem.
Many ferrets love the water and like to splash around. Especially on warm summer days, a shallow pool with water is gratefully used. There are no limits to your imagination when playing with your pets. Even a crumpled piece of paper can be a lot of fun. The important thing is that you keep coming up with something new. Then the ferret life is fun and exciting.
Well behaved ferrets
Ferrets are intelligent and quick learners. If you address your pets by name from the start, they will soon know what their names are. Once your rascals are tame, you can try to train them with “signal learning”. For example, you can train them to come to you when they hear a special tone after running free. Start by making a sound before each feed. This can be a tongue click, a bell, a whistle, or a clicker (a device commonly used in animal conditioning that resembles a “frog click”). Immediately afterward the animals get their food or a treat. After a short time, the animals will associate the sound, which previously had no meaning for them, with something positive, the food.
If you want to put your ferrets back in the cage after free-range, you can now easily “call” them using the sound. Again, reward them with a treat the first few times. However, keep in mind that while ferrets are docile, they are not obedient. You can never count on your animals actually coming to you when you hear the sound because the little rascals have a mind of their own. Therefore, never let ferrets roam free outside the home, as they escape quickly.
The ferret from its chocolate side
Photographing pets is a lot of fun, but most of the time the result is frustrating. One time you can hardly see anything in the darkness, the other time you only see blurred lines. However, with a few simple tricks, anyone can achieve good photos. A good flash is the most important thing. Even when it is very bright, there is often not enough light in the apartment. Without a flash, the photos are often blurred because the animals pay no attention to the photographer and often run back and forth non-stop. Photographs through the bars of the ferret cage are usually not very pretty. It is, therefore, better to take your little photo model out of the cage. It is best to set up a small photo studio for your darlings beforehand.
Simply place a blanket, cloth, or large cardboard box on the floor. Make sure the color contrasts with your ferret’s fur and put away all toys and other objects. Your pet is really the center of attention and nothing distracts from it. This studio should be placed in a sunny and bright place. Ferrets are incredibly active and usually don’t feel like sitting still for a photo. Therefore, give your pet something to nibble on while you work behind the camera, and maybe even organize a helper who will put your pet back if it leaves the photo studio without permission. When everything is prepared, you can start. You only need one thing to become a good animal photographer: a lot of patience!