The popularity of keeping ferrets has been steadily increasing over the last couple of years due to a number of videos of ferrets playing and dooking going viral showing that they can be cute and very loving pets.
As more and more people decide to add a pet ferret to their family, the number of questions that we see asked from the community also increases with there being no sign of the popularity of ferrets slowing down anytime soon we only expect more questions to be asked in the future.
Due to a number of videos showing pet ferrets playing in dig boxes, we have been seeing more and more questions about making your own dig box for ferrets from the community as it can be a quick, easy, and cheap way to enrich the life of your pet ferret and they tend to love playing in their dig box.
Thankfully, it does tend to be very easy to make a dig box for your pet ferret to play in so it is one of the better paths to take when making your own DIY ferret toys.
Although there are a number of commercially available dig boxes for ferrets on the market, they are usually drastically overpriced and often low quality so the majority of people will be better off just making their own as it is very simple.
Our table of contents below should make it as easy as possible for you to navigate our article and skip to specific sections that you may want to read but if you are making your very first dig box for your pet ferrets then reading the full article is highly recommended.
Do Ferrets Need A Dig Box?
Ferrets do not need a dig box but it is usually one of the best toys that you are able to provide your pet ferrets due to how much ferrets love to play in a dig box.
The low price and easy of use of a dig box also makes it one of the better things that you are able to give your pet ferret for mental stimulation and enrichment too with most people who do provide a dig box to their pet ferret realize that it is one of their favorite toys.
It is generally considered that the three most common toys for enriching a pet ferrets life should be a dig box, a cheap tunnel system, and a hanging hammock but other ancillary toys such as suitable sized balls and other toys should also be provided if possible.
This can easily help to keep your pet ferret entertained with more and more people having a playroom for their pet ferret in their home where they will leave their ferret to play while they are out at work.
Many of the people who do set up these ferret playrooms that contain their dig box and other toys will also set up a cheap ferret CCTV system so they are able to check in on their pet while they are at work.
The more mental stimulation that you are able to provide your pet ferret, the less likely you are to have problems with your pet ferret having problems with destructive behavior too.
What Should I Put In My Ferret Dig Box?
You are able to use a wide range of substrates and materials for your pet ferret to dig in within its dig box but the perfect option for you will depend on your situation.
For example, soil and sand work well but they are very messy so most people who keep their ferrets indoors opt to use shredded paper or leaves for their dig box rather than soil and sand.
One of the most popular options to put in your pet ferrets dig box right now is pet safe ping pong balls as ferrets love to dig and play in them while they are also easy for your to clean up after your ferret is done playing.
We would highly recommend that you choose ping pong balls for your own ferret dig box due to their low price tag and the facts that they are easy to clean up as well as ferrets love them.
We know that many people choose to use packing peanuts to fill their ferret’s dig box but this is generally not recommended.
Packing peanuts are not pet safe and they are often small enough for a ferret to eat and potentially swallow one of them.
This can result in a blockage in the throat of your pet ferret or in its intestine or stomach so it’s just not worth the risk when there are so many other options that are better choices for a dig box.
How Big Should A Ferret Dig Box Be?
A ferret’s dig box should be at least as long as your pet ferret while also being around 6 inches deep as a minimum to allow your pet ferret to dig as it wants.
Ideally, the dig box should be at least 10 inches wide too but it can be difficult to find suitable boxes that perfectly meet these dimensions so you may have to adjust your ferret’s dig box to what you are able to find that will work.
One of the best options that is a very popular choice is a cheap cat littler box as your pet ferret isn’t able to chew sections off as it can with a cardboard box.
We know that the majority of our readers may have a cardboard box laying around but ferrets can often chew at them and end up with cardboard in their digestive system that should be avoided if possible.
Another very popular option for use as a dig box for ferrets is the plastic storage box with this being an option that is steadily increasing in popularity as time goes on.
They tend to be larger than the average cat littler box too making it a much better option for anyone who has multiple pet ferrets that they want to be able to use the same dig box too.
How To Make A DIY Dig Box For Ferrets!
You are able to quickly, easily, and cheaply make your own DIY ferret dig box by taking a suitable box and filling it with some cheap pet-safe ping pong balls.
There are a huge number of variations of this method that can also work well for a ferret dig box but that is usually considered the best option for a cheap and safe way to make a dig box that your ferrets will love.
You are able to get some pet safe ping pong balls and a cheap cat littler box for less than $30 usually but if you do want to make a larger dig box that is ideal for multiple ferrets then you can go with a plastic storage box and multiple bags of ping pong balls to fill its larger size.
Even if you only have one ferret, going with the plastic storage box to make the larger dig box can be a good idea as they really go tend to love the dig boxes with larger boxes offering them more space to dig.
If you really have to then you can use a cardboard box but we would still usually recommend that you go with ping pong balls for the filling of the dig box.
Rice is becoming increasingly popular for ferret dig boxes but we advice against it as small amounts of the rice can easily be eaten by your ferret while playing resulting in digestive upset in your pet ferret.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over how you are able to make your own DIY dig box for ferrets to an end. Ferrets really do love having a dig box to play with and they are one of the best ways to offer your pet ferret some enrichment in their lives. Thankfully they are cheap and easy to make too and there is usually no need to purchase one of the more expensive pre-made commercial ferret dig boxes due to them being overpriced and low quality.
