Go to Bed, Ferret – I Don’t Care If You Want to Party!
Ferrets are professional sleepers. An adult ferret, on average, can spend over 15 hours a day in a slumber. This is one reason why they can make such good pets. If there isn’t anything for them to do, they’ll sleep. They can get into coma sessions so deep that picking them up won’t wake them. Don’t worry about it though, this is perfectly normal. You wouldn’t want your ferret to be a sleepy head all the time though. A good practice is to train your ferret to wake up for play at the same time every day. A couple of hours of stimulation are more than they need. You can just let them be and they’ll occupy themselves with no problems at all. Make this into a routine and this will benefit your ferret’s well being.
A favorite sleeping position for ferrets is to sleep in a big cozy pile on top of each other. A ferret hammock is a good substitution for the pile. So what is a ferret hammock? Imagine a beach with two palm trees, that is what a ferret hammock is about, except it’s suspended and fastened inside a cage. You can find these at your local pet store or online. If you don’t have a hammock, pretty much anything will do. Ferrets are experts in putting together a bed. Throw in a pile of old sweaters and your pet will make it into the most comfortable place on earth.
A sleeping sack is like a sleeping bag. It stays put on the floor and can be used for play (ferrets can use anything for play). Hammocks are usually used in warmer weather and sleeping sacks are used in cooler weather. Hammocks can provide more additional floor space for the cage but you should provide your ferret with both options since sleep is such an important part of their lifestyles.
When shopping for hammocks and sleep sacks, make sure that they are machine washable, this will make things so much easier for you. The fabric should be tough, durable and snag proof. Hammocks come lined or unlined. Try both out and see what your ferret likes better. You want to make sure you’re looking at quality first before vanity. Your ferrets are pretty much color blind anyway and you probably have bad judgment in interior design, so stick with something that is safe, durable and washable.
Another important but overlooked component in selecting a bed for your ferret are the small hardware attachments. Hammocks sometimes have holes in the corners for you to supply your own hardware, but usually come with adjustable straps and plastic clips. Whatever you use, make sure your ferret can’t swallow it or get anything snagged in it – like their toes.
You also want to make sure that your ferret is in a temperature-controlled climate and out of direct sunlight. Ferrets are sensitive to cold and especially heat. Their bodies have a tough time regulating temperature so cage placement is very important.